Business English - Making Small Talk and Building Rapport with Colleagues

Activity 1: Let's Get Started! (Warm-up)

Why is building rapport with colleagues important for your daily work and overall career?
What are some common situations at work where small talk naturally occurs?
Have you ever found it challenging to initiate or maintain small talk in a professional setting? What made it challenging?

Activity 2: New Words & Phrases (Vocabulary)

Let's explore some key terms and phrases that are useful when making small talk and building professional relationships.

1. Engage (verb): To occupy, attract, or involve (someone's interest or attention).

Example: She tried to engage her new colleague in a conversation about their favorite local coffee shops.

2. Approachable (adjective): Friendly and easy to talk to.

Example: The manager made an effort to be approachable, so team members felt comfortable discussing issues with him.

3. Reciprocate (verb): To respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one; to share information or feelings mutually.

Example: When he shared a bit about his weekend, she reciprocated by talking about her own plans, which helped the conversation flow.

4. Find common ground (idiom): To discover shared interests, beliefs, or experiences with someone else.

Example: They managed to find common ground in their shared enthusiasm for hiking, which strengthened their working relationship.

5. Strike up a conversation (phrasal verb): To initiate a casual conversation with someone.

Example: He decided to strike up a conversation with the person next to him at the conference by commenting on the interesting keynote speech.

Activity 3: Reading - The Elevator Encounter

Read the following scenario about an unexpected opportunity for small talk and how it helped build a connection.

Mark, a junior analyst, often felt intimidated by senior staff. One afternoon, he found himself in the elevator with Ms. Evans, the Head of Strategy, a department he hoped to work with in the future. Instead of staring at the floor numbers, Mark decided to seize the brief opportunity. "Good afternoon, Ms. Evans," he started, "I hope your day is going well. I recently read the company's quarterly strategy update, and I found the section on market expansion particularly insightful."

Ms. Evans, initially reviewing notes on her tablet, looked up, a slight smile forming. "Good afternoon, Mark. Thank you, I'm glad you found it interesting. That was a significant piece of work for our team." Mark continued, "It really was. The data visualization was especially clear. It helped me understand our new target demographics much better." This specific, positive comment showed genuine engagement. Ms. Evans then asked, "And what are you currently working on in your department?" Mark briefly explained his project, and by the time they reached her floor, a brief but positive connection had been made. Ms. Evans even remarked, "It’s good to see our junior analysts are so engaged with the company’s direction. Keep up the good work, Mark." That short elevator ride, initiated by thoughtful small talk, made Mark feel more confident and visible within the company, simply because he chose to strike up a conversation.

Comprehension Questions:

After reading the passage, answer the following questions:

What motivated Mark to initiate a conversation with Ms. Evans?
How did Mark make his opening comment relevant and professional?
What was Ms. Evans' initial reaction, and how did the conversation develop?
What was the impact of this brief small talk encounter on Mark?

Activity 4: Role Play - Casual Chat in the Break Room

Read the following dialogue with a partner. One person can be Sarah, and the other can be Ben. Notice how they use small talk to build rapport.

Sarah: Hi Ben, grabbing a coffee? This new machine is quite an upgrade, isn't it?

Ben: Oh, hi Sarah! Absolutely. The old one was on its last legs. This one actually makes a decent espresso. How's your week been so far?

Sarah: Pretty busy, but productive! We just launched the first phase of the new client portal. A bit hectic, but exciting to see it live. What about you? Anything interesting on your plate?

Ben: That sounds like a big milestone, congrats! I'm currently deep in budget planning for next quarter – always a fun puzzle to solve. Keeps me on my toes.

Sarah: I can imagine! Budgeting is definitely a skill. By the way, I saw that photo on your desk – is that from a recent trip? It looks like an amazing place.

Ben: Oh, this one? Yes, that was from a hiking trip in the mountains last month. It was incredible. Do you enjoy hiking or outdoor activities?

Sarah: I do! I haven't been hiking in ages, but I love being outdoors. We should exchange some trail recommendations sometime if you're open to it.

Ben: Definitely! I'd be happy to. It's always good to find common ground with colleagues. Makes the workday a bit brighter, doesn't it?

Sarah: It really does. Well, I should get back to it. Nice chatting with you, Ben! Let's catch up about those trails soon.

Ben: You too, Sarah! Sounds like a plan. Have a good rest of your day!

Discuss Together:

After reading or performing the dialogue, discuss the following with a partner:

What topics did Sarah and Ben use to initiate and continue their small talk? Were they appropriate for the workplace?
How did they show interest in each other and reciprocate in the conversation?

Activity 5: Let's Practice - Networking Role Play

Objective: Practice using key terms and phrases related to making small talk and building rapport in a role-play setting.

Scenario: Maya is at a company networking event. She sees Sam, someone from the Design Department she'd like to connect with. Fill in Maya's part of the dialogue using vocabulary from Activity 2.

Maya: "Hi Sam, I don't think we've officially met. I work in the Marketing team. I've noticed your team's work on the new branding – it looks fantastic. You all seem very and creative over there."

Sam: "Oh, hi there! Thanks so much, we appreciate that. It was a big project, but we're really happy with how it turned out. It's nice to meet you too. What kind of projects are you involved in with Marketing?"

Maya: "We're currently working on the upcoming product launch campaign. I was hoping to you for a moment. I'm always interested to learn how different departments collaborate. How do you usually with other teams on projects like the branding refresh?"

Sam: "That's a great question! We usually start with a series of brainstorming sessions and try to involve stakeholders from various departments early on to ensure we regarding the overall vision. It helps to ensure everyone's on the same page."

Maya: "That makes a lot of sense. It sounds like a very collaborative approach. Perhaps we could ideas sometime if a project comes up that needs input from both our departments?"

Sam: "I'd like that. It's always good to build connections across the company. Feel free to reach out!"

Try to fill in the blanks with the correct words or phrases from Activity 2. Consider how you would continue the conversation.