International Small Talk: Professional English for Global Business

Professional English is not only about meetings, presentations, and negotiations. Small talk also plays an important role in building relationships with international colleagues, clients, and business partners.

The key is knowing which topics help create a comfortable conversation — and which questions may feel too personal.

International small talk works best with safe topics such as travel, food, the event, the city, or shared professional interests.

COMMON MISTAKE

❌ How old are you? Are you married?

✅ Is this your first visit to Seoul?

WHY THE BETTER VERSION WORKS

The stronger version is friendly without becoming too personal.

It gives the other person an easy way to continue the conversation and helps create a relaxed but professional atmosphere.

In international business situations, questions about age, marriage, salary, religion, or other personal matters may feel uncomfortable depending on the person and culture.

Neutral topics are usually a safer way to begin.

NATURAL EXAMPLES

• How was your flight?

• Is this your first visit to Seoul?

• Have you had a chance to explore the city?

• What did you think of this morning’s conference session?

• Have you been to this event before?

• How are you finding Seoul so far?

CONVERSATION

A: Is this your first visit to Seoul?

B: Yes, it is.

A: Have you had a chance to explore the city?

B: Only briefly, but I hope to visit the palace.

A: That sounds nice. I hope you get some time to see it.

PRACTISE

Choose one of the questions above and say it aloud three times.

Then imagine you are meeting an international colleague, client, or business partner for the first time.

Start with a safe question and think of one natural follow-up question based on their answer.

QUICK CHECK

Choose the more appropriate opener when meeting an international business contact for the first time.

❌ Are you married?

✅ Is this your first visit to Seoul?

KOREAN SUPPORT | 한국어 도움

국제 비즈니스 스몰토크에서는 처음부터 너무 개인적인 질문을 하기보다 여행, 도시, 행사, 음식, 업무와 관련된 관심사처럼 부담 없이 대화할 수 있는 주제를 선택하는 것이 좋습니다.

예를 들어:

Is this your first visit to Seoul?
서울은 처음 방문이신가요?

Have you had a chance to explore the city?
도시를 둘러볼 기회가 있으셨나요?

What did you think of this morning’s conference session?
오늘 오전 컨퍼런스 세션은 어떠셨나요?

상대방의 답변을 잘 듣고 자연스럽게 후속 질문을 이어가면 더 편안하고 전문적인 대화를 만들 수 있습니다.

NOTE

Professional small talk does not need to be complicated.

The goal is to make the other person feel comfortable, find common ground, and create a natural opening for further conversation.

Keep your questions simple, listen carefully to the answer, and use the other person’s response to decide what to ask next.

Teacher Sharon