Business socialising discussion
• What do you like doing in your free time, e.g. at weekends or after work?
• How much time do you spend with your colleagues, suppliers, clients and other business contacts outside work? What do you usually do together?
• How do you feel about business entertaining (= corporate hospitality)?
What do you think about the types of business entertaining below? Choose one and give your opinion on it, then your partner will give their
Ryotei
Geisha bar
Karaoke box
Golf
Go kart racing
Paintball
A flight over this city, e.g. in a helicopter or balloon
Casino
Weekend in a hotel
Hot springs resort
Skiing
Horse racing
Boat racing
Sailing/ Party on a boat (e.g. yakatabune)
Chain izakaya
Chain pubs
More authentic British or Irish pubs
Live music/ Opera/ Ballet
Club (= nightclub = disco)
Meeting someone famous
Theme bars, e.g. the prison theme bar in Kawasaki or the ninja theme bar in Akasaka
Bars with attractive and scantily-dressed barmaids, e.g. Hooters or Budweiser bars
Hostess bars
Maid cafés
Strip clubs/ Clubs with go go dancers
Beer gardens
Local bars/ Akachochin bars/ Mama-san bars
Chain foreign restaurant, e.g. Saizeriya
A more authentic foreign restaurant
A very exclusive restaurant, e.g. one with Michelin stars
An exhibition
A café
A cigar bar
Can you think of any way of classifying the things above more generally? Which categories are most and least suitable?
How do you think business entertaining varies by country?
The things in italics above don’t exist outside Japan or are different in other places. How could you describe those things to someone who didn’t know what they consisted of?
Which kinds of Japanese restaurants might be most and least suitable? How could you explain those kinds of restaurants?
How would you take these things into account when inviting someone to do something?
– Gender
– Age
– Attitudes to smoking
– Status
– Nationality
– Religion
– Dietary restrictions and preferences
Choose things from the list above and invite someone in your group to do it. They should respond with their own real feelings about that thing, including whether they are really available or not.
What language can you use for inviting people? How do those phrases differ from each other?
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Related pages
Teaching Social English: Interactive Classroom Activities Second Edition
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