Helen A. Kalinovskaya

Donbas State Technical University

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION AS A WAY OF LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Language is the main means of intercourse. It is very difficult for people to communicate without it, to express their feelings, wishes and thoughts. With the help of language we have an opportunity to understand each other, to work together and so on. As it is known English is one of most widely spread international languages. It is very often used during the international conferences, world congresses, where the questions touching the global problems of humanity, education, medicine, science and other branches of human life are discussed. In many countries people study English with great interest as it is necessary for their work or study. It also helps people while traveling to different countries of the world. So, knowing English nowadays is out of question. But it is a rather difficult and long process. To speak English fluently one should know its grammar, vocabulary and the rules of pronunciation and reading of the words.

There are numerous methods of learning English, all of them include studying its grammar, doing a lot of practical assignments, reading the books, especially in the original, but to my mind one of the most important ways of mastering it is oral practice. Knowing grammar is useless without being able to communicate with people in English. That’s why we must use any opportunity to practice in speaking language.

We all know that the people talk in very different ways, and that conversations are easy with some people and difficult with others. Understanding motivation is the key to managing these conversations. What exactly motivates people to chat with each other, to talk about the latest film they saw or their plans for the weekend? And what do you get out of talking to them? There are four fundamental motivations behind social behavior. Here are they:

a) Motivated to help: some people are primarily motivated to help other people. They feel good when they are modest, caring and supportive. They feel great when they see others feeling good. In social conversations, this means that they make a lot of effort to check that people are happy. They may ask a lot of polite questions to make others feel welcome and accepted. They like to talk about what other people want to talk about. These people may sometimes seem superficial and too friendly.

b) Motivated to influence: Some people are motivated primarily by the possibility of achieving results and influencing others. They see themselves as self-confident, ambitious and persuasive. In social conversations, they often like to talk and be heard, and may feel motivated when there is an exchange of strong opinions. They may like to talk about successes and achievements because they feel that they control their environment. They can listen to others who share their vision but can quickly become bored, especially with those who go into too much detail. These people may seem arrogant, pushy and self-centered. But these are driven people who have vision and can achieve things quickly.

c) Motivated to be independent: Some people are motivated by order, stability and independence. Their social style is practical, analytical, reserved and fair. They feel good when everything is organized and they are autonomous. In social conversations, they may be rather quiet if they feel this is the best way to maintain their own autonomy. In discussions, they may seem a little slow and to have a tendency to stay on safe topics, preferring logic and detail to unfounded opinions. They may show concern if social arrangements are not clearly structured. These people may seem withdrawn, defensive and not interested in people, but they have a deep respect for your independence.

d) Motivated to be flexible: Some people are motivated by the wish to be adaptable. They see themselves as curious and open to change and to compromise. They feel happy if they are using the right mix of behaviors in the right way in the right context. In conversation, they make great efforts to adapt to whatever others wish to talk about and do. They want to be recognized as flexible and will express enthusiastic interest in other people`s points of view. They often have a group focus and will work to create harmony. These people may seem to be lacking direction and always changing their behavior. But these people who are very open and important for harmonious group dynamics.

Motivation is not a simple predictor of behavior. Life is more complex than this. The influencing type suddenly fall silent and stop exchanging challenging opinions if he or she thinks there is no opportunity to influence. The quiet, independent person may suddenly become very talkative and forceful in a conversation that questions the right of people to be independent and control their own destiny. Nevertheless, the key to successful conversation lies in understanding the motivation of your partner and managing that motivation successfully.

We have many different types of conversation at work, from spontaneous chats around the coffee machine to a four-hour business dinner with a new client, at home with the members of our family and neighbors, in the street with our friends and even with the strangers, over the telephone and so on. The mood and style of these moments can vary enormously, depending upon the motivation of different people and the cultural context. Yet all conversations have a beginning, middle and an end. Successful communicators manage these phases carefully to make sure that a positive and enjoyable conversation takes place. We usually have many conversations with the same people over time. This process can be seen as important culture-building activity between individual and within groups. As people learn more about each other, and develop a common knowledge base and identity, patterns of interaction become established and create a framework for doing business together. People with cultural competence use conversations to create the right culture around them. They remember and recycle key facts and stories from past conversations when they meet people. This builds a common history and identity that supports teamwork and encourages open communication. Seen like this, conversation competence is a leadership requirement in multinational organizations, where team cultures have to be established quickly in the face of diversity.