I'm a college student majoring in business English. I'm very confused how to start a talk with foreigners who come to visit China. Sometimes I think it's hard to find a common topic with them because I think we have culture difference, so when I talk to them I feel very nervous and little confidence. Could you give me some suggestions?
Lu Ping, from Chengdu
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What do you talk about when you meet someone for the first time?
This is Lu Ping's question. He is concerned that the cultural difference between China and Western countries can make it hard to communicate when he meets foreigners in China.
In this week's programme Finn and Wang Fei discuss different topics that are popular ice-breakers in Britain.
Break the ice and make new friends
What do you think will be the most popular topic?
Do you have a question about Britain?
你有没有对英国的疑问？
Then email us at chinaelt@bbc.co.uk
Questions
- 1) Can you remember two suggestions given in the programme for starting a conversation?
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You could have picked any of these: weather, sports, clothes, moaning about something.
- 2) What was Finn complimented on in the programme?
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Wang Fei complimented Finn on his choice of shirt.
- 3) True or false: A compliment can be a good way to start a conversation.
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True. According to Finn, if the compliment is given at the right time it is indeed a good ice-breaker.
- 4) Fill in the gap: It's a good idea to find some_____ ground if you want to break the ice.
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Common.
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