Hate Small Talk? These 5 Questions Will Help You Work Any Room

robust /rəʊˈbʌst/ Ex. He looks robust enough. a robust economy; a robust answer; a robust pair of walking boots;

(of a person or animal) strong and healthy, or (of an object or system) strong and unlikely to break or fail; = здоровый, крепкий, сильный, надежный, обоснованный ~ strong, tough, solid

stock /stɒk/ Ex. a stock phrase/response; "Don't worry - worse things happen at sea" is her stock expression for whenever anything goes wrong.

(of an idea, expression, or action) usual or typical, and used or done so many times that it is no longer original; = избитый, шаблонный, заезженный

happy hour

1) "счастливые часы" (период времени, в течение которого напитки в баре продаются дешевле обычного) 2) неформальное общение (обычно с предложением алкоголя, напитков и легких закусок)

subdued /səbˈdjuːd/ Ex. (def.1) She seemed a bit subdued. He seemed a bit subdued at lunch - is he all right? (def.2) subdued lighting; (def.3) subdued laughter/cheers;

1) If a person is ___, they are not as happy as usual or they are quieter than usual; = подавленный, вялый 2)___ lights or colours are not bright. = смягченный, приглушенный 3) If a noise is ___, it is not loud; = тихий

genuine /ˈdʒen.ju.ɪn/ Ex. (def.1) He shows a genuine concern for the welfare of his students. She's very genuine and friendly. Machiko looked at me with genuine surprise - "Are you really going?" she said. (def.2) a genuine gold necklace; genuine leather; If it is a genuine Michelangelo drawing, it will sell for millions.

1) If a person or their feelings are ____, they are sincere and honest. = искренний 2) If something is ____, it is really what it seems to be. = настоящий, подлинный

sure-fire (adjective) Ex. The film looks a surefire Oscar winner. Running into the street like that is a surefire way to get hurt. * sure-fire way - верный способ, беспроигрышный вариант

certain or likely, especially to succeed; = верный, беспроигрышный, стопроцентный

in the (grand) scheme of things Ex. In the scheme of things, having lots of money isn't as important as having friends.

considering everything; = по большому счёту, учитывая все обстоятельства, в общем и целом

timeworn /ˈtaɪm.wɔːn/ Ex. a timeworn expression/excuse; a timeworn path;

no longer of interest or value because of having been used a lot over a long period of time; = ветхий, избитый, побитый временем

I couldn't help doing smth

Я не мог не сделать что-то

to be / to sit on the tip of one's tongue Ex. Her name is on the tip of my tongue.

вертеться на языке

to put someone on edge Ex. New contacts could be put on edge.

выводить из себя, приводить в бешенство (кого-либо), нервировать

to be of interest to smb Ex. What's of interest to your new contact? Nothing much of interest was discussed. I think this report would be of interest to you.

вызывать интерес у, представлять интерес для (кого-либо)

to uncover common interests

выявлять общие интересы

to talk business

говорить о делах

heated conversation Ex. Talk that is too deep at business functions can lead to heated conversations.

горячий / бурный / наколенный разговор

to get tongue-tied ~ to be at a loss for words (= не находить слов, потерять дар речи) Ex. I'm normally very fluent, but if I'm tired, I lose my connection to words and I get tongue tied.

запинаться, путаться в словах, быть не в состоянии выдавить из себя что-то внятное

the lull before the storm

затишье перед бурей

to get stale

зачерстветь, выдыхаться

to run the risk of + noun / gerund

идти на риск, рискнуть

Business Alignment

линия компетенции

get dull * get a little dull after a while - немного надоедать со временем Ex. No doubt small talk can get a little dull after a while.

надоедать, наскучить

line of work Ex. How did you come to be in your line of work?

направление / сфера деятельности

to guide a conversation to other matters / into another line / into other subjects

направлять разговор в другое русло

newfound friend

новообретённый друг

to keep the conversation rolling = to keep a conversation flowing = to keep up a conversation

поддерживать беседу

to tie up loose ends

подчищать хвосты, уладить дела, устранять недоработки

to launch into a discussion // to launch into a deeper connection

пуститься в рассуждения // с энтузиазмом пуститься в более крепкую, надежную связь

to create a mini-bond with new contacts

создавать мини-связь с новыми контактами

Six Degrees of Separation

теория шести рукопожатий

equation /ɪˈkweɪʒən/

уравнение

social graces Ex. You will, however, win points for having social graces if you are the bigger person and cool potentially fiery situations.

этикет, умение вести себя в обществе

stale Ex. (def.1) stale jokes/news; Cake goes stale quickly if it's not covered. The bread/biscuits/cake had gone stale. The morning after the party, their apartmentsmelled of stale cigarette smoke. (def.2) After 21 years their marriage had begun to go stale. I'd been too long in the same job and was getting stale.

1) old and not fresh; = черствый, несвежий, затхлый 2) boring or bored, and not producing or feeling excitement or enthusiasm like before; = утративший новизну, затасканный, выдохшийся, приевшийся

sturdy /ˈstɜːdi/ Ex. (def.1) sturdy walking boots; a sturdy table; sturdy little legs; (def.2) They put up a sturdy defence of their proposal.

1) physically strong and solid or thick, and therefore unlikely to break or be hurt; = крепкий, прочный, здоровый 2) strong and determined; = жёсткий, твердый, решительный

revealing Ex. (def.1) a revealing biography/remark; A joke can be very revealing about/of what someone's really thinking. If they're not involved with any projects, they often share reasons which is usually revealing. (def.2) a revealing dress/shirt;

1) showing something that was not previously known or seen; = разоблачающий, показательный, поучительный, многоговорящий 2) If clothes are ____, they show a lot of your body. = открытый (об одежде), откровенный

fiery /ˈfaɪəri/ Ex. (def.1) a fiery temper; A fiery debate ensued. a fiery orator/speech; to cool potentially fiery situations. (def.2) a fiery sky / sunset; (def.3) a fiery chilli sauce;

1) showing strong emotion, especially anger; = вспыльчивый, горячий, пламенный 2) bright or burning like a fire; = огненный 3) ___ food causes a strong burning feeling in the mouth; = жгучий

to break the ice Ex. Someone suggested that we play a party game to break the ice. I tried to break the ice by talking to the people next to me about the weather.

1) to make people who have not met before feel relaxed with each other, often by starting a conversation; = создавать непринужденную атмосферу, разрядить обстановку, сделать первый шаг

to warrant /ˈwɒrənt/ Ex. (def.1) None of her crimes is serious enough to warrant punishment. (def.2) All entrants must warrant that their entry is entirely their own work. The contract warrants that an experienced person is on board all the time.

1) to make something necessary; = оправдывать, служить основанием, обуславливать 2) If you ____ that something is true or will happen, you say officially that it is true, or guarantee that it will happen. = гарантировать, ручаться

to swing Ex. (def.1) His mood swings between elation and despair. These topics will make it easy for you to swing an otherwise stale conversation into one that makes you a genuinely enthusiastic conversationalist. Her moods swing with absolutely no warning. (def.2) He walked briskly along swinging his rolled-up umbrella. The door swung open. She really swings her arms when she walks.

1) to suddenly change 2) to move smoothly backwards and forwards, or to make something do this; = качать(ся), размахивать

hackneyed /ˈhæk.nid/ Ex. The plot of the film is just a hackneyed boy-meets-girl scenario.

A ___ phrase or idea has been said or used so often that it has become boring and has no meaning; = банальный, избитый, тривиальный, затасканный, шаблонный

white-knuckle /ˌwaɪtˈnʌk.əl/ (informal) Ex. a white-knuckle ride in a theme park; White-knuckled loners who look uncomfortable and will welcome your attempt to initiate dialogue.

A ____ experience or activity makes you feel very frightened and often excited; = напряжённый, заставляющий нервничать, вселяющий тревогу

trite Ex. His lyrics about love and peace are too trite for me to take them seriously. I know it will sound trite, but I've loved being part of this club.

A ____ remark, idea, etc does not seem sincere or true because it has been used so much before or is too simple. = избитый, банальный, шаблонный ~ banal, commonplace, stock, hackneyed, timeworn

to put sb on the spot Ex. Mira rather put the boss on the spot by asking him when he was going to give us a pay rise.

If you ____, you cause them embarrassment or difficulty by forcing them at that moment to answer a difficult question or make an important decision; = поставить в затруднительное / неловкое положение, "припирать к стенке"

what makes sb tick

If you know ____, you understand why that person behaves the way he or she does. - the reasons for someone's behaviour; = что движет кем-либо; мотивация / причина поведения

threadbare /ˈθred.beər/ Ex. (def.1) a threadbare coat; (def.2) a threadbare excuse;

____ material or clothes have become thin or damaged because they have been used a lot; = потертый, изношенный, потрепанный 2) A ____ excuse, argument, or idea is not strong and no longer persuades people because it is old or has been used too much; = старый, избитый

know-it-all ex. The last thing you want to do is to appear as the know-it-all who must end conversations as the perceived winner.

a person who thinks that they know much more than other people; = всезнайка

lull /lʌl/ Ex. a lull in the conversation/traffic; It is an excellent way to add some enthusiasm into a conversation that has hit a lull. There has been a lull in the fighting.

a short period of calm in which little happens; = временное затишье, передышка, перерыв

clue Ex. leave helpful clues; Police are still looking for clues in their search for the missing girl. I'm never going to guess the answer if you don't give me a clue. Police are searching the area for clues to the murder.

a sign or some information that helps you to find the answer to a problem, question, or mystery; = улика, подсказка

cue Ex. The final goal was the cue for celebration. They started washing up, so that was our cue to leave the party.

a signal for someone to do something; = сигнал, намёк

ordeal /ɔːˈdiːl/ Ex. a terrible ordeal; They feared he would not survive the ordeal. She went through the ordeal of being interviewed by a panel of ten people. The hostages' ordeal came to an end when soldiers stormed the building.

a very unpleasant and painful or difficult experience; = тяжелое / суровое испытание, потрясение

on the spot Ex. I accepted the job on the spot. He was arrested on the spot.

at that moment or place; = тут же, здесь и сейчас, сразу же, немедленно

transcendent /trænˈsen.dənt/ Ex. transcendent power/beauty/love; He describes seeing Pelé play football as one of the transcendent moments of his life.

greater, better, more important, or going past or above all others; = превосходящий, превосходный, выдающийся, исключительный

strikingly /ˈstraɪ.kɪŋ.li/ Ex. Her latest novel is strikingly different from her earlier work. They gave a strikingly original performance of the play. Her husband is strikingly handsome.

in a way that is very unusual or easily noticed, and therefore attracts a lot of attention; = поразительно, удивительно, замечательно, внушительно

probing Ex. She asked me a few probing questions.

intended to get information; = исследовательский, "прощупывающий", наводящий

common ground Ex. It's difficult for me to find any common ground with my dad. It seems increasingly unlikely that the two sides will find any common ground. When I found out he was also going to Alaska, we were on common ground. * to find common ground - находить точки соприкосновения, найти общий язык

shared interests, beliefs, or ideas; = общность взглядов, взаимопонимание, общие идеи, точки соприкосновения

conversationalist /ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃən.əl.ɪst/

someone who enjoys or is good at talking with people; = любитель поговорить, интересный собеседник

loner /ˈləʊnər/ Ex. He was always a bit of a loner at school.

someone who likes to be alone; = необщительный / замкнутый человек, нелюдим, одиночка

robustness /rəʊˈbʌst.nəs/ Ex. Doctors were amazed by his physical robustness. The robustness of the furniture makes it suitable for a playroom. She stressed the robustness of the Swiss banking system.

the quality of being strong, and healthy or unlikely to break or fail; = здоровье, прочность, надёжность, устойчивость

loose ends [ plural ] /ˌluːs ˈendz/ Ex. At the end of the book all the loose ends are neatly tied up.

things that still need to be done or explained; = недоработки, незаконченные дела

to diffuse Ex. Television is a powerful means of diffusing knowledge.

to (cause something to) spread in many directions; = распространять

Take it on/upon oneself to do sth Ex. He took it upon himself to personally thank each person at the meeting. Take it upon yourself to make small talk interesting.

to accept responsibility for doing something without being asked to; = брать на себя (ответственность, обязательства), взять на себя, браться, взяться

to probe /prəʊb/ Ex. The interviewer probed deep into her private life. probing questions;

to ask a lot of questions in order to discover information about something or someone; = расспрашивать, пытаться вникнуть во что-либо, прощупывать почву, выведывать

to watch for sb/sth = to watch out for sb/sth Ex. Watch out for his latest movie, out next month.

to be careful to notice someone or something interesting; = выждать; подстерегать; следить за, ожидать

not have a clue/have no clue Ex. I haven't a clue what you're talking about. "Who invented algebra?" "I don't have a clue." Don't ask your father which key to press - he hasn't got a clue about computers.

to be completely unable to guess, understand, or deal with something; = не иметь понятия, ничего не понимать в

to be firing on all cylinders /ˈsɪl.ɪn.dər/ Ex. Dawson will be firing on all cylinders after two months of fitness training. Have you ever been in a conversation that just wasn't clicking, then suddenly the mood changes and the conversation starts firing on all cylinders?

to be operating as powerfully and effectively as possible; = работать на полную мощность, идти как по маслу, выкладываться на всю катушку

be at a loose end = be at loose ends Ex. Come and visit us if you're at a loose end over the weekend.

to have nothing to do; = быть ничем не занятым; не знать, чем себя занять

to overhear /ˌəʊvəˈhɪər/ Ex. I overheard him telling her he was leaving. I overheard a very funny conversation on the bus this morning. He overheard his daughter telling her doll not to be so naughty. We overheard them say that they didn't really like the food. I'm sorry, I couldn't help overhearing.

to hear what someone is saying when they are not talking to you; = подслушивать, нечаянно услышать

to tuck smb in / up Ex. Daddy, if I go to bed now will you tuck me in? The children are safely tucked up in bed. I tucked the children in.

to make someone comfortable in bed, especially a child, by arranging the covers around them; = укутывать, подтыкать одеяло у кого-либо

to lull sb into sth Ex. Most exercise classes start gently, lulling you into thinking that you're in good shape. Their promises lulled us into a false sense of security (= made us feel safe, when in fact we were not).

to make someone feel safe in order to trick them; = усыплять чью-либо бдительность с целью добиться чего-либо, внушать что-либо

to subdue /səbˈdʒuː/ Ex. The fire burned for eight hours before the fire crews could subdue it. He criticized the school for trying to subdue individual expression.

to reduce the force of something, or to prevent something from existing or developing; = подавлять, подчинять, ослаблять

to put a damper on smth / smb Ex. The accident put a damper on their holiday. Too much "shoptalk" can easily put a damper on an evening. Both the kids were sick while we were in Boston, so that put a damper on things. Uncertainty about whether the treaty will be ratified has put a damper on new projects.

to stop an occasion from being enjoyable; = портить, омрачить, испортить настроение, охладить

stranded /ˈstrændɪd/ ex. We were stranded at the airport for ten hours. He left me stranded in town with no car and no money for a bus. If the tide comes in, we'll be stranded on these rocks.

unable to leave somewhere because of a problem such as not having any transport or money; = застрявший, оказавшийся в затруднительном положении, оказавшийся на мели / без средств

tongue-tied /ˈtʌŋtaɪd/ Ex. Do you love going to events, but find yourself stranded during happy hour, tongue-tied and tucked in a corner?

unable to say anything because you are nervous; = лишившийся дара речи

perceived Ex. to end conversations as the perceived winner; Any stranger was a perceived threat until proven otherwise. Perceived reality can so easily be manipulated.

understood or thought about in a particular way; = мнимый, якобы, воображаемый, субъективно воспринимаемый как, предполагаемый