Friday, May 18, 2012

Supplementary Question

Many times when we do business with foreign clients, conversation may stall after a short time.  This may be because of the difficulties in language or cultural issues.  To help the dialog along, use a supplementary question.  A supplementary question is asking a question in return after answering a question.

Look at the visual below:

Example

(A)  How was your flight?
(B)  It was quite comfortable in business class.  Do you like to fly?
(A)  No, not really.  I don't mind the short trips, but anything over five hours causes my legs to hurt.  How about you?
(B)  My legs get cramped sometimes, but I try to stretch every two hours. 
(A)  That's a good idea.  How do you stretch on the plane?
(B)  If I am sitting, then I raise my knees about six inches off the floor.  And when I stand, I do a few leg stretches.  It really helps.
(A)  I will have to try that next time.  Are you hungry?
(B)  A little bit.  Maybe we can stop by a convenience store before we leave the airport.  And you, are you feeling hungry?
(A)  Actually no, but I am a bit thirsty.  Do you like American food?

As you can see, the supplementary questions are highlighted in bold.  These questions help the conversation continue.



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