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It's Nice to Meet You
By Don Henderson
Don has taught at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington and Arlington United Methodist Church
A: “Hi, my name is _______________. “What’s your name?”
B: ”My name is __________________. I’m from ________________. Where are you from?”
A: “I’m from ____________________. It’s nice to meet you.” (Shake hands)
B: “Nice to meet you too!”
How many times have we drilled this dialogue or variations of it with our students? We want them to be confident and to be sure of themselves when they meet new people and navigate all the challenges of trying to express themselves in a second language. Making a good first impression can be important in job interviews and meeting people for the first time. We use the building blocks of this kind of dialogue and expand on it to help our students to feel confident in any situation. We move on to help them with “small talk” so that they can interact better with their customers, their supervisors, and with strangers at the doctor’s office or on the bus.
In our intermediate class, we had a student from Guatemala who came to a session one evening absolutely beaming and excited. She told us a wonderful story. She was a long-time caregiver for one of the few surviving African-American generals from WWII. The family regarded her highly and invited her to a special birthday party for the general. When she arrived, both sides of the street were lined with lots of cars. She had a hard time finding a place to park. The general’s son met her at the door and welcomed her. He said, “There’s someone I would like you to meet.” He took her to the crowded living room and led her to the guest of honor. She held out her hand and said, “Hello, my name is Maria. I’m from Guatemala. It’s nice to meet you.” And the President of the United States, Barack Obama, shook her hand and told her how nice it was to meet her. And then she and the President chatted for a moment....
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