Dear Reader,
the Olympics are officially underway and those of us who are sports-minded have a lot to talk about. But what if you really aren’t into sports that much? Well, you know you could talk “around” the subject so that the small talk is still interesting to you. It may even open up the conversation so that others can also get involved.
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Here are some helpful questions to ask:
o Did anyone see the opening ceremony?
o What did you think of it?
o How did you like the music?
o What did you think of the fireworks?
o How much work do you think went into all of that?
In this connection, there is a saying in English “Music is universal”. You may even have seen Lang Lang, the internationally known, young Chinese pianist play at the opening. If you believe that ping-pong doesn’t have the universality of music, you may like to check out the websites below and learn more about Lang Lang. These websites are at various levels of difficulty, starting with the easiest:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/sports/olympics/08guru.html?scp=2&sq=Lang%20Lang&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/28/arts/music/28lang.html?scp=7&sq=Lang%20Lang&st=cse
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/08/04/080804fa_fact_remnick
No matter how much time you spend on these websites, you’ll probably have a good idea of what you can talk about with other business people. After all, as another English saying goes, “When artists get together, they talk about money. When bankers get together, they like to talk about art.”
I hope you enjoy the Games after all.
Sincerely,
Nelly Thomas