The 8th series of black words commonly used in Chinese business situations includes ‘Leverage the momentum（借势）’, ‘Align（拉通）’, ‘Strong correlation（强关联）’ and ‘Break the ice（破冰）’.
1. Leverage the momentum（借势）
It means taking advantage of existing favorable situations, resources, hot topics, etc. in the external environment to create development opportunities for one’s own cooperation projects, enhance influence or accelerate the progress. For example, a new tech startup launches related supporting products during a major industry giant’s product launch event. By leveraging the high attention of the giant’s event, it attracts potential customers to its own products.
2. Align（拉通）
In cooperation, it refers to comprehensively sorting out and unifying information, processes, goals, etc. among different departments and levels, eliminating communication barriers and information gaps, and ensuring that all parties are on the same page to jointly promote cooperation matters. For example, a large – scale project involves multiple departments such as R & D, production, and sales. Regular cross – departmental meetings are needed to “align” project progress, requirements, and problems to ensure the smooth progress of the project.
3. Strong correlation（强关联）
It describes that there are close and direct connections between two or more parties in cooperation in terms of business, resources, goals, etc. The actions and decisions of one party will have a significant impact on the other parties, and the degree of mutual dependence among all parties is high. For example, there is a strong correlation between a mobile phone manufacturer and a battery supplier. The production capacity and quality of the battery supplier directly affect the production plan and product quality of the mobile phone manufacturer.
4. Break the ice（破冰）
In the initial stage of cooperation, it means breaking the estrangement and tense atmosphere caused by unfamiliarity, cultural differences, and interest divergences between the two parties, and establishing a good communication and cooperation foundation. It is commonly seen between enterprises that cooperate for the first time. They “break the ice” through holding relaxed business exchange activities, sincere preliminary communication, etc.