“I want to seem friendly, but I don’t have the reflexes.”
“I have to search for things to say, and it’s awkward (maladroit).”
“I just need to practice more to feel comfortable.”
If you have to welcome visitors (accueillir des visiteurs) to your company, but don’t have the chance to do it every day—chances are (il y a des chances que) you’ve felt this way at some point.
Wanting to seem friendly and nice mean we want to make a good impression. So we want to get it right (faire correctement).
I’ve been living in France for more than 10 years and sometimes I still feel like I could do better when making first impressions with business contacts. And yes, it’s true both with totally new people and acquaintances I’ve met once or twice in the past.
If hesitations make you feel less friendly and if you wish it was as easy in English as it is in French (aussi facile en anglais qu’en français), today’s SBFG episode is for you.
You’ll get some ready-to-use expressions (expressions prêtes à utiliser) and a simple script you can follow for perfect conversations when you welcome a visitor to your company.
Once you’ve watched this episode, let me know your answer to this question:
What is the most difficult thing for you when welcoming a visitor?
Tell me about your tips and techniques for handling this common situation. I’m sure I can learn from your experience!
Remember that thousands of French professionals visit our site to learn, boost their English and boost their career. Your perspective may be exactly what someone else needs to feel better in English because they’ll see they’re not alone.
If you found this episode helpful, please pass this along to your closest colleagues, clients and friends — anyone you think could use some support as they progress towards speaking better and feeling great in English.
Thanks so much for making this one of the most supportive and insightful places online.
Have a fantastic week in English,
Christina
Cool and useful video. Thanks!!! My preoccupation : in french context, when you talk to a person you do respect, you must not say “salut” (hi) to him. It isn’t convenient, let’s say it isn’t polite. What about english context? Can I enter an office for example and say “hi” to the Director”? Can I say “hi” to Obama when I meet him in a café? 🙂
Hi Bernard, thanks! I’m glad you like it. To answer your question, in English, it’s perfectly ok to say “Hi” to someone. We don’t really make a big deal about this. That means that it could be ok to say “Hi, Mr. President, how are you today?” and it’s not considered impolite. And if you meet Obama in a café, you can say hi to him (and he’ll probably offer to take a selfie with you 😉