Idioms

A- Complete the idioms in the sentences below with the followin words 
               end - eye - eye - fire - foot - water - water - ice

1 Small talk is one way to break the ice  when meeting someone for the first time.
2 I was thrown in at the deep    when my company sent me to run the German office. I was only given two days' notice to get everything ready.
3 We don't see eye to    with our US parent company about punctuality. We have very different ideas about what being 'on time' means. It's a question of culture.
4 I got into hot     with my boss for wearing casual clothes to the meeting with the potential Japanese customers.
5 I really put my     in it when I met our Spanish partner. Because I was nervous, I said 'Who are you?' rather than 'How are you?'.
6 I get on like a house on    with our Polish agent; we like the same things and have the same sense of humour.
7 When I visited China for the first time, I was like a fish out of  Everything was so different, and I couldn't read any of the signs!
8 My first meeting with our overseas clients was a real    -opener. I hadn't seen that style of negotiation before.

Cultural Differences

A- Jeff Toms is Marketing Director at an international cultural training centre. Listen to the first part of the i nterview and answer the questions.



1 What two factors affect the 'Middle East clock'?
2 What can cause problems for Americans when they do business with Latin cultures?

B- Listen to the second part of the interview and say what qualities companies should look for when sending staff abroad.



C- Listen to the final part of the interview and complete the gaps.



I think also one of the key features of the successful    is to be non·
    , For instance, if you're coming from an Asian culture to try and do business with a Western culture, for certain the way that people do things will be fundamentally different-  the     , the structure, the     , the seniority and the      of the people you're doing business with - will be fundamentally different.

Social English

A- Listen to a conversation between two people who have recently met. What is wrong? How can it be improved?



B- Work in pairs. In what business situations would you use these expressions?


C- What would you say in the following situations?

1 You don't hear someone's name when you are introduced to them.
2 You have to refuse an invitation to dinner with a supplier.
3 You are offered food you hate.
4 You want to end a conversation in a diplomatic way.
5 You have to greet a visitor.
6 You have to introduce two people to each other.
7 You offer to pay for a meal.
8 You have to propose a toast.
9 Your colleague has been made redundant.
10 You arrive half an hour late for a meeting.

D- Listen and compare your answers to Exercise C.



E- What can you say in the first five minutes of meeting someone?
Match the questions (1-10) to the answers (a-j). Listen and check your answers.



1 Is this your first visit to the region?   a) At the Metropolitan Hotel.
2 Oh really! What do you do?    b) Nearly five years now.
3 How long have you been there?    c) No, I come here quite a lot, but usually to Hong Kong.
4 Have you been to Tokyo before?    d) I'm an Account Director for a marketing company.
5 Business or pleasure?    e) Business, I'm afraid.
6 How long have you been here?    f) Until tomorrow evening.
7 How long are you staying?    g) No, this is my first trip.
8 Where are you staying?    h) Six days.
9 What's the food like?    i) I really like it. There's so much to see and do.
10 So, what do you think of Tokyo?     j) It's very good, but eating at he Metropolitan can be quite expensive.