Functional language bank

1 Networking skills
Lead-in Some business practices may differ from country to country. Here are some questions to
research before you meet business contacts:
1 When presenting yourself to new people, how much information would you expect to
include? Is it usual to list achievements as well as experience?
2 At networking events, would it be usual to take the opportunity to talk in detail about
products and services or would the initial discussion focus on small talk?

Introductions Introducing yourself Responding to an introduction

Hi/Hello, my name’s Martin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
Can I introduce myself? I’m Chris. Pleased/Good/Nice to meet you.
I’m Sam, from the London office.

Presenting yourself Sometimes it is necessary to present yourself to new colleagues or a team and share some
information about your experience and position.

Greeting I’m very happy to be working with you all.

It’s great to be part of the team.
I’m delighted to be here in the Tokyo office.
Background I was born in France and raised in Beijing, so I speak French and
Mandarin as well as English.
I studied in the USA and Australia before settling in Dubai.
I joined the company in March. Before that I worked at OJD
Electronics for three years in Accounts.
I’m usually based in Berlin but I’ll be working with you in the Rio
office for the next six months.
Role and My current role is in training.
responsibilities I’m responsible for implementing the new computer system.
Interests When I’m not working, I enjoy skiing and travelling.
I was delighted to hear that there’s a company football team
because I’m keen on playing football when not working.
In my free time I like going to concerts and plays.
Referring to others Like Katrina, my background is in statistics.
Like all of you, I want to find the most effective way to
communicate our findings.
My experience is similar to Harry’s in that I was an intern at the
company before joining full time.
I worked with Chloe in the Gdansk office.
Referring to the I’ve heard great things about this department.
company/project/ It’s an honour to be working on this project.
team
Closing If you need anything, just let me know.
Thanks for listening to me and I’m looking forward to getting to
know all of you over the coming days and weeks.

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 Functional language bank

Showing There are different strategies for showing interest during a conversation. It is polite to keep
interest your attention focused on the speaker and to use body language (make eye contact, nod,
smile, etc.) as well as words to show that you are paying attention.

Commenting Really?
That’s interesting!
Right.
OK.
I see.
Asking questions Can you tell me more about the project?
Do you work with the PR team?
Clarifying Did you say that you used to work in Singapore?
So, the team has weekly meetings. Is that face-to-face or
teleconferencing?
Showing your I noticed on your website that you’ve opened an office in Geneva.
research Your company brochure was very informative.
Repeating back So you have a team-building course twice a year.
It’s interesting to hear that you used to work in marketing.
Body language nodding
smiling
facing the person speaking
making occasional eye contact

Sales Showing So, I hear that you’ve branched out into events management.
customer I noticed on your website that you’re extending the product range.
knowledge
You’ve recently moved offices, haven’t you?
Introducing your We specialise in logistics solutions for small to medium-sized
company companies.
My company builds websites for the events industry.
Our expertise is in digital strategy and live events.
Explaining how Our services can help you to settle into your new offices quickly and
your product or efficiently.
service can help Our products enable you to optimise your network to improve
performance and minimise costs.
We provide solutions for transport and delivery problems to help you
improve customer satisfaction.
Your business will benefit if you can find more efficient vendors before
you lose customers.
Talking about There are a variety of packages to fit different budgets.
details We can install a new system within five days.
Our team works closely with you to monitor quality control.
Asking questions Does that sound like it might be of interest?
Can your current supplier offer similar delivery dates?
Showing I really believe that this could help your profit margin.
conviction I am convinced that this would work well for your company.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the best product on the
market and I’d love you to see it in action.
I am absolutely certain that we can offer exactly what you are
looking for.
Suggesting next Would you be willing to talk about this further?
steps Perhaps we could set up a meeting to discuss this next week.
Can I arrange a product demonstration so that you can see how this
would benefit your company?

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