Sweeney Simon Communicating in Business Students book

Communicating in Business Student's Book Second Edition A flexible approach that meets the needs o f Business English students.. • Com m unicating in Business is for students at the inte

Communicating

in Business

Student's Book Second Edition

A flexible approach that meets the

needs o f Business English students

• Com m unicating in Business is for

students at the intermediate level

who need to improve their skills

in the key areas o f business

com m unication: taking part in

meetings, telephoning, negotiating,

presenting and socializing

• The course provides students with

realistic controlled and open-ended

activities so that they can build up

their fluency and confidence

• The modular approach allows for

flexibility - teachers can customize

the course to the needs o f their

students and do the modules in

any order

• The course is short - each o f the fifteen units provides about three hours o f classroom work

• There is a strong emphasis on listening The audio component provides around two hours of listening input so there is a lot

o f opportunity for students to improve this skill

• Authentic reading passages, taken from a variety o f sources, introduce the theme o f the units and there are integrated writing tasks

• Language and Skills checklists in each unit provide a useful reference after students have completed the course

• The course can be used for TOEIC preparation to get students to the

level where they can operate successfully in an English-speaking work environment

• The Second Edition has been updated and now includes new one-page self-study sections at the end o f each unit

Course components:

Student’s Book Teacher’s Book Audio Cassette Set Audio CD Set

Communicating in Business

Second Edition

A short course for Business English students:

Cultural diversity and socializing, Using the telephone, Presentations, Meetings and Negotiations

Student's Book

Simon Sweeney

gig C a m b r i d g e

U N IV E R S IT Y PRESS

In tr o d u c tio n

and socializingUnit s B uild in g a relationship

1 Cross-cultural understanding (1)

2 Welcoming visitors

3 Small talk: keeping the conversation going

U n it 2 Culture and entertainm ent

1 Cross-cultural understanding (2)

2 Inviting, and accepting or declining

3 Eating out

Unit 3 Could I leave a message?

1 Preparing to make a telephone call

2 Receiving calls

3 Taking and leaving messages

4 Asking for and giving repetition

5 The secretarial barrier

Unit 4 G ood to hear from you again!

1 Cross-cultural com m unication on the

telephone (1)

2 Setting up appointm ents

3 C hanging appointm ents

4 Ending a call

Unit 5 Unfortunately there’s a problem .

1 Cross-cultural com m unication on the

telephone (2)

2 Problem solving on the telephone

3 C om plaints

Unit 6 P lan nin g and getting started

1 Presentation technique and preparation

2 The audience

3 Structure (1) The introduction

Unit 7 Image, im pact and m aking an

im pression

1 Using visual aids: general principles

2 Talking about the content o f visual aids

3 Describing change

8 Unit 9 The end is near this is the end 87

14

14

15

24

24

555859

Unit 15 Not getting w h at you d on ’t want 142

Introduction to the

Second Edition

Communicating in Business is based on the same core content as English for Business Communication The main difference is that Communicating in Business uses American

English as its model whereas English for Business Communication uses British English.

Communicating in Business is a short course with two key objectives:

• to develop your technique in five key areas of communication: socializing, using the telephone, presenting information, participating in meetings and negotiations

• to develop your knowledge of the language used in these key areas

The course is concerned with improving your listening and speaking skills There is a lot

of opportunity to practice understanding from the recorded material It is important that you try to understand the key message of the extracts, not every word you hear Similarly, there are several reading texts where again you should try to understand the key messages, not necessarily every word on the page

There are very many opportunities for discussion and plenty of role plays The discussion

is partly designed to get you to think about what makes communication effective The practice material and the role plays lead to a Transfer exercise This is a chance to connect what you have studied with your own daily experience, either as a student or as a profes­sional working in business The skills learned from this course are useful for those prepar­ing to start work and for those already in work

As you use the course, practice as much as you can and prepare for meetings, presenta­tions or telephone calls by using the Checklists at the end of each unit Always refer to these when preparing a communication task Try to develop the habit of good prepara­tion Try also to develop the habit of self-assessment to help you to see where improve­ments can be made Your teacher will help you with this

Enjoy the course!

This second edition not only provides improvements to the overall appearance and design of the book, but also responds to users’ requests for more practice material There

is now an additional page of exercises summarising key language from each unit (Quick Communication Check), designed for self-study use Some of the listening material has been re-recorded Together with various small changes, much of the practice material has also been updated

S L r o o n S w e & w e y

MODULE 1

CULTURAL

DIVERSITY AND

SOCIALIZING

Building a relationship

• Small talk: Keeping the conversation going

Cross-cultural understanding (i)

1 Look at the photo In groups, discuss the situation Decide what you think the people are talking about Suggest various topics Say what you think they are

definitely n o t talking about Then spend a few m inutes acting out the conversation.

2 Read the text below Identify the basic message implied by the text.

Eye c o n ta ct

In m any Western societies, including the U nited States, a person w ho does n o t m aintain

“good eye contact” is regarded as being slightly suspicious, or a “shifty” character Americans unconsciously associate people w ho avoid eye contact as unfriendly, insecure,

untrustw orthy, inattentive and im personal However, in contrast, Japanese children are

5 tau g h t in school to direct their gaze at the region o f their teacher’s Adam ’s apple o r tie knot, and, as adults, Japanese lower their eyes when speaking to a superior, a gesture o f respect

Building a relationship ^

Latin A m erican cultures, as well as som e African cultures, such as Nigeria, have longer

looking time, b u t prolonged eye contact from an individual o f lower status is considered

disrespectful In the US, it is considered ru d e to stare - regardless o f w ho is looking at

w hom In contrast, the polite Englishm an is tau g h t to pay strict attention to a speaker, to

listen carefully, and to blink his eyes to let the speaker know he o r she has been u n d ersto o d

as well as heard Am ericans signal interest an d co m prehension by b o b b in g th eir heads or

grunting

A w idening o f the eyes can also be interpreted differently, dep e n d in g on circum stances

a n d culture Take, for instance, the case o f an A m erican an d a Chinese discussing the term s

o f a proposed contract Regardless o f the language in which the proposed contract is

carried out, the US negotiator m ay interpret a Chinese p erso n ’s widened eyes as an

expression o f asto n ish m en t instead o f as a danger signal (its tru e m eaning) o f politely

expressed anger

Adapted from Managing Cultural Differences, Fourth Edition, by Phillip R Harris and Robert T Moran.

© 1996 by Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas Used w ith permission All rights reserved.

3 If necessary, read the text again Then com m en t on the following:

a) observations ab o u t m an y people from the U nited States

b) observations a b o u t the English

c) an observation ab o u t Japanese children

d) the m eaning o f lowering o n e’s eyes in Japan

e) why looking at som eone for a long tim e m ay be considered disrespectful

f) the m eaning o f w idened eyes in Chinese culture

4 Before receiving a visitor from a foreign country or before travelling abroad

-you need to think about the cultural issues that may affect the relationship.

a) Suggest som e basic research that you should do before receiving your visitor, or

before traveling W hat issues should you th in k about?

Note: After suggesting your own ideas, compare your list w ith the Skills Checklist at the end of

this unit.

b) Listen to the recording An Am erican, Peter W asserm an, w ho is the CEO o f an

international company, talks ab o u t w h a t he thinks is im p o rta n t in preparing for business contacts with people from o th e r cultures He m en tio n s several key areas

to find o u t about Identify six o f them Did you think o f any o f the same issues?

Discussion

In what way is the advice in this section useful w h en d oing business? Look again at the Skills Checklist on page 12.

^ Building a relationship

2 Welcoming visitors

What happens w hen a visitor arrives with an ap poin tm ent to visit a company?

What are the typical stages o f the first meeting? What conversations take place?

1 Listen to the recording in w h ich Len Ewing arrives for a m eeting w ith Jack Caruso and Luisa Caldos o f Evco, an advertising agency in Seattle,

W ashington.

a) Is the m eeting between Len Ewing and Evco form al o r informal? Give reasons for your answer

b) D o they know each o th e r quite well?

c) Len has a problem W hat is it?

3 Listen to the recording o f Peter M arwood’s arrival at SDA Ltd., in Sydney, Australia

He has to wait a few m in utes and asks Stephanie Field for som e assistance.

Identify two things he needs and three things he does n ot need.

-Listen again Think again about h ow Luisa and Jack talk to Len.

She in terru p ts him at the start Is this acceptable?

T hey use first nam es Is this right, given the situation?

Jack begins to talk ab o u t the p rogram for the day Is this ap p ro p riate at this stage?

Decline - ask if you can use a phone ?*■;

Decline - you only need th e phone

Thank him /her

Explain th a t SB will be here shortly

Offer a drink / refreshm ents

Say y e s/O ffe r fax as well

Show th e visitor to th e phone

Reply - offer any o th er help

Ask how far it is to station . Two miles - ten m inutes by taxi

Offer to g e t one

Accept offer - su gg est a tim e Promise to do th a t - say th a t SB is

free now

Offer to tak e h im /h er to SB's office

N ow listen to the recording o f a m od el answer.

Q Building a relationship

3 Small talk: keeping the conversation going

1 R andy H e m p fro m th e U.S is v isitin g a c u s to m e r in Taiwan He is

ta lk in g to th e P r o d u c tio n M a n a g e r o f a m a n u f a c t u r in g p la n t in Taipei Listen to th e re c o rd in g o f a n e x tra c t o f t h e i r co n v e rsatio n

man \<ji-R: Is this your first visit here?

HEMP: No, in fact the first tim e I cam e was for a trade fair Webegan o u r East Asian operations here at the 1999 Exhibition

m a n a g e r : Shall we have a look a ro u n d the plant before lunch?

a) W hat is w rong with w hat the production m anager says?

The answer is, o f course, that it breaks a “rule” o f conversation Generally, if you ask

a question you should co m m en t on the answer o r ask a supplem entary question

Question

AnswerComment

or

Supplementary question

b) N ow suggest a b etter version o f the sam e conversation There is a recording o f a

m odel version

2 C o m p le te th e follow ing dialo g u e by w ritin g a p p r o p r i a te sentences in th e b lanks

Have you been to San Francisco before?

JANIS: No, it’s m y first visit

PETER: a)

-IAN1S: I’m sure I will

pet lr : And er, is the hotel all right?

janis: Yes, it’s very com fortable

tim e here in the U.S.? Are you staying long?

janis: No, I have to go back to m o rro w afternoon

PETER: c) - -— - - - - - - You’ll have to com e

back again!

JANIS: d )

-it So w hat tim e ’s your flight tom orrow ?

JANIS: In the evening, 6:35

PETER: Well, I can get you a taxi if you like, to get you there in good time

janis: e ) — - - - - -

pfter: No problem at all Was it a good flight today?

JANIS: No, it wasn’t actually

p e t e r : f ) - — - g ) - - - - - - - - - ? janis: It was raining - quite hard There was a lot o f turbulence

PETER: h) - - - - - -

-10

Building a relationship ^

3 Listen to the recording o f four conversation extracts.

a) Match each o f them to one o f the four photos below

b) Listen to each one again In each case, suggest ho w you th in k the conversation

m ight develop

c) D o you think any o f the topics included w ould be unacceptable in a particular culture that you k now about?

Practice 2

Look at the four pictures above and use each o f them for two or three m inutes o f

continual conversation w ith a partner.

Note:

• there should be no breaks of more than three seconds in your conversation

• listen carefully to w hat your partner says and pick up on specific points

• keep the conversation flowing.

Look at the Skills Checklist and prepare ideas on these topics in relation to a c o u n try you know

well either th ro u g h w ork or pleasure Discuss th e co u n try you choose w ith a colleague

11

I ’ve got an a p p o in tm e n t to see .

S orry - I ’m a little late / early

M y plane was delayed

Introducing someone

This is H e/she’s m y Personal Assistant

C an I in troduce you to H e/she’s o u r (Project

M anager)

I ’d like to in troduce you to

M eeting someone and small talk

Pleased to m eet you

It’s a pleasure

H ow was your trip? Did you have a good

flight / trip?

H ow are things in (London)?

H ow long are you staying in (New York)?

I h ope you like it

Is your hotel comfortable?

Is this your first visit to (the Big Apple)?

Offering assistance

C an I get you anything?

D o you need anything?

W ould you like a drink?

If you need to use a p h o n e o r fax, please let me

know

C an we do anything for you?

Do you need a hotel / a taxi /

any travel in fo rm a tio n / etc.?

A sking fo r assistance

T here is one thing I need

C ould you get m e

C ould you get m e a car / taxi / hotel ro o m / ?

C ould you help m e arrange a flight to ?

C an you re co m m en d a good restaurant?

I ’d like to bo o k a ro o m for to m o rro w night Can

• the actual political situation

• cultural an d regional differences religion(s)

• the role o f w om en in business and in society as a whole

• tra n s p o rta tio n and telecom m unications systems

• the econom y

• the m ain com panies

« the m ain exports an d im p o rts

• the m ark e t for the business sector which interests you

• com petitors

You m ight also w ant to find out:

• which topics are safe for small talk

• which topics are best avoided

If you are going to visit a n o th e r country, find o u t about:

• the conventions regarding socializing

• attitudes towards foreigners

• attitudes towards gifts

• the extent to which public, business and private lives are mixed o r are kept separate

• conventions regarding food an d drink.You m ight also like to find o u t about:

• the w eather at the relevant tim e o f the year public holidays

• the conventions regarding w orking h o urs

Building a relationship ^

Quick Communication Check

1 Welcoming visitors

Com plete the dialogue w ith words from the box.

a : Hello, (a) _ to m eet you

B: T h a n k you for ( b ) _ me

a : H o w l o n g a r e y o u ( c ) h e re ?

B: Just two days

a : Oh, not long, then Let me (d) _ you to my colleague Paul

B: Paul, ( e ) is Angela Fox

2 Making small talk

Match the phrases 1-5 to the correct responses a -e to make a conversation.

1 Did you have a good trip?

2 Was the flight on time?

3 T h a t’s good A nd how was the w eather in London?

4 Really? Well it’s m uch better here

5 Can I get you a d rin k o r som ething?

a) Very wet an d cold, I’m afraid

b) Yes, it was

c) T h a n k you Coffee w ould be great

d) Very good, th ank you

e) Yes, it’s very warm

3 Asking for and giving help

Classify the sentences below into offering som ethin g (O), declining an offer (D),

asking for help (H), accepting an offer (A).

a) C an 1 get you anything?

b )N o , I’m fine thanks

c) Just a question, is there a d ru g store near here?

d) W ould you like som ething to drink, tea o r coffee?

e) Yes, maybe a cold drink, if I may

f) Can I use your phone?

g) I’d like to p rin t som ething from this disk, if possible

h) W ould you like a lift to your hotel?

(O) (M '(H) (6 '(H) (1 '(V) (a '(0) (P '(H) P '(0) (q '(O) (e £

P S ' ( a f r ' ( e £ ' ( q Z ' ( P l Z

siqj (a) 'aanpojiui (p) ' 6 u|Aejs (a) ' 6 u! 1 |au! (q) 'aam (e) i

13

2 Culture and entertainment

• Inviting, and accepting or declining

1 The follow ing text is about cultural diversity Read it through once and decide which o f the three statem ents (A, B or C) given b elow the extract offers the

m ost accurate summary.

The impact o f culture on business

Take a lo o k at the new breed o f international

managers, educated according to the m ost modern

m anagem ent philosophies They all know that in the

SBU, TQM should reign, with products delivered JIT,

5 where CFTs distribute products while subject to MBO

(SBU = strategic business unit, TQM = total quality

m anagem ent, (IT = just-in -tim e, CFT = custom er first

team, M BO = managem ent by objectives.)

But just h o w universal are these managem ent

10 solutions? Are these “truths” about what effective

managem ent really is - truths that can be applied

anywhere, under any circumstances?

Even with experienced international companies,

many w ell-intended universal applications o f

15 managem ent theory have turned out badly For

example, pay-for-performance has in m any instances

been a failure on the African continent because there

are particular, though unspoken, rules about the

sequence and tim ing o f reward and prom otions.

20 Similarly, m anagem ent-by-objectives schem es have

generally failed within subsidiaries o f m ultinationals

in southern Europe, because managers have not

wanted to conform to the abstract nature o f

preconceived policy guidelines.

Even the notion o f hum an resource managem ent is 25 difficult to translate to other cultures, com in g as it does from a typically Anglo-Saxon doctrine It borrows from econ om ics the idea that h u m an beings are resources like physical and m onetary resources It tends to assume almost unlimited capacities for 30 individual developm ent In countries w ithout these beliefs, this concept is hard to grasp and unpopular once it is understood.

International managers have it tough They must operate on a number o f different premises at any on e 35 time These premises arise from their culture o f

origin, the culture in which they are working, and the culture o f the organisation which em ploys them.

In every culture in the world such p h en om en a as authority, bureaucracy, creativity, good fellowship, 40 verification and accountability are experienced in different ways That we use the same words to describe them tends to make us unaware that our cultural biases and our accustom ed condu ct may not

be appropriate, or shared 45

F rom Riding the Waves o f Culture: Understanding Cultural Diversity in

Business b y Fons T ro m p e n a a rs a n d Charles H a m p d e n -T u rn e r P u b lish e d by

N icholas B rea ley P u b lis h in g , L o nd on, 1997.

A There are certain p o p u lar universal tru th s ab o u t m an a g em en t which can

successfully be applied in various cultural contexts

B Cultures are so varied and so different th ro u g h o u t the world that m an agem ent has

to take into account differences ra th e r th a n simply assum e similarities

C Effective m an a g em en t o f h u m a n resources is the key to everyone achieving their

full potential

Culture and entertainment

2 Read the text again Identify the following:

a) the p ro b lem w ith universal m anagem ent solutionsb) an exam ple o f the failure o f pay-for-perform ancec) an example o f the failure o f m anagem ent-by-objectives schemesd) the problem with h u m a n resource m an agem ent

e) three cultures affecting international managersf) six areas in which different cultural interpretations apply

2 Inviting, and accepting or declining

What kinds o f social activities in your town could be appropriate ways o f

entertaining visitors from other countries?

1 Listen to the first exam ple on the recording You will hear a conversation in which som eon e invites a business associate to a social event Identify:

a) w hat is being suggestedb) the response

c) w hat will hap p e n next

2 Listen to the second exam ple, where som eon e else invites a different business associate to a social event Identify:

a) w hat is being suggestedb) the response

c) w hat will hap p e n next

^ Culture and entertainment

3 Listen to the recording o f three short extracts, where hosts invite their visitors to take part in a social activity The invitations are rejected.

a) Identify each suggested activity

b) Give the reasons for each rejection

c) Do you th in k each rejection is appropriate? Explain your answer

Listen to the m odel versions.

Museum Sq u are Tel 0 4 6 7 9 8 7 7 8 5

Screen One: The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

Director Werner Herzog starring Bruno S., Eva Mattes, Clemens Scheitz.

Screen Two: Once Upon a Time in the West

Director Sergio Leone stamng Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale.

All this week: 9.00.

Booking 020 7857 8211Studio T h ea tre, Sheep Street

B a rto k P iano Concerto No 3

K u r t a g S te le O p.33 Four C aprice, os Op.9

Wednesday and Thursday 7.30 p.m.

www.pavilion.com

f i t y Opera House

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New p ro d u c tio n directed by Colin M akepiece

A new force in opera' Classical Review 'Superb design and passionate per­ formances' The Guide

Culture and entertainment ^

Practice 2

Use the follow ing flow chart to construct a dialogue.

The situation is a sem i-form al business m eeting in your country.

Host

Ask your visitor if h e/sh e h as tried th e local

cuisine

Ask if h e/she likes

fish.-Confirm this view

Suggest you'll m e e t h im /her a t hotel

Agree - describe a particular specialty, s * ’’"'

Suggest a m eal in a restaurant, r f * ; "

Agree and end conversation

N ow listen to the recording o f a m od el answer.

17

^ Culture and entertainment

Practice 3

You receive the em ail below from a business partner con firm ing a m eeting with you at

a Trade Fair in Munich Unfortunately you have to leave Munich after your m eeting, but you expect to be in San Francisco a m onth later Write a reply suggesting a different arrangement which you can confirm closer to the time.

Subject Munich Trade Fair y

Maria, Following our telephone conversation I confirm that we will meet at Interlink stand at the Munich Trade Fair on Thurs May 24 sometime during the morning.

I look forward to talking about our products and services I attach details

of some new products that I think will interest you We can discuss these when we meet.

It would be nice to meet socially when in Munich I wonder if you would

be free to join me and a colleague for the evening of Thursday 24? We plan to meet at the Hilton Hotel, in the lobby, at about 8.30 Do let me know if you can join us and of course we would be pleased if you would like to bring a colleague or a partner.

We look forward to meeting you soon.

Best wishes,

John Callam Product Development

3 Eating out

1 Imagine you are in a restaurant

w ith a business colleague Work

in groups o f three Brainstorm

as m any exam ples as you can o f the language indicated below.

Com plete the grid below with p ossible phrases:

^ Culture and entertainment

3 N ow listen to a conversation recorded in a restaurant The recording contains parts

o f a conversation between Patricia Cork and Sandra Martinez They are colleagues

in a joint venture between two American com panies.

N ote any sim ilarities between your suggestions and the language in the recording Note also any phrases used on the tape that you did n ot suggest.

• the relationship between w ork and pleasure

• the relationship between fam ily and work

• fam ily matters

Culture and entertainment Q

Language Checklist

Socializing (z]

Saying w h a t’s going on and w h a t’s available

T here’s a (good) movie / play / concert / playing

at

We have a good theater in the city

There are som e

- interesting m u seu m s / public buildings

W ould you be interested in going to see

I’d like to invite you to have d in n e r this evening

Is that a good idea?

Responding to an invitation

T hat w ould be very nice

I’d like that

T h an k you T h at w ould be a pleasure

Declining an invitation

I ’d like to, b u t I’m afraid

T h at w ould be nice, but u n fo rtu n a tely

Before receiving visitors to your com pany

Be prepared to talk in English about your profes­

sional field and/or yo u r com pany and business:

- the professional field you are involved in

- your professional activities

- c u rren t research an d o th er projects

- future plans

- the history o f your com pany

- com pany organization

- who owns the com pany

Be able to talk about:

- your c o u n try a n d your tow n

- history

- tourism

- m useum s an d public buildings

- e n te rtain m en t

- cultural an d religious centers o f interest

You m ay wish to talk about:

The (fish) so u n d s nice

I th in k I’d like to try

I th in k I’ll have

Shall we have a bottle o f ?

C om m enting on a night out

It’s been great! / a terrific night / evening

It’s been very nice

T h an k you very m u ch for y o u r hospitality

I enjoyed it very m uch

21

^ Culture and entertainment

Quick Communication Check

1 Inviting

Choose the correct ending to

1 D o you have any

A W hich o f these words indicate an acceptance (A) o f an invitation?

Which words indicate a rejection (R) o f an invitation?

make the invitations below.

a) to m eet this evening?

b) free tim e this week?

c) you som e interesting places

d) m u seu m near here

e) som ething to eat at a restaurant

nice idea very kind u n fo rtu n a tely ra th e r busy have to

th a n k you, b u t I’m sorry excellent very kind

B Com plete the sentences below w ith words from the box.

a) I ’d like t h a t _ u n fo rtu n a tely I _ leave very early in

the m orning

b) T h a t’s v e r y _ o f you, I ’d _ that very m uch

c) T h a n k you, th at be very interesting

d) It is nice o f you t o _ m e, b u t I already have a n _

tonight I’m sorry ab out that

e) A n o t h e r _ perhaps?

f) I ’d like , th a n k you very m uch

tim ekind

b u thave to

w ouldinvite

a p p o in tm e n tthat

like

3 Eating out

Make correct sentences from the jum bled

words below.

a) the can m enu have I please

b) I ’d start like soup please vegetable to with

c) casserole have I’ll chicken then the

d) a the water and o f please co te s-d u -rh o n e

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ja q ie j '(y) A |a je u n jjo ju n '(v) pu;>j AjaA '(v) eapi aam

V

z

(3S (<V(3£'(PZ'(qi L

MODULE 2

USING THE

TELEPHONE

Could I leave a message?

• The secretarial barrier

Preparing to make a telephone call

1 Look at the cartoon W hat do you im agine they are saying? Say what the problem s are and h ow problem s like this can be avoided.

2 Listen to the recording o f Clare Macey, a director o f Inter Marketing, suggesting ways to prepare for telephone calls Then check o ff the suggestions that she makes that are included in the list below.

T h in k a b o u t your objectives from the call - any questions you need to ask

If som eone calls and you are n o t ready for them , ask th e m to call back later □Desk preparation: prepare the desk - paper, pen, any relevant d o cu m e n ta tio n ,

Have your desk calendar o n han d , so you can m ake ap p o in tm en ts □

Could I leave a message?

3 Different people have different objectives in a telephone call What do you think are the objectives o f the people in the situations below? The first is d one for you as an example.

a) A Purchasing M anager who has received an incom plete delivery

• to tell the- supplier UnoJb the delivery Is Incomplete.

• to arrange to get the re st of the delivery sent as

soon as possible.

• (possibly) to complain about the poor service.

b) A c o m p u te r o p erato r w ith a software problem calling a Software Helpline

c) A Sales Representative for a fu rn itu re

m an u fa c tu re r m aking a first call to M oda Design, a com pany which sells office furniture

d) A p u rchaser at M oda Design who takes the call in situation c

2 Receiving calls

1 Look at the cartoon as you listen

to the recording Say what the problem is and h ow problems like this can be avoided.

25

Could I leave a message?

2 Listen to another short extract from the recording o f Clare Macey Here she is talking about being prepared for incom in g calls Check o ff what she recom m ends.

Send a fax suggesting som eone calls you - th en be prepared for their call □

If you expect a call, th in k ab o u t w hat the o th e r person will say o r w hat they will ask

Check any relevant d o c u m e n ta tio n o r correspondence

If you are busy o r n o t ready w hen they call, ask them to call back later

3 Taking and leaving messages

1 Listen to the recording and com plete the m issing inform ation on the message pads below.

R ETU R N ED W ANTS TO

PH O N ED C A L L B A C K CALL SEE YOU

W ILL C ALL AGAIN W AS IN URGENT

AREA C O D E /N U M B E R

Signed

Discussion

Compare the styles of the callers in the two conversations you have heard.

How are they different? Comment on how the people answering the calls handle each caller.

Could I leave a message? Q

Now listen to two more exam ples and com plete the m essage pads below.

c)

TO :

DATE

□ URGENT TIME _

WHILE YOU WERE OUT

O F

PHONE.

□ TELEPHONED Q PLEASE CALL

□ CAME TO SEE YOU Q WILL CALL AGAIN

□ WANTS TO SEE YOU Q RETURNED YOUR CALL

D iscuss the style o f the various speakers in the last two conversations How does the

style change according to the speaker and the situation? Is the style used always the

right one?

27

Q Could I leave a message?

Practice

Use the follow in g flow chart to make a com plete telephone conversation If you need

to, listen again to the recordings you have heard and refer to the Language Checklist

on page 32.

"Good m orning, Gorliz an d Zim m erm an."Introduce yourself.**

Ask to speak to Mr Conrad Bird

^ Mr Bird is not in.

Ask w h en you can contact him

Explain th a t he is o ut of tow n - offer to tak e a m essage

You w a n t Mr Bird to call y ou.**

N ow listen to the recording o f a m od el answer.

4 Asking for and giving repetition

1 Listen to the recording o f a conversation between a w om an w ho calls the H um an Resources Departm ent in the Singapore branch o f Michigan Insurance Inc She has

an appoin tm ent for a job interview.

a) T he first tim e you listen, say why she calls

b) Listen again Notice that there are four requests for repetition Why?

2 In each request for repetition, the person asking for the repetition also acknowledges it It is im portant that any repetition is followed by an acknowledgem ent Look at the follow in g exam ple that you have heard:

"I beg your pardon I didn't catch that."

R equest for re p e titio n "To Allan P Malley, or Malley

-Human Resources D epartm ent."

"Oh yes." RepetitionAcknowledgem ent

Listen again Identify two other ways to acknowledge repetition.

Could I leave a message?

3 Look at the follow ing situations and listen to the recording for each one

In each case, suggest why som eon e m ight ask for repetition and suggest a suitable phrase.

Role play i

Work in pairs Student A sh ould turn to File card 5A Student B should turn to File

card 5B.

Role play 2

Keep to the same A or B Student A should turn to File card 6A and Student B should

turn to File card 6B.

5 The secretarial barrier

29 1

3 D Coaid I leave a message?

1 Frequently a Sales Representative may make a “cold call” to a purchasing manager

or som e other influential person in a company Im agine the follow in g situation:

D o m in iq u e Peron is Personal Assistant to Jacques Le G rand, P ro d u ctio n C ontroller

in C om pagnie Tarbet G a ro n n e (CTG), a C anadian m an u fa ctu re r o f paints and varnishes M Le G rand has asked n o t to be disturbed by unsolicited sales calls Walter Barry from Dallas, Texas would like to speak to M Le Grand

a) Listen to the tape an d say w hat D o m in iq u e is trying to do W h a t is her objective?b) D o m in iq u e Peron finally makes a suggestion to the caller W h a t does she say?

2 Listen again Com plete the script below by w riting dow n all the phrases used by

D om in iq u e Peron to block the caller.

c t g : Bonjour, ici La CTG

Wa l t e r b a r r y: G ood m o rn in g , W alter Barry, calling from Dallas, Texas C ould I

speak to M onsieur Le G rand, please?

CTG: Yes, I see Well, M Le G r a n d _

WALTER b a r r y : Can you tell m e w hen I could reach him?

CTG: H e’s _

, then

in New York So it is difficult to give you a time

WALTER b a r r y : Could you ask h im to call me?

CTG: I

, he’s _

CTG: W ho in particular?

CTG: You are speaking to his Personal Assistant I can deal with calls for

Could I leave a message?

Barry Walter Barry from LCP in Dallas

Right Mr Barry We look forw ard to hearing from you

T h a n k you Goodbye

Bye

3 Listen to the b eginning o f another conversation A Sales Manager from a tools manufacturer is calling a car com p on en ts company.

a) W ho does the caller ask to speak to?

b) W hat is the result?

c) W hy is the caller successful / n o t successful here?

Think about any o f the follow ing - w hichever is m ost likely for you no w or in the future Prepare

th e call (m axim um three minutes preparation!) Explain the details o f the situation to

a colleague or to your teacher, then practice the call

If possible, record your conversation

Language Checklist

Using th e Telephone (i)

Introducing yourself

G ood m o rn in g , Aristo

Hello, this is from

Hello, m y n a m e ’s calling from

Saying who you w ant

I’d like to speak to ., please

C ould I have the D e p artm en t, please?

Is there, please?

Saying someone is not available

I’m sorry h e/she’s not available

Sorry, h e/she’s away / n o t in / in a m eeting /

in Milan

Leaving and taking messages

C ould you give h im /h e r a message?

C an I leave h im /h e r a message?

Please tell h im /h e r

Please ask h im /h e r to call m e at

C an I take a message?

W ould you like to leave a message?

If you give m e your n u m b e r I’ll ask h im /h e r to

call you later

Offering to help in other ways

C an anyone else help you?

C an I help you perhaps?

Would you like to speak to his assistant?

Shall I ask him to call you back?

A sking fo r repetition

Excuse me / Sorry, I d id n ’t catch (your n am e /

y our n u m b e r / your com pany nam e / etc.)

Excuse me / Sorry, could you repeat y o u r (nam e,

num ber, etc.)

Excuse me / Sorry, I d id n ’t hear that

Excuse me / Sorry, I d id n ’t u n d ersta n d that

C ould you spell (that / your nam e ), please

Preparation for a call

Reading - background information Desk preparation

Have the following available:

• relevant d o c u m e n ta tio n / notes

• correspondence received

• c o m p u t e r files o n s c r e e n

• pen and p aper

• diary

Check tim e available

H ow m u ch tim e do you need?

H ow m uch tim e d o you have?

Objectives

W ho do you w ant to speak to?

In case o f non-availability, have an alternative strategy:

• call back / be called back - when?

• leave a message

• speak to som eone else

• w rite o r fax inform ation

Do you w ant to:

• find o u t inform ation?

• give inform ation?

Introduction

Do you need to refer to:

• a previous call?

• a letter, order, invoice o r fax?

• som eone else (who?)

• an event (what? when?)

Could I leave a message?

Quick Communication Check

1 Introducing yourself and saying what you want

You are on the phone Com plete the sentences with the correct words on the right.

2 Leaving and taking messages

Com plete the exchanges below w ith words from the box.

B Yes, please P l e a s e h im I’ll arrive at a b o u t three in the afternoon

C He isn’t here at the m o m e n t _

D Yes, you say Mr Sorensen called?

you like to leave a message?

D Yes, it’s Sorensen S O R E N S E N

F No, it’s okay Please tell him I’ll later

G I’d like t o

H Yes, o f course W h o ’s calling?

G Angelo G herrini, from Milan.

a message for Mr Casey, please

3 Asking for repetition

Make sentences from the following.

a) can I’m th a t you repeat sorry?

b )sa id I ’m u n d ersta n d I what d id n ’t you sorry

c) sorry speak I’m slowly m ore please

d id n ’t you I hear, you that spell can please?

say you w hat did?

£/tes noA pip jeg/v\ X|MO|s ajow >|eads asea|d 'X jjos uu ,| (a ije q j pads asea|d noA ue^ -pies noA jeqM puejsjapun },upip | X jjos u i , | (q

•noA jeaq yupip | ^ e q i jeadaj noX uea 'Xnos cu,| (e

r * Good to hear from you again!

• Ending a call

1 Cross-cultural communication on the telephone (i)

1 Listen to the three recorded extracts Match each call to the appropriate picture below

In each case there is a com m unication problem.

What is the problem, and h o w could it be solved?

C onversation 1 Picture - Problem

Good to hear from you again!

2 Look briefly at the text below Before reading the text, say:

a) w hat it is aboutb) w hat the message o f the ca rtoon on the next page isc) w hat you think the text probably recom m ends

3 N ow read the text Mark the sentences that follow as True (T) or False (F)

Barriers to oral communication

Oral co m m unication usually presents m ore problem s than w ritten com m unication If you've

ever studied a n o th e r language, you know it’s easier to write in th at language than to conduct a

conversation Even if the o th er speaks your language, you m ay have a hard time understanding

the pro n u n c ia tio n if the person isn’t proficient For example, many non-native English speakers

5 can’t distinguish between the English sounds v and w, so they say “wery” for “very.” At the same

tim e m any people from the United States cannot p ro n o u n c e the French r o r the G erm an ch.

Also, people use their voices in different ways, which can lead listeners to m isunderstand their

intentions Russian speakers, for instance, speak in flat, level tones in their native tongue W hen

they speak English, they m aintain this pattern, and non-Russian listeners may assume that the

10 speakers are bored or rude Middle Easterners tend to speak m ore loudly than Westerners and

may therefore mistakenly be considered m ore emotional O n the other hand, the Japanese are

soft-spoken, a characteristic that implies politeness or hum ility to Western listeners

Idiom atic expressions are a n o th e r source o f confusion If a U.S executive tells an Egyptian

executive that a certain p ro d u c t “do esn ’t cut the m ustard,” chances are co m m u n ic a tio n will

15 fail Even when the words m ake sense, their m eanings m ay differ according to the situation

For example, suppose you are dining with a G e rm an w om an w ho speaks English quite well

You inquire, “M ore bread?” She says, “T h an k you,” so you pass the bread She looks confused;

then she takes the breadbasket an d sets it dow n w ith o u t taking any In G erm an, thank you

( danke) can also be used as a polite refusal If the w om an had w anted m ore bread she w ould

20 have used the w ord please ( bitte in G erm an).

W hen speaking in English to people w ho speak English as a second language, you may find

these guidelines helpful:

1 Try to elim inate noise P ro n o u n ce words clearly, stop at distinct p u n c tu a tio n points, and

m ake one p o in t at a time

2 Look fo r feedback Be alert to signs o f confusion in your listener Realize th at nods and

smiles d o n ’t necessarily m ean u nderstanding

3 Rephrase your sentence when necessary If som eone doesn't seem to u n d ersta n d you, choose

sim pler words; d o n ’t just repeat the sentence in a lo uder voice

4 D on’t talk down to the other person Try not to overenunciate, an d d o n ’t “blam e” the

listener for not understanding Use phrases such as “Am 1 going too fast?” ra th e r than

“Is this too difficult for you?”

5 Use objective, accurate language Avoid throw ing a ro u n d adjectives such as fantastic an d

fabulous, w hich people from o th er cultures m ight consider unreal an d overly dram atic.

6 Let other people finish w hat they have to say If you in terru p t, you m ay miss som ething

im p o rtan t You’ll also show a lack o f respect

Courtland L Bovee and John V Thill

From Business Communication Today (Fifth Edition) (Pearson Education Inc, NJ, 1998)

35

Q Good to hear from you again!

a) Speaking is m ore difficult th an writing

b) P ro n u n ciatio n presents special difficulties

c) English spoken in a flat, level tone sounds uninterested

d) M iddle Easterners are m ore em otional than Westerners

e) T he Japanese ten d to speak softly

f) It’s good to use a lot o f idiom atic an d colloquial phrases

4 Read the num bered p oin ts 1 -6 in the text again Match each o f the phrases in the box to one o f the num bered points.

don’t interrupt notice if your listener understands

take responsibility for poor understanding

Which do you think is m ost im portant point for yo u w hen you speak English on

the phone?

Good to hear from you again!

2 Setting up appointments

1 Listen to the recording Two colleagues, Bob and Lara, need to meet because a third colleague, Leon, has resigned As you listen, write the details o f the ap pointm ent they make on Bob’s desk calendar.

^ Good to hear from you again!

2 Here Vladimir Kramnik from Moscow calls Joanna Hannam o f Swallow Exports Ltd., in Miami He wants an appoin tm ent with Ms Hannam Com plete the details

o f the appoin tm ent made on Ms H annam ’s desk calendar.

Compare the two recordings.

a) Identify three ways in which Ms H a n n a m ’s secretary offers to help Mr Kramnik.b) C o m m e n t o n the perform ance o f the staff w orking for Swallow Exports

c) W hat style differences are there between the two conversations in 1 and 2 above? Why are they so different?

Practice i

In the follow ing conversation, a Singaporean exporter, Com putech Arcos, plans to send goods from Singapore to Los Angeles The caller wants to have a m eeting with a U.S shipping company, Intership.

38

Good to hear from you again!

Suggest suitable phrases for each step in the conversation, then practice the dialogue

w ith a colleague.

"Intership, good morning."

Greeting

Introduce yourself

Confirm / correct

Ask for ap p o in tm e n t with Mr Dionis

Explain th a t you w a n t to discuss •

shipping of goods from

Singapore to Los Angeles

Suggest next week

■ Ask w h at it's about

Acknowledge - ask w h en would be a good tim e

Reject - Mr Dionis is away

• Offer to reserve hotel room

End call / th a n k s / refer to em ail, etc

N ow listen to the recording o f a m od el answer.

^ Good to hear from you again!

Practice 2

Sending an em ail after a telephone conversation is an im portant way to check that there has been n o m isunderstanding in the conversation Many com panies also like to have written confirm ation o f things agreed by telephone.

Use the tem plate below to w rite an email confirm ing the ap p o in tm e n ts m ade in the

C o m p u te ch /In tersh ip conversation

From Alex Hall a.hall4@computecharcos.com

1 Listen to a conversation between two colleagues, John and Pamela Note:

a) details o f the original a p p o in tm e n tb) reasons for change

c) the new ap p o in tm en t

2 a) H ow w ould you characterize the style o f this conversation?

b) W hy is it like that?

[ 40