Communicating _ in Business English Bob DignenCommunicating in Business English Bob Dignen (©2008 published by Compass Publishing Inc 109 Van Dyke Place Guilderland, NY 12084 USA, Fiest published 1998 & 1999 © Asia Pacific Press Holdings Ltd 1999 & 2000 All rights reserved. No patt ofthis book maybe reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, ‘mechanical, photocopying, recording, or othenwise, without prior [permission in writing, from the publisher. Acquisitions Editor: Casey D. Malarcher Cover/ Interior Design: Design Plus http: // www compasspub.com ‘mail: infodcompasspus com, ISBN: 978-1-992 173 19 0 wom 22 13 1415Contents... CHapter 1 ENGLISH For THE TELEPHONE What makes a good telephone cll? Making a call : Switchboard speaking! Opening a call a Receiving and taking messages Structuring a call =~ ‘Transferring information ~~ Communication difficulties Calling back 10. Making appointments 11 Complaining 12. Closing a call 13. Cross-cultural tips/ Audio conferencing, 14 Golden rules CHAPTER 2 ENGLISH FoR PRESENTATIONS 1 What makes a good presentation? 2 Starting ~ 3. Signaling - linking the parts ~ 4. Highlighting and emphasizing 5. Engaging your audience “ 6 7 8 Visual aids —design and type Visual aids ~ describing charts Body language —being persuasive 9 Communicating styles ~ 10. Closing a presentation 11 Handling questions 12. Presenting at a glance « 13. Cross-cultural tips 14 Golden rules ~~~ Chapter 3. ENGLISH For MEETINGS 1 What makes. good meeting? 2. Meetings: key terms 3. Opening a meeting 4. Giving and responding to opinions 5. Controlling 6 7 8 Interruptions Asking questions ~ Making decisions ~ 9 Closing a meeting 10. Problem-solving meetings 11 Vocabulary building | 12 Meetings ata glance 13. Cross-cultural tips 14 Golden rulesChapter 4 10 ul 2 3 4 (CHAPTER 5 ENGLISH FoR SOCIALIZING First meetings ~ . 98 Social phrases ~responding 100 Talking about jobs z “102 Talking about family and elatonshis “ 104 Talking about home a 106 Talking about interests and sport 108 Talking about movies and stage shows se 90) Talking about vacations m2 Talking about business environment vs so 114 Talking about health and lifestyle «== 6 Making invitations += ; svennnnnnnnnn BB Eating out ve se “ 320 Saying good-bye se 2 Cross-cultural tips sn sre 124 ENGLISH For NEGOTIATING What makes a successful negotiation? ‘The negotiator and key terms ‘Opening —creating the right climate ~ Agreeing on an agenda Opening statements stating your position Clarifying positions Making anc! resporsing to proposals Bargaining Handling conflict and resolving Closing a negotiation Negotiating ~an overview == . Phrasal verbs and idioms for negotiating Cross-cultural tips Golden rules ‘king points WritING For INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS: E-maits, LeTeRs AND REPORTS Successful writing 158 Organizing information ss 160 ‘The business letter — layout 362 Corresponclence phrases «== sm 164 Model letters == ve 166 Writing clearly ~extra points, sarees 168 ‘The business report ~ layout 370 Connecting words 172 E-mail» 74 ‘The perfect résumé ve 176 Grammar anc peling check ~ scene 78, Punctuation ~~ se 180 Getting technical oe “ 182 Golden rules = 184Introduction Communicating in Business English is designed for people interested in developing their communication skills for business. The focus of this book is on functional English that people need to communicate within various business environments. The six chapters in Communicating in Business English include the following business related situations: making telephone calls, giving presentations, participating in meetings, talking with business contacts, negotiating agreements, and writing business documents. Each chapter consists of fourteen lessons of two pages each: an explanation page and an exercise page. The explanation page for each lesson includes a key vocabulary list along, the left side of the page. These lists are divided into parts of speech to aid readers in learning and reviewing vocabulary. The rest of the explanation page contains information related to a particular aspect of the chapter's thematic situation. Typically, chapters begin with an overview of the situation, followed by in-depth discussion of various parts of the situation, cross-cultural tips for effective communication, and golden rules for successfully getting the job done. The exercise page for each lesson begins with a short dialog /cloze exercise Through the dialogs, readers will be able to see how various words and phrases from the explanation page fit together in conversation. The dialogs typically follow a single story-line exemplifying the situation of the chapter and are available in recorded form. Additional exercises in each lesson allow readers to practice using vocabulary and sentence structures from the lessons through a variety of methods. Answers for all of the exercises are provided at the back of the book. Itis not necessary for readers to go through this book strictly in the order the chapters are presented. However, itis suggested readers work through all fourteen lessons in a chapter in order to help them follow the flow of the chapter's situation. This will also allow readers to work through the chapter’s dialog exercises in order to aid comprehension. By using Communicating in Business English, readers will develop a firm foundation of business English skills to help them communicate and function in a wide range of business situations,CHAPTER | Tire eee the Telephone . What makes a good telephone call? . Making a call . Switchboard speaking! . Opening a call . Receiving and taking messages . Structuring a call . Transferring information PNAORYNS . Communication difficulties . Calling back 10. Making appointment 11. Complaining 12. Closing a call 3 13. Cross-cultural tips/Audio conferencing 14. Golden rules| anim 1. What makes a good telephone call? Vocabulary Ja@ucaeg Before the call NOUNS Prepare well before you call peed antenna Plan what you want to say (Tre rt thing battery Prepare answers to possible questions \, wanted otek oe Send an e-mail before the cal, if necessary. oe ool Have ll information available. = epi ge wleghate dial tone Beginning the call call in ocverce ey ‘Make a greeting and identify yourself clearly. Baek Ask for connection to the person you want to speak to. objective After connection, greet the person reason Smalltalk" result Givea reason forthe cal. signal small ak During the call subscriber Create a positive atmosphere. teleconference ‘Communicate your objective cleanly cone Listen make sure you understand, eae Check —make sure the other person understands you. VERBS Ending the call aaa Confirm the result of the call. Soe ie End politely and positively ae *S0e page 32, Cross Cultural Tips identify plan Peon BASIC TERMS oe Equipment People Services charge Phone Caller Directory assistance Receiver Subscriber Voice mail ADJECTIVES: Cellular (mobile) phone Switchboard operator ae Desi jong distance Elandsat 7 ee Hands-free kit Cin) ( Teleconference facilities oneti eng, ( ADVERBS Battery (O Rioneres? politely cue ack Numbers jseling positively a Calls Reet Accold call Tones eee ae ‘An international call Dial tone eee A local call Busy signal Work number Home number When the receiver pays = conference call Along distance call ‘Number not in service to reverse the charges- UK. ] tomakea colectcae00000 Fill in the blanks. Listen and check. plan small talk cold call busy signal Would it be possible to get some tips from you for calling customers? Sure. I can show you the Tuse when I call customers You prepare everything you're going to say before you call? No, but [have an outline I follow for calls. Ifit is a , Tgreet the customer and identify myself. Then [ tell them the reason for my cal. You don’t start the conversation with 2 Mark: No. I get to the point by politely asking if they are interested. It saves time Linda: Do you ever leave messages for people on their voice mail? Mark: Not usually. And ifT get a I call that person again later in the day. e000000000 Circle the word that does not belong in each group. 1 antenna dial tone display touch pad 2. communicate listen redial speak 3. busy signal call waiting, caller ID voice mail 4 access code extension phone number zip code 5. check confirm greet repeat 00000000 Choose the best word to complete the sentence. 1. He is not to come to the phone right now. a. available b. positive ©. possible d. necessary 2.1 think this phone is broken. I didn’t hear a when I picked it up. a. dial tone b. greeting c.subscriber touch pad 3. My cell phone battery is low, so I should it. a. confirm, . identify recharge d.reverse 4, The manager requested a with the branch office in Mexico. a. battery b. cold call c.small talk, teleconference 5. [Is it possible to make calls from the phones in the office? a. available b. busy c. positive long distance Chapters. English for the Telephone 3