Submitted by Sally Trowbridge on 22 May, 2012 - 12:12 The
beginning of a meeting presents a major dilemma: is it better to
get straight down to business, or is it important to allow or
even encourage small talk? The texts in this lesson present
arguments from opposing viewpoints, which may help students to
question their own assumptions. The lesson goes on to introduce
useful language for both small talk and getting down to
business, with practice in the form of role-plays. Submitted by
Sally Trowbridge on 15 May, 2012 - 12:44 When we think of
negotiations, we tend to focus on the hard negotiating skills
connected with bargaining. In fact, many professional
negotiators will confirm that the most important skill is
effective relationship building. If there is trust and
understanding between the two parties, the negotiation will be
much more successful, as will the long-term business
relationship between them. In this lesson students start with a
quiz which leads into a reading activity. Then they look at
langu