Module One

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Module One Small Talk
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Introduction Reading and Speaking
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Words Preview
??,?? adj.???? adj.???
small talk informal serious
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Warm up
Which conversation in the pictures is a small
talk?
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(No Transcript)
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Discussion
What is small talk?
1. Light conversation polite conversation about
matters of little importance, especially between
people who do not know each other well 2. Small
talk is pleasant conversation about common
interests. 3. Polite conversation about trivial
or uncontroversial matters. 4. Casual or trivial
conversation. 5. Light informal conversation for
social occasions
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small talk (from Cambridge Advanced Learner's
Dictionary) conversation about unimportant
things, often between people who do not know each
other well I don't enjoy parties where I have to
make small talk with complete strangers.
How to make small talk
Small talk can be a big challenge, but a little
preparation and confidence is all you need.
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Tips
1. Be yourself. Keep in mind that confidence and
humor are superb substitutes for comedic genius
or wit. 2. Remember, you never have to do it
alone. 3. Keep a few exit lines in mind too.
For example, Thanks for the wonderful chat, but
I must make believe I'm interested in everybody
else.
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Steps
1. Practice. Converse with everyone you come
across. 2. Read everything 3. Force yourself to
get into small talk situations 4. Immerse
yourself in culture, both high and low. 5. Keep
a journal. 6. Talk to yourself in the mirror.
7. Expand your horizons. 8. Be a better
listener. 9. Work on confidence,
overcoming shyness and any feelings of stage
fright.
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Famous Dictionaries

• Macmillan English Dictionary
• Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
• Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary
• Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary

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Read the dictionary definitions of small talk and
answer the questions.
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• 1 Which definitions make small talk sound like a
  positive thing?
• The Longman definition.
• 2 Which definitions refer to places where small
  talk might take place?
• The Collins/Oxford definitions.

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• 3 Why is it a problem if someone has no small
  talk?
• They find it difficult to make new friends.
• 4 What do you think is the Chinese for small
  talk?
• ??,???

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Discussion and Speaking
Read the words.
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careers cars examinations film stars
food music politics sport travel
weather
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1 If you talk about these topics, is the
conversation serious or small talk? 2 Which of
the topics do you like talking about with your
friends? 3 Which of them do you talk about with
your parents? 4 Which of them do you talk about
with your teacher? 5 Which of them do you never
talk about?
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Vocabulary and Reading
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Words Preview
confidently make friends lack (be) nervous
about advance think of nod
adv.??? ???,???? v.??,?? ????? adj.???,???
??,??? v.??
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body language yawn sigh look away from social
rules in addition find out opportunity
????,???? v.??? v.??,?? ?????? ????
????,?? ??,??(??) n.??
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Complete the sentences with the correct form of
the words in the box.
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damage encourage impress prepare recognise
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1 The singer was really good! She _________ me a
lot! 2 He had an accident and ________ his
bicycle. 3 Dont shout at the children. You
should _________ them to do better. 4 Make sure
you _______ for your English examination. Do more
homework! 5 At the party, I _________ a boy who
used to attend my school.
impressed
damaged
encourage
prepare
recognised
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Skimming the passage

• Decide what kind of book it is from.
• It is from a book which tells you what to do at
  social events. We can guess from the title How
  Good Are Your Social Skills and subtitles Learn
  how to do small talk, Develop your listening
  skills and Learn the rules.

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• The general idea
• This passage is about social skills. It tells us
  how to have a conversation and how to do small
  talk and when we go to a social occasion, we
  should pay attention to social rules in different
  countries.

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The main idea of each paragraph
Careful Reading

• Part 1 (Paras.1-2) Introduction to the body of
  the passage by asking questions
• Part 2 (Para.3) How to do small talk
• Part 3 (Paras.4-6) Dos and donts while listening
• Part 4 (Paras.7-8) The social rules

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Read the passage again and answer the questions.
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• 1 According to the article, should people plan
  what theyre going to say at parties?
• Yes, they should prepare some topics to talk
  about.
• 2 What do people think about those who talk too
  much?
• They are not impressive.

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• 3 Describe two things you shouldnt do in a
  conversation.
• Look at your watch yawn ( sigh, look away,
  change the subject, finish other peoples
  sentences).
• 4 Why is it a good idea to nod and smile when the
  other person is talking?
• To show that your are listening.
• 5 What does the quotation from Benjamin Disraele
  tell you about people?
• People like talking about themselves.

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Complete the sentences.
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sigh yawn nod avoid lack smile

• 1 When I meet strangers, I dont like to talk
  about myself, so I _____ answering personal
  questions.
• 2 There are very few foreign visitors to my town,
  so we ____ the opportunity to meet people from
  other countries.

avoid
lack
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• 3 I said that we dont have enough opportunity to
  speak English and he ______ his head in
  agreement.
• 4 I think the man I spoke to was tired- he
  _______ a lot.
• 5 He looked very sad when I asked him about his
  home. He _____ when he answered me.
• 6 I felt very welcome when I arrived at the
  party. The host ______ at me and shook my hand.

nodded
yawned
sighed
smiled
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Look at the phrases from the passage and answer
the questions.
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• 1 If you can talk confidently, does this mean
  that you are worried about talking to people?
• No, it doesnt.
• 2 What kind of advance planning could you do
  before going to a party in a foreign country?
• You could find out what the social conventions
  are about arriving, leaving and bringing gifts.

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• 3 Can you give an example of a low-risk
  conversation opener if you were talking to a
  friend of your parents, for example?
• Did you watch the Cup Final last Saturday?/
  Have you seen the new James Bond film?
• 4 What encouraging noises and gestures can you
  make when youre having a conversation in
  Chinese?
• Smiling, nodding, saying Yes and Oh, really?
  etc.

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• 5 What is an example of positive body language?
• Facing the person who is speaking and making eye
  contact.
• 6 Are social rules the same in every country?
• No, they arent.

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Discussion and Speaking

• 1 Which of the ideas in the reading passage do
  you think are useful in your society?
• 2 Are there any conversation techniques that you
  think you will use in the future?
• 3 Which of the listening skills are you good at?
• 4 Which of the social skills do you need to
  improve?
• 5 What are some of the usual small talk topics in
  China?

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1. I think advance planning is very useful. I
never paid attention to it before. That is, I
didnt do any advance planning before I went to a
party. For example, I didnt buy proper presents
in advance. In a hurry, the present bought was
sometimes unsuitable for the host. I seldom tried
to know about other guests. Without advance
preparations, sometimes I would get embarrassed.
We have also learnt some social rules and how to
do small talk. It is necessary for us to learn
something about social skills. As you know, we
are now working hard to build a harmonious
society if we dont know how to behave in
communicating with others. Especially, in 2008
the Olympic Games will be held in Beijing in our
country. At that time how will we display our
good manners to the whole world? So we must learn
more about this inside or outside class.
5. In everyday life, parents choose to talk about
their children their childrens life, studies,
hobbies. Teachers get together to talk about
their students- good or bad at some subjects or
the results of examinations.Today we have learnt
the passage about social skills which had much to
do with our daily life. From the passage we know
that social skills are very important when a
person is in communication or having a
conversation with others.
2. I will go to university abroad after
graduation. I will meet people from different
countries. In order to contact with them very
well, I must know about their customs and social
rules. So at the beginning I will think of safe
or low-risk topics to talk about. I believe soon
I will make friends with them.
3. I am good at keeping good eye contact with an
attentive look. You know, eyes are windows of
minds. From my eyes, the speaker knows that I am
interested in what he is talking about. It is
good manners, even in other countries.
4. Sometimes I dont know what proper topics to
choose when I meet strangers. Most of the time I
keep silent. The moment is a hard time to me.
From this passage I know a little about how to do
small talk. I believe later when I meet with the
similar occasion, I can manage.
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Thank you!