Social Talk. Text 199.

Task: 10 things you would be proud to have been fired for.

Taking this question seriously, I'd say that nobody wants to be fired for something that he or she has done, but using rather fun approach, I'd add that if one is willing to quit, it could be done in a manner of a game.

Attention. Do not try this at home or work. All described bellow is fiction and haven't been used in real life.

Lets start with water coller. Nowadays you can easily buy a gallon or two of pure spirit, dilute a little bit and fill water coller with it. Should be fun to watch how your colleagues drink glass of fresh, cold "water". I wonder.. if there someone who wouldn't show any sign that something is not right?

Then proceed to the next level of your mischief. Unplug mouse from every single PC, write a love message from random worker and place it on your bosses table, if possible, sneak out some phone and change names in address book, from boss to lover, from laundry to dirty and so on, be creative.

That's just a little list of things you can do while quitting that, to some extend, could be applied to any workplace or school. Take care and be careful with coffee machine.

Social Talk. Text 198.

Task: Is firing an employee a way of conflict resolution?

When one single worker has done so much, that he could easily be fired for that, you should, as a boss or head manager of this person ask yourself whether you want to go through this one more time, and then one more time, and more and more.

People rarely change, making themselves slaves of current actions. One misstep and you're doomed to be called weak forever. Or until you change you work.

So as a boss, I would tell that firing is easiest solution, and it's better then trying to adapt to his or her whims. But as an employee, I'd say that you should think of quitting willingly rather then wait to be fired.

Social Talk. Text 197.

Task: heated argument between person and a table.

Take me up and take me down,
then just do it all around.
There's no time for you to blow it.
I'm heavy and I know it.

You're wooden freak, shut up and go,
to Mary Louise on six floor.
She's been expecting you today,
a sturdy kitchen table, as they say.

I'm on my way, don't hurry me,
my knees are bended, silly me.
You need to push me in the back,
or carry my whole body as backpack.

You're wooden table, stomp yourself.
And your whole body, as you said,
weights more then human being,
so do your steps and don't be mean.

Two hours later, me and him,
were on six floor and ting-a-ling.
Young lady opened, said she's Kate,
and Mary lives in building A.

Social Talk. Text 196.

Task: free topic about Earth day.

Earth day is known to be annual event of expression love towards our planet, day of showing intentions, day of thinking ahead, day of many words. John Jay Junior always remembered this day as a happy, joyful one, with a little tint of madness.

Year after year things have been happening on that day. Three J, as many of his friends used to call him, knew that not a single logical explanation could be applied to his fate, thus making himself believe it was just a mischievous guardian angels playing tricks on him.

First year, when it all started, Junior was chosen to be representative of his own town in the state kindergarten contest. Next year was claimed of beating a boy in the school and was transferred to a seedy school nearby. Another year it was broken leg or student grant, totalled car or big jackpot.

Sad and happy John has been, on a sunny day of April every single year in spring.

Having found bad and good, Jay found out that his striped life has come to an end. On this day, two years before, he met a girl, one year later married her, and right now, three in a row, he's expecting family to grow.

Social Talk. Text 195.

Task: how can one become internationally aware?

Term cross-cultural awareness implies your understanding of a situations you might face being abroad, or at least your awareness that such circumstances are quite feasible. But how can one become aware of all possible and impossible threats he might accidentally put himself in?

Should you know only the bottom of an abyss between your nations and avoid using concessions or just being polite, you're jeopardizing yourself to get branded as shallow and superficial person whom nobody would trust a business deal.

Yet being extra agreeable makes you look like an newbie in negotiations or business, thus tantamount to a loose. So you need to be persistent and have guts to take precedence over the situation if needed.

Social Talk. Text 194.

Task: distinguishing features of business negotiations in different countries.

First of all I'd like to say that contemporary world forces you to follow the leader, which now consists of several countries, and negotiations are not exception. There are dozens of rules and tactics you cannot avoid using. And while those guide lines are considered to be handy and useful, some still refer to the past century as the last, truly golden, age of business.

Yet, in my opinion, in terms of business and negotiations there were even better times. The times Before Christ.

Bargaining was the most used tactics. Were you a king or a mere sailor - you should have used it artfully to have the scales of win-lose on your side, and of course bad outcome might have been a lot worse then nowadays.

Being a representative of modern society I'd add that rarely do people switch back to something they have dropped using long time ago, but if they do, they often regret doing it.

Social Talk. Text 193.

Task: what would you do having found yourself in prisoners dilemma?

One way out, you know, to be.
One way out it's all you see.
There is no escape, yet three,
little options to be free.

Option one is in regrets.
Make him silent, and just tell.
Tell them all, - that was his fault,
but it's your time to behold.

Option two is mutual fail.
Both are talking, but in vain.
Both oblivious and greedy,
will be serving full time swiftly.

And the last one. That one's good.
You are quiet, and he should.
Where the reason for a flee?
If you're silent - you are free.

Social Talk. Text 192.

Task: free topic.

Rarely do we think about negotiation before it happens, and the idea that improvisation should be craftily prepared is often omitted. Whether you're appliance salesman, or a teacher at NewTone, or maybe you're just met some friend whom you owe a little - you should be ready.

Be ready to put up a squabble, to answer various questions happy client firing you with, or just to be yourself. All that's required is at hand knowledge and certain skill.

So how can you improve you chances of winning the negotiation? Should it be experience? Or perhaps a bit of luck? Who knows.. the only thing we know for sure is that negotiations are considered to be tricky and it's not a place or time to manifest your coy.

Social Talk. Text 191.

Task: are negotiations for weak people?

In certain way negotiations are meant to be a remedy for people, to help them meet each other needs throughout reciprocation or logrolling, finding common ground in the known to be deserted areas of business or relationship. But your attitude towards this method of solving the upcoming issues is irrelevant unless you've been practising it for years.

A s for the weak people, they are considered to be vacillating in commitments and always try to amend the things that have been done ages ago. They are reluctant to make first step, and it seems so that no one, who's not strong enough, doesn't seem to be capable of making any use of negotiations.

Should it be win-win arrangement in your mind, it's always win-lose in the tough reality.

Social Talk. Text 190.

Task: is our life a sales cycle?

Whether it's sales cycle or any other fancy term, it could denote our life with equal meanings, making it seem like is has sense. But life itself, thanks to it's diversity, could be perceived as anything, including vicious sales cycle.

You're being conceived as a prospect, which was a lead to one couple some day. And this couple has been qualifying each other for a long time, handling objections and making marvellous presentations. But would it be possible without initial contact they had, that was appointed by the lead, in other words thanks to a friend who happened to be their referral.

I know you consider this explanation to be dubious, but here you are. New member of society. A prospect to your parents, a presentation for your fellows, an objection to your enemies and a closed sale to your future spouse.

Do you like that definition of a life by a sales cycle? I guess it's just another way to say that I'm alive.