Clients review and practice skills, language, and structures for getting and holding the floor, giving and supporting an opinion, requesting elaboration and clarification, expressing agreement and disagreement, and appropriately communicating negative information. Clients are videotaped in mock meetings and taught how to analyze and improve their discussion skills and body language. Case Discussion Clients read and examine real-life situations that have been faced by business executives in a variety of business disciplines and industries. They put their experiences and problem-solving skills to use to build vocabulary and sharpen discussion and presentation skills. Negotiating in English Through a series of focused exercises, clients review and improve control of key vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and grammatical structures for effective negotiation.
Clients engage in several simulated negotiations of increasing complexity.
Both audio and videotaping are used extensively in this component to provide clients with feedback on their negotiation skills. Social Interaction in Business Many important aspects of business are conducted outside formal presentations, meetings, and negotiations. Professional relationships and agreements are often affected by interaction in social settings, such as business meals, receptions and parties, company tours, and the like. However, the rules for appropriate interaction in these settings differ widely from culture to culture and are rarely apparent to the non-native speaker. This component introduces participants to some of the social and cultural norms affecting the use of English for social interaction in U.S. business settings.