L1 - connections

Do your homework

Essential for building relationships, each organization has its own way of doing things

Keep your eyes open

Observation skills may be clouded or unfocused; how people act, dress and treat each other

Take your time

You may be working with a culture with a different concept of time; give yourself more time to process

Take individuals into account

Individuals may vary greatly from the stereotype of their native culture; keep an open mind - be careful not to form an opinion too early

Tolerate uncertainty

Can be extremely difficult for people from direct and precise country; business is about managing unknowns

Build your intercultural skills

Need a solid understanding of the norms of that culture; gives you pros and cons and better insight into working across cultures

Reporting a personal observation

I found it to be…

From what I could see…

What’s your impression of…?

Reporting from another source

I understand you…

According to…

I gathered from…

Expressing doubt

I have my doubts.

I can’t help feeling that…

I’m just not 100% convinced.

Avoiding commitment

It’s hard to say.

I can’t promise anything.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say…

Being persuasive

I’ve got/have to say (that)…

We can’t go wrong.

I’m (totally) convinced.

Avoiding being negative

To be fair, …

I’m not saying …, it’s just that …

Point out

Make you aware of the fact

The point is

What’s important is

Get to the point

Stop digressing (odbíhat od tématu)

There’s no point

It isn’t worth

What’s the point

What’s the reason for