Successful Small Talk
By Patricia Pringle
“What Did I Say?”
At an industry event last month, a salesman who works for a company that supplies equipment to the Japanese market asked me about my work. I explained that we help Americans and Japanese working together have more productive relationships by providing intercultural training and guidance. “Hmm,” he said. “You really need to tell them about small talk.” He proceeded to tell me about a recent conversation with a Japanese customer. “I took him out for dinner after our first meeting. Everything was going great, or so I thought. Then suddenly he clammed up. After that, the next day’s meeting didn’t go so well. I don’t even remember what I said. What I would like to know is what to talk about. What did I say to mess things up?”