ANGRY AND DEFENSIVE REACTIONS

Staff appraisal interviews are no fun. Many managers simply do not bother, because they are worried about how staff may re­act to criticism of their work.

Yet telling staff how they are doing can motivate and it can produce extra efficiency and performance. Feedback is especial­ly important for new recruits to help them find their footing.

Criticizing an employee often produces anger. Comments such as ‘are you saying that I am not doing my job properly’, or ‘do not treat me like a child’, or even profanity are frequent defensive reactions.

It is recommended to start with an agreement about the way you intend to work together, and to exchange information.

This type of agreement not only works for individuals, but for teams, or groups as well.

When talking to staff ask – do not tell; describe – do not judge; stick to behavior – not personality. The advice is even more important for a small business with few employees as one member of staff with the sulks can upset all the others and there­fore lower productivity.

Ask your staff how they think they are doing and get them to find an area where they think they are weak or could do better.

Sometimes you can see a manager catching the late arrival of an employee. He greets him with a stern look, crossed arms in a condescending manner and gives him a lecture about how many times he has been late recently, and puts a snide question asking what he is going to do about it.

The correct approach would be to ask if there is a problem causing him to be always late. This should also be done in private not across the office or fac­tory floor, thus giving the employee the privacy of discussing mat­ters.

We want to attract your attention to the main two problems: 1) managers’ confidence to talk to staff and 2) handling adverse reactions. It will help remove the air of doom about talking to the boss [23, 28].

 

 

LECTURE IV: TELEPHONING

 

TOPICAL WORDS and PHRASES

§ public telephone / payphone: phone in a public place operated with money, a credit card or a phone card.

§ mobile phone, mobile (BrE) / cell phone, cellular phone, cellular (AmE): a phone you can take with you and use anywhere.

§ WAP phone: a mobile phone with access to the Internet (WAP = wireless application protocol).

§ extension: one of a number of phones on the same line, in a home or office.

§ cordless phone, cordless: an extension not connected by a wire, so you can use it around the house or in the garden.

§ pager: allows you to receive written messages.

§ webcam: a camera attached to a computer and phone line, so two people talking on the phone can see each other.

§ videophone: a special phone with a screen so you can see the other person.

§ Webcams and videophones enable videoconferencing: holding a meeting with people in different locations.

§ Brt: to ring someone, to ting up someone, to ring someone up, to give someone a ring.

§ Informal Br: to give someone a bell, to give someone a buzz.

§ AmE: to call someone, to call up someone, to call someone up.

 

 

 

PLAN:

Telephoning in English

Making a telephone call-preparation

Making a telephone call - the basics

Telephone calls – messages

Good mobile manners

Evaluating your call

‘Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.’

Peter Drucker (Educator and writer)

Telephoning in English

 

This lecture is designed to give you the language you need to communicate effectively on the phone, during both one-to-one calls and conference calls, with people you know and with those you don’t. It focuses on making and receiving calls.

If you know some English already and would like to learn the sort of English that will help you to answer an English phone call, to make telephone calls in general and for business purposes, then this material is suitable for you. You will learn to understand people when they are speaking about normal business matters. Most of the voices you will hear are British and American but you will also hear how people from other parts of the world speak English. You will learn to speak in a way that will help you when you need to make and answer business telephone calls. You will also read about the many new developments that are happening in the world of telecom­munications and about how to get the most out of your telephone.

The aim of our lecture is to provide up-to-date and relevant practice material for developing skills in comprehending phone calls and making calls for general and business purposes.

In international business, English is mostly used as a lingua franca between people whose first language is not English.

This is good news for you for a number of reasons:

• Other non-native speakers of English are usually very supportive. They know and understand the problems of communicating on the phone in a second language.

• The slower speed of your speech will make it easier for your listeners to understand what you are saying. You will certainly have an accent in English but, as long as you speak slowly and clearly, this shouldn’t matter.

• You will generally speak in short sentences. Short sentences are easier to understand than longer, more complicated ones.

• You will sometimes need to pause to think about what you want to say. These pauses will allow your listeners time to think about what you are saying.

All of this means that other non-native speakers of English will often find that dealing with your English is much easier than trying to understand a native speaker of English, especially on the phone.

Why is communicating with native speakers of English often more difficult?

• The language of native speakers is sometimes filled with slang and idiomatic phrases, which you may not recognize.

• The language of native speakers can be very culture-bound. They may make references to things you don’t know about or don’t understand.

• Native speakers of English often don’t make allowances for people whose first language is not English. They don’t understand their difficulties.

Clearly you can’t control the way a native speaker of English talks to you, especially on the phone where you cannot see and react to the facial expression or body language of the person you are talking to. But you can improve communication yourself by avoiding idioms, slang and cultural references. Keep your language neutral and simple is the message!

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