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World and Press April 2 2022

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10 Business April 2 2022 | World and Press COVID got your tongue? How to relearn the lost art of office small talk WORKPLACE Returning workers lacking confidence to chat to colleagues after months at home are turning to coaching to get back in the zone. mit Übungen | Sprechen By Miranda Bryant 1 PLANS FORthe weekend. Comments on the weather. Observations about a colleague’s new coat. With offices across England (and, from Monday, in Scotland) opening up to workers, casual conversation starters like this will once again become the norm. But after nearly two years of working predominantly from home, an absence of informal interaction with colleagues has left some employees so out of practice at watercooler chat that they are turning to small talk coaching to prepare. 2 Georgie Nightingall, the founder of Trigger Conversations, | Photo: Mohamed Hassan/Pixabay says she has seen a sharp rise in uptake for her conversational training courses – in which she teaches people how to improve their small talk – with demand quadrupling within a year. “There is concern, partly due to the pandemic, that people are just losing these skills,” said Nightingall, 30. 3 But she said any issues tend to be closely linked to confidence. Citing research that found that small talk plays a vital role in contributing to day-to-day happiness, helping to prevent lone- liness and isolation, she said remote working does not allow it to occur in the same way in the “in-between moments” that come from physical proximity in between meetings, in corridors, at lunch, or at coffee machines. “So suddenly there are no opportunities to have that serendipity that normally happens,” she said. 4 Almuth McDowall, professor and assistant dean of Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London and associate fellow of the British Psycho- logical Society, said small talk “humanises our work existence” and provides a space for idea exchange and creativity. The return to workplaces is an opportunity to re-evaluate its purpose, she said. “Let’s rethink what the office is for – a place to find meaning, connection, and a shared purpose.” 5 Nightingall said many people dread small talk because they do not know how to use it properly and fear getting “trapped in this circle of talking about the weather”. Instead, she teaches students to move away from key phrases like “I’m fine” or “what did you do at the weekend?” and use seemingly mundane subjects as a springboard to having a meaningful conversation. 6 “Often in conversations we have this competing paradox of ‘Oh, I really want to be connected to somebody and have that lovely feeling of belonging and conversation’ but at the same time ‘Ah, I don’t really want to get into a conversation because it’s going to take a lot of energy and it’s going to drain me, I’m not going to be great at it’,” she said. 7 In an online taster session for her six-week course, Transformational Conversations, she admitted that she is a “small talk convert” and that she used to hate it until she started working on how to transform her everyday conversations into the deeper kind she would have at a party at 2am. 8 Her teaching includes group conversations, partner exercises in practicing using different techniques, breaking the scripts of conventional small talk, and starting conversations with statements. The results, she claims, can be life-changing. … 9 Sam Denny, a data scientist from London, signed up to Nightingall’s course after he found his world had shrunk living alone and working from home during the pandemic, and he was feeling anxious about returning to the office and interacting with colleagues. “If you are entirely working from home it’s very easy to have all your conversations being completely purpose-driven,” said Denny, 33. 10 Since doing the course he said his confidence has increased, he feels able to lead small talk, and is looking forward to seeing colleagues. “Before I would be quite shy, quite quiet, and I would let the conversation go wherever it would go and often maybe not to very interesting places.” … © 2022 Guardian News and Media Ltd 0 – 2 CAT GOTyour tongue? (fig) Hat es Ihnen die Sprache verschlagen? — to be in the zone (fig) in seinem Element sein — observation “ÆÅbz´"veIS´n‘ Bemerkung — predominantly “prI"dÅmIn´ntli‘ überwiegend — watercooler chat (coll) Büro geplauder (w. Wasserspender) — founder Gründer(in) — uptake Inanspruchnahme — conversational Konversations- — to quadruple “"kwÅdrUp´l‘ s. vervierfachen 3 to tend to … tendenziell … — to cite anführen — vital “"vaIt´l‘ wesentlich — day-to-day alltäglich — loneliness Einsamkeit — remote working Telearbeit — physical proximity “prÅk"sIm´ti‘ räumliche Nähe — serendipity “Æser´n"dIp´ti‘ glück licher Zufall 4 – 5 assistant dean stellv. Dekan(in) — organisational psychology “saI"kÅl´dZi‘ Organisationspsychologie — associate fellow “´"s´USi´t‘ zweithöchster Rang e-s Ehrenmitglieds in e-m wissenschaftl. Verband — to humanise menschlicher machen — work existence Arbeitsleben — to reevaluate “Æri…I"vœljueIt‘ neu bewerten — purpose “"p‰…p´s‘ Zweck; Ziel; s.w.u. purpose-driven zielgerichtet — to dread s.th. s. vor etw. grauen — seemingly scheinbar — mundane “møn"deIn‘ banal — springboard (fig) Ausgangspunkt 6 – 10 to be connected to s.o. s. mit jdm. verbunden fühlen — feeling of belonging Zugehörigkeitsgefühl — taster session Schnupperkurs — transformational (lebens)verändernd; s.w.u. to transform — convert “"kÅnv‰…t‘ Bekehrte(r) — to break the scripts (fig) mit dem gängigen Ablauf brechen — data scientist Datenwissenschaftler(in) — to sign up to s. anmelden bei — to shrink schrumpfen 29./30. April 2022 MOC München, Halle 1 Freitag, 13 bis 18 Uhr Samstag, 10 bis 15 Uhr www.azubitage.de EINTRITT FREI Dolly Parton’s Dollywood to pay full tuition for employees pursuing college EDUCATION By Gloria Oladipo 1 AFTER funding the first wave of COVID-19 vaccine research, the country music star and beloved celebrity Dolly Parton is now spreading the gift of education. The country singer’s company recently announced that her theme parks will pay for its employees to pursue a college degree. Starting 24 February, employees at Dollywood who pursue a college degree will have their tuition, associated fees, and books 100% covered by the Dollywood theme park. 2 The offer also includes all 11,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees that work at any of the 25 amusement parks and attractions under Herschend Enterprises, Dollywood’s parent company, including Dollywood. 3 Under the Grow U program, the new education pilot initiative, employees can register for a higher learning program on their first day through 30 offered learning partners, with subjects ranging from marketing, technology, and other studies. Grow U has also committed to partially funding 150 additional degree programs that include art design, engineering, and hospitality, covering up to ,250. 4 “When our hosts feel appreciated and are given opportunities like this, they feel cared for and The entrance to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. | Photo: Getty Images they can pass that feeling on to their guests,” said Wes Ramey, a spokesman for Dollywood Co., to ‘The Washington Post’. Ramey also confirmed to the ‘Post’ that the program had Parton’s full support, adding: “She’s very supportive of the employees learning and continuing to grow themselves.” 5 While other companies have previously offered education incentive programs for their employees, many such initiatives have been scaled back or on a smaller scale compared with the Dollywood program, according to the ‘Post’. Many larger companies such as Chipotle and Best Buy only offer up to ,000 of covered tuition to employees. Starbucks only covers an online degree obtained through Arizona State University. © 2022 Guardian News and Media Ltd 0 – 1 TUITION“tju"IS´n‘ Studiengebühren — to pursue (a college degree) “p´"sju…‘ (e-n College-Abschluss) anstreben — to fund finanziell unterstützen — vaccine research “"vœksi…n‘ Impfforschung — beloved “bI"løvd‘ geliebt — theme park Freizeitpark — associated fees “´"s´USieItId‘ weitere Gebühren 2 – 3 parent company Muttergesellschaft — initiative “I"nIS´tIv‘ Programm — to commit to doing s. verpflichten zu tun — to partially fund s.th. “"pA…S´li‘ etw. mitfinanzieren — hospitality gastbezogene Dienstleistungen 4 – 5 spokesman Sprecher — incentive program “In"sentIv‘ Förderungsprogramm (i. Anreiz) — to scale back wieder einschränken — scale Umfang

World and Press | April 2 2022 Can Hugo Boss actually be cool? FASHION The brand built by selling Wall Street suits is trying to reinvent itself for the post-office age. Business 11 By André Wheeler 1 ON Asun-soaked day in Milan last fall, Hugo Boss said goodbye to the suit. It was fashion week, and the German brand, once a go-to for urban professionals dreaming of a steady climb to the corner office, cast its jackets and slacks to the side in favor of a baseball-themed spectacle. The model Gigi Hadid opened the show, held to debut Boss’ collaboration with Russell Athletic, the active wear brand, in highwaisted gym shorts and a beanie. There was a brass marching band and cheerleaders. The K-pop star Big Matthew made his modeling debut, and an anthropomorphic popcorn mascot danced. 2 It was, for anyone familiar with Hugo Boss’ usual slick Wall Street-ready offering, a tad unexpected. It was also, it turns out, Stage 1 in what the company is calling a major rebrand that reaches fruition this week with new ad campaigns and a new look. 3 The old blocky logo has been replaced by new, sleeker typography. There is experimentation with repurposed materials. There are also ultra-breathable suits, fitting for dinner as much as the office, and elevated athleisure pieces reminiscent of 1990s streetwear with a sophisticated twist. Punchy ad campaigns feature model Hailey Bieber, rapper Future, K-pop stars, and TikTok influencers. 4 Yes, Hugo Boss is trying to recast itself as cool. Gen Z cool. Even in an industry where change is a given and brand reinvention is almost an annual occurrence, the attempted turnaround is extreme. 5 “For the past six to eight years the brand has just gotten a bit … dusty,” said Daniel Grieder, who was named chief executive of Hugo Boss last year. Grieder, 60, spoke from the company’s headquarters in Metzingen, Germany, over a video call, exuding the cando air of a Silicon Valley founder – albeit one wearing a suit. He was sitting at a long table, flanked by two colleagues; they occasionally clarified or repeated questions for Grieder, who is from Switzerland and speaks German. “I want to, um, how do you say, undust things,” Grieder said. Hugo Boss chief executive Daniel Grieder. | Photo: Roderick Aichinger/The New York Times Gigi Hadid (center) walks in the Hugo Boss spring 2022 show in Milan. | Photo: Valerio Mezzanotti/ The New York Times 6 It’s easy to understand why. The company had a 33% decline in sales at the start of COVID, according to the brand’s 2020 annual report, its most recent. Stock prices for Hugo Boss began to decline in 2018, before rising again in November 2020. “It was a dependable brand,” said Robert Burke, a retail expert who previously worked as a top executive at Bergdorf Goodman. “Men would go there and get two or three suits. And then it became too dependable.” 7 Suits themselves fell out of favor, victims of a long-standing trend toward casualization that accelerated during the pandemic, with its long stretches of working from home. Behemoths such as Goldman Sachs and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York adjusted or abandoned their formal dress codes. Cult brands such as Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God and Aimé Leon Dore, with their refined take on streetwear, began to gain not only buzz but also critical market share. 8 Grieder’s new vision for Boss began with the creation of two distinct lines intended for different audiences. “Hugo” is a new streetwear-leaning option for Gen Z shoppers replete with bucket hats, loose-fit jeans, and logo-heavy accessories. “Boss” is a line of minimalist, smart-casual looks aimed at millennials that includes earth-toned hoodies, voluminous overcoats, and tailored chinos. Though this goes against the current trend for brand consolidations, as espoused by Burberry and Zegna, Grieder said the differentiation would help Hugo Boss stand out. 9 Then he signed up a slate of new brand ambassadors, focusing on internet-famous names, including TikTok comedian Khaby Lame, 21, who went from factory worker to the secondmost followed person on the app. Others include model Adut Akech, known for her activism around greater inclusivity in fashion; South Korean star Lee Minho; and musician Saint Jhn, who has collaborated with Beyoncé and Kanye West. 10 Next, Grieder and the design team (there is no official “designer”) workshopped how to make their suits more appealing to their target shopper. “We want to be the first suit a millennial or Gen Z customer buys,” Grieder said, before beginning to wax lyrical about “the suit of tomorrow.” 11 He was wearing a “suit of tomorrow” as he spoke: a slimfit cobalt number made from lightweight cotton, that, he said, was wrinkle-resistant, waterrepellent and, in his opinion, comfortable enough to sleep in. Then he performed a quick series of stretches to show off the fabric’s elasticity. “You could hike a mountain in this,” Grieder proclaimed, saying sales of suits for the brand recovered last summer, in tandem with scaled-back lockdown measures across the world. “People wanted to get dressed up and go to restaurants.” … © 2022 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times. für nur € 5,95 Jetzt im Einzelverkauf Zusatzmaterial zu dieser Ausgabe. Im Abo PREMIUM sehr viel günstiger! www.sprachzeitungen.de 0 – 1 TO REINVENT O.S.“Æri…In"vent‘ s. neu erfinden — postoffice age Zeitalter nach dem Büro — sun-soaked sonnig — to be a go-to die erste Wahl sein — professional Berufstätige(r) — to cast aside beiseitelegen — slacks Hose — collaboration Zus.arbeit; s.w.u. to collaborate — active wear Sport- und Freizeitkleidung — high-waisted hochtailliert — brass marching band Blaskapelle — anthropomorphic “ÆœnTr´p´"mO…fIk‘ menschenähnlich 2 slick raffiniert; erstklassig — offering Angebot — a tad etwas — rebrand Neuausrichtung des Markenimage — to reach fruition “fru…"IS´n‘ verwirklicht werden 3 blocky blockartig — sleek geschmeidig — typography “taI"pÅgr´fi‘ — repurposed “Æri…"p‰…p´sd‘ umfunktioniert — breathable “"bri…D´b´l‘ atmungsaktiv — elevated gehoben — athleisure “œT"leZ´‘ Sportbekleidung für Freizeit und Büro — to be reminiscent of s.th. “ÆremI"nIs´nt‘ an etw. erinnern — sophisticated “s´"fIstIkeItId‘; s.w.u. refined raffiniert — punchy peppig; schwungvoll 4 – 5 to recast o.s. h.: s. neu positionieren — to be a given selbstverständlich sein — occurrence “´"kør´ns‘ Ereignis — turnaround Wandel — chief executive “Æ-Ig"zekj´tIv‘ h.: Vorstandsvorsitzender — to exude “Ig"zju…d‘ ausstrahlen — can-do air Machermentalität — founder Gründer(in) — albeit “O…l"bi…It‘ wenn auch — flanked flankiert — to clarify “"klœrIfaI‘ klarstellen — to undust entstauben 6 decline in sales Umsatzrückgang — annual report Jahresbericht — stock price Aktienkurs — dependable “dI"pen d´b´l‘ zuverlässig — retail Einzelhandel — top executive Spitzenmanager(in) 7 to fall out of favor nicht mehr gefragt sein — casualization “ÆkœZju´laI"zeIS´n‘ h.: legere und bequeme Kleidung — to accelerate “´k"sel´reIt‘ s. beschleunigen — stretch Zeitraum; s.w.u. Dehnung — behemoth “bI"hi…mÅT‘ Koloss; h.: großes Finanzinstitut — Federal Reserve Bank Zentralbank — to abandon “´"bœnd´n‘ abschaffen — take Interpretation — to gain buzz (coll) Aufmerksamkeit erhalten — critical wichtig — market share Marktanteil 8 streetwear-leaning in Richtung Streetwear gehend — replete with “rI"pli…t‘ reichlich ausgestattet mit — bucket hat Fischerhut — loose-fit weit; mit lockerer Passform — smart-casual sportlich elegant — earth-toned in Erdtönen — voluminous “v´"lu…mIn´s‘ weit geschnitten — overcoat Mantel — tailored gut geschnitten — chinos Chinohose — brand consolidation Markenkonsolidierung — to espouse “es"paUz‘ verfechten — differentiation “ÆdIf´renSi"eIS´n‘ Differenzierung 9 – 10 to sign s.o. up jdn. unter Vertrag nehmen — a slate of e-e Reihe von — brand ambassador “œm"bœs´d´‘ Markenbotschafter(in) — inclusivity “ÆInklu…"sIvIti‘ Inklusion — to workshop gemeinsam ausarbeiten — appealing ansprechend — to wax lyrical about s.th. “"lIrIk´l‘ von etw. schwärmen 11 cobalt “"k´UbÅlt‘ kobaltblau — wrinkle-resistant “rI"zIst´nt‘ knitterfrei — water-repellent “rI"pel´nt‘ wasserabweisend — fabric Stoff — elasticity “Æilœs"tIs´ti‘ — to proclaim erklären — to recover s. erholen — in tandem with in Zus.hang mit — scaledback zurückgefahren

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