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Business Conversation

Lesson Five

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Right or Wrong

No matter what business you're in, at some point you will have to make polite conversation about non-business matters. It may be with your coworkers or a business associate. Everyone knows to avoid politics and religion, but there's more to choosing a good topic of conversation than that.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3474727

What’s Appropriate?

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Breaking the ice… Take turns asking each other different questions, and then

discuss how suitable they are for business situations. Which tense is more common in Business English?

“Are you thinking about changing jobs?” “What do you think about your line manager/

CEO/ President?” “What do you usually gossip about?” “Is your company improving? Why/ why not?” “How much money do you save every

month?” “Are your savings going up? Why/ Why not?”

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Notice the verb tense…

“Are you thinking about changing jobs?”

“What do you think about your employer?”o Underline the verbo What did you notice?

What’s the rule?

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Grammar FocusPresent Simple Present Continuous

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GrammarWhich tense usually goes with these time expressions and why?

o Never/ Hardly ever/ Sometimes/ Often/ Usually/ Almost always/ Always – Present Simple

o How often – Present Simpleo At the moment/ Right now – Present

Continuouso Every... – Present Simple

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Grammar What tense is used to talk about these things?

o Changes – Present Continuouso Routines – Present Simpleo Temporary things – Present

Continuouso Things which are generally true –

Present Simple

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Practice Complete these with the correct verb tense.

What __________ (you work on) at the moment?” “What ____________ (do you do)? “How often ________(you steal) office supplies from

work?” “______________ (you use) your office phone for personal

calls? Why/ why not?” “_______________(you think about) changing jobs?” “How much overtime _______________ (you do)?” “How many emails __________________ (wait for you) in

your inbox?” “How many documents ______________ (lie on) your

desk?” “____________________ (you look forward to) this

weekend?”

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“How often ______________ (you be late) for work?” “What time _________________ (you plan to) leave

today?” “__________________ (anyone wait for) you to finish

something?” “What __________________ (your company do)?” “What is the biggest project that ______________ “How much ______________ (you usually spend) on

transport?” “How much rent __________________ (you pay)?” “What _________________ (you carry) in your pockets?” “How often _____________( buy) new business

clothes?” “_________________ (you do) your own ironing?” “______________________ (often complain) about your

job?”

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Breaking the ice… Rate the questions on how

appropriate are they in a business situation? o 5 points = Extremely difficult/ a taboo questiono 4 points = Very difficulto 3 points = Quite or a little bit difficulto 2 points = Quite easyo 1 points = Very easy/ an ordinary question

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Dealing with Complaints- Step by Step PracticeWork your way through the role plays below with same roles each time. The role plays should start short and easy and get longer and more difficult as you progress through them. You can use the same topic for each role play or change topics, whichever you prefer.

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Your partner will (politely) complain about one of the things: 1. You apologise.

2. Same as above but this time replying with an 1. apology and 2. reason why it happened.

3. Do the same, but replying with an 1. apology, 2. reason, and 3. future action.

4. Do the same, but as emails. 5. Do the same, but as a telephone call. 6. Do the same (as telephone calls), but this

time also use some phrases for sounding sympathetic and showing you are listening. (Use your past lessons’ notes)

7. Do the same, but with the first phone call leaving a message on answering machine.

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Topics The wrong information Not applying to an email or answering machine

message Delivered the wrong thing Something is missing Equipment breaking down Unreliability Bad quality Short working hours Lack of improvements

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The email Brian,

I’m sorry, but I can’t take part in the telecon on Tuesday the 14th.  I have to go to a meeting in Munich that day.  Could we reschedule the call for Thursday the 16th at the same time?  Thanks for understanding and let me know what would work best for you.  Have a good day.Matt

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Three basic parts of an apology email:1. Apology:• I’m sorry, but I can’t attend the meeting

on Thursday.• I’m afraid that I can’t take part in the

teleconference on Monday.• Unfortunately, I cannot meet you in

Berlin on Tuesday.

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Reason and additional information if necessary (rescheduling, requests, etc):• I have another meeting at this

time I have to attend.  Could you please send me the minutes from the call?

• I will be out of the office on a business trip.  Could we please reschedule for the following week?

• I will be on vacation later this week.  Can we push back the call to next week?

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Polite closing:

• Thank you for understanding.  I hope to see you next week.• Thanks for understanding.  See you next week.• I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience.  Have a good rest of the week.

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How to write emails take notes while listening

Listen to Anna Davidson, a training manager and expert in business communication

virtual teams: international teams that communicate mainly by email

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using email? Which of the following are most important when writing to a

colleague in another country? Discuss your ideas with the group.o Tell your colleagues about yourselfo Only write about worko Keep your messages very shorto If there is a problem, explain it carefullyo Use polite phrases

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Polite Phrases-Your signature

Best wishes,John Smith

A-Team Vigilante ServicesTel: 111-222-3333Address: Suite 334, BA Studios, California, 90210Web: www.theateam.baE-mail checked Mon-Thurs at 10am, 1pm and 3pmNews: Please note, I'll be moving office on 17th August. New details to follow.

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Email Writing-To Cc & Bcc

To People required to take action

Cc Kept informed of the content, but no actions required from them

Bcc Receive the message without any of the other recipients knowing. Also used for larger mailings (over 50)

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The right start The CC field can be used for a number of

reasons.o It keeps other people "in the loop" on certain issues

(often used to keep managers up to date on issues).o It lets people know if they are expected to take

action, or if they are just being informed.o It allows you to make the receiver aware that other

people know what is going on (in case you want them to take the content more seriously, or treat it as more important or urgent).

 

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The right start the Bcc field (Blind Carbon Copy) is used

when you want other people to receive the message, but you don't want the other recipients to know they got it.

When people get an e-mail, they'll also see all the people in the To and Cc lines - but not Bcc.

One good use of Bcc is when sending an e-mail to hundreds of people. You don't want them all to see each other's e-mail addresses so you use this field, rather than the To or Cc lines.

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The right start The To field is for people that the message directly affects, and

that you require action from. If you expecting someone to do something, they should be in the To field.o It's also a good idea to include all the people

you put in the To: field in your opener line. This lets the others know who is involved in the conversation.

• Hi Bill, Ted, Mary, Suzy,

o If you are sending to more than four people, don't bother with this and just start with Hi all or Hello team.

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The right startThe Subject Line is one of the most important parts of an e-mail. Yet many people create really bad ones.The subject line has three main purposes:

o Summarises the content of the e-mailo Allows the receiver to determine how

important and urgent the message iso Allows the user to find the e-mail later

on, without having to open it

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Good Subject Line examples

Subject: Weekly Meeting moved to 2pm this Friday

Subject: Purchase of new printer now approved

Subject: 5 Ideas for Joanna's birthday present

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Email Writing When writing an e-mail, it is very important to be

as clear as possible. There is a very simple way to be more clear in your

writing. Just shorten the length of words, sentences and paragraphs. 

• avoid using too many long words. The English language is constructed in a way that the more often we use a particular word, the shorter it tends to be. For example, words such as "the", "a", "in" and so on are very short, but words that are rarely used, like "misappropriation", are very long.

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Email Writing The length of sentences is also important.

People tend to lose concentration the longer a sentence goes on. If you were reading a sentence out loud, the period sign is where you take a breath. The longer the sentence, the less you stop to breathe. So break them up if they go past 20 words.

 Finally, keep paragraphs short - ideally containing 3 sentences per paragraph. This breaks up your text into manageable chunks.

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Writing an Email Summary

Words No more than 15% of your words should be longer than 8 letters

Sentences Aim for 10-20 words per sentences

Paragraphs Aim for 2-4 sentences per paragraph

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Formality If you are wondering how formal you should be, there are a

couple of tricks you can use.o if you are replying to an e-mail they sent you,

just echo back their opener. If they write "Hi Harry," you can start your response with, "Hi Mike,"

o if you have never written to them before, go for the default "Hello <name>," as this is neither too formal or informal.

o Generally, you should always use a more formal opener in a work environment than you would with friends.

 

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Closing Emails If you are in frequent communication with the receiver,

your first name will probably do. If you don't know them too well, or if this is your first communication, use your full name.o Good

• Kind regards,Peter

• Thanks,Tony Jones

o Bad• Thanks, Tony

(put on separate lines)• Yours eternally,

Jonathon(if you want to express your undying love for them, send them some flowers instead)

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Sign off the emailFor short internal company emails, you can get away with just putting a double space after your last paragraph then typing your name. If you’re writing a more formal email, though, it’s essential to close it appropriately.

• Use Yours sincerely, (when you know the name of your addressee) and Yours faithfully, (when you’ve addressed it to “Dear Sir/Madam”) for very formal emails such as job applications.• Use Best regards, or Kind regards, in most

other situations.• Even when writing to people you know well,

it’s polite to sign off with something such as “All the best,” “Take care,” or “Have a nice day,” before typing your name.

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When you’re initiating email contact with someone new

Very formalo “Might I take a moment of your

time…” (to begin the email)o “Please may I introduce

myself…” (to begin the email)o “Many thanks again for your

time.” (to end the email)

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Initiating -More informal/friendly

“I’m just emailing to ask…” (to begin the email)

“I’m a friend of Bob’s…” (to begin the email)

“Just let me know if you have any questions.” (to end the email)

“Drop me an email, or give me a ring, if you want any more information.” (to end the email)

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When you’ve answered someone’s question(s)

Very formalo “I trust the above resolves your queries.

Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.”

More informal/friendlyo “I know that’s a lot to take in, so let me

know if anything I’ve said doesn’t make sense.”

o “Hope the above helps, but email again if you’re still having any difficulties.”

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When you’re asking the recipient to take some action

Very formalo “I would appreciate your help in this

matter.” More informal/friendly

o “Could you look into this?”o “Would you mind checking it out for

me?”o “Thanks in advance.”o “Can you get back to me once you’ve had a

chance to investigate?”o “I’d love to hear your advice on this one.”

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When you need a response Very formal

o “I await a response at your earliest convenience.”

More informal/friendlyo “Can you drop me a quick word so I

know you’ve received this?”o “Look forward to hearing from

you.”

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When you’ve heard nothing back and want to chase up a reply

Very formal• “In reference to my email of June 20th …”

More informal/friendly• “Just wondered if you got my email (June 20th)?”• “When you get a moment, could you drop me a line about my last email?”

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Phrases for evaluating an idea

1.  You think it’s a great idea• That sounds great!• What an amazing idea!• That’s a really good idea.

2.  You don’t think it’s such a great idea• I can’t help wondering how / if / whether

/what….• It’s certainly worth considering.• What concerns me is…

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You want more time or information before reacting

I’d appreciate more information on / about… I would really need to know.. Perhaps you could let me know..?

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Keys to an effective virtual team teleconference:

Plan the meeting Determine time and length of conference Set objectives Develop a realistic agenda that reflects

the objectives and available time List specific results to be achieved Prioritize topics to be discussed Identify who must be present

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Keys to an effective virtual team teleconference:

Confirm attendance and availability Appoint a leader for each site Distribute meeting materials Begin on time Open by introducing participants Review objectives and time allotted

for meeting

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Leading a teleconference

Do a roll call. Take a moment at the beginning of the teleconference to allow everyone to identify themselves. This will let you know who is involved, but can also serve as a technical check: if someone is too loud or too soft, the problem can be addressed now. Also, make a note of the names and use them later to identify participants.

Have an agenda and refer to it often. An agenda is a good idea for most meetings, and teleconferences are no exception. Frequent reference to the agenda can be a good tool for making sure participants keep their attention focused on the meeting and not on their text messages or emails.

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Active Listening Phrases

Acknowledges speaker’s concerns• I see• I can understand your concern.• That must be very difficult.

Asking for clarification• When you mention XXX, what do you

mean exactly?• I didn’t catch exactly what you said –

could you say that again?• Could you tell me more about XXX?

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Active Listening Phrases

Developing the conversation•You mentioned ….. – how are you going to……?•When did you last…?•That’s interesting what you said about…

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Keys to an effective virtual team teleconference:

Encourage participation Ask questions Keep meeting focused, direct non-agenda items to

future meetings Conclude on time, allowing a few minutes for

wrap-up and good-byes Speak naturally in the direction of the microphone Identify yourself, as necessary Pause occasionally so others may make

comments

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Using active listening in virtual team teleconferences

Showing understanding and interest:• What made you choose ……?• Why did you decide……?• How important is that for you?

Supporting, offering help• What can I do to support you?• What would you need in order to….• Can you suggest any ways for me to

help you there?

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Phrases for managing people: ·         Block an interruption: “Sorry Tatjana, could we let Karsten

finish, please?” ·         Nominate a speaker: “Adrian in Michigan, do you have

anything you’d like to add?” ·         Announce yourself: “This is Chad in Stuttgart. Could I say

something?” 3. Phrases for managing technical problems: ·         Someone is not loud enough: “I’m afraid we can’t hear

you very well. Can you please speak up?” ·         Technical problem on your end: “I think there’s a

problem with the line. We’re looking into it now. Please give us a moment.”

·         Technical problem on the other end: “Unfortunately we can’t hear you very well. Could you check the connection on your end?”

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Phrases for managing technical problems:

·         Someone is not loud enough: “I’m afraid we can’t hear you very well. Can you please speak up?”

·         Technical problem on your end: “I think there’s a problem with the line. We’re looking into it now. Please give us a moment.”

·         Technical problem on the other end: “Unfortunately we can’t hear you very well. Could you check the connection on your end?”

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Phrases for various events(teleconference)

The next point on the agenda: • “Could we please move to the next point on the

agenda, production costs? John in Farmington Hills, could you tell us something about the proposed numbers, please?”

· Someone enters the room: • “One moment please, Jessica from HR has

just joined us.” · A moment of silence: 

• “Sorry everyone, we’re looking for the PowerPoint slides. Please give us a second.”

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Practice Activity Use the situations mentioned previously Create a teleconference with your group Practice the role of conference leader Practice the effective sentences