【商務(wù)英語課件】Unit-2-Business-Calls

Unit2BusinessCallsTeachingObjectives：

Understandtheroutineformulasforbusinessphonecalls;

Understandbusinesstelephonemannersandetiquette;

Handlebusinessphonecallsproperlyandeffectively;

Writeamemo.2.1Lead-in1.Workinpairsorsmallgroupstolistasmanybusinesstelephonetipsasyoucan.Forexample:

Trytoidentifyaconvenienttimetocalltheperson.

Befriendlyandrespectfultoeveryoneyoutalktoduringyourcall.2.Discussthefollowingquestionsinpairsorsmallgroups.1)Whichtelephonetipsyouhavelistedareimportant?Why?2)Whichofthetipsdoyoualreadyfollowwhenmakingorreceivingaphonecall?3)Whatdoyouthinkarethedifferencesbetweenbusinesscallsandpersonalcalls?4)Whendoyouoftenmakephonecallsattheworkplace?5)Doyouagreethatestablishingapositivetelephoneimageisveryimportantforacompany?Why?

3.DiscusswithyourpartnerstoworkoutsomedifferentexpressionsbetweencallsinEnglishandChinese.AComparisonofDifferentTelephoneExpressionsinChineseandEnglishChinese:

English:

2.2Speaking1.ConversationOneCarlandStevearetalkingabouthowtomakebusinessphonecallseffectively.Carl:Itseemsthatmanybusinesses,nomatterlargeorsmall,regardthetelephoneastheirimportantlinkwiththeircustomers.Steve:Right.Becauseatelephonecallisveryoftenthefirstcontactapotentialcustomerhaswithabusiness;theattitudethatthecallertakestowardsthecompanyisoftendirectlyrelatedtothetoneofafirstphonecall.Carl:Isee.Iknowthatthetelephoneisalsousedforday-to-dayrunningofvirtuallyeverybusiness,butcanyoutellmeindetails?Steve:Ordersaretaken,progressischecked,suppliersarecontacted,adviceisrequestedandgiven,andcomplaintsareheard—alloverthetelephone.Carl:Well,thenwhataretheadvantagesdoyouthinkusingthetelephoneforcompanybusinesshasoverwritingletters?Steve:Thereareatleasttwoadvantages:thetelephoneislessexpensive;andthetelephoneprojectsalivevoice,arealperson,whocanbothlistenandrespondtoasituation.Carl:Whatifthatlivevoiceprojectsthewrongimageorattitude?Hundredsorevenmillionsofdollarsofbusinessmightbelost.Steve:That’squitepossible.Soitisthepotentialproblemthattelephonecommunicationposes.Carl:Soestablishingapositivetelephoneimageisveryimportant.Steve:That'sright.Youcanprobablyrecallthatonecompanyisterriblycoldandimpersonal,andhopefullyyoucanalsoremembertalkingtosomeonewhommadeyoufeelasifyouandyourproblemweretheonlyconcernheorshehadfortheday.Carl:Right.Youdohavesomeideasaboutcertainbusinessandprofessionalpersons,eventhoughyouronlycontactwiththemhasbeenoverthephone.Steve:Sinceeverydayquiteafewpeopletransactbusinessoverthetelephone,theimagetheyprojectisobviouslyimportanttothesuccessofthecompany.Carl:Soitseemstomethathandlinginformationoverthetelephoneismoredemandingthanhandlingitinwriting.Steve:That’squiteright.Becausetheprocessoccursmorequicklyandneitherpartyhastimetoretractsomethingthatmighthavebeensaidhurriedly.Carl:Iguessso.Inabusinesscall,doyouneedtospendtimetalkingaroundyoursubjectorabouttheweather?Steve:No.Thecallismadebecausesomeonehasarequestorproblem;gettothepointjustasquicklyasyouwouldinabusinessletter.Carl:Afterthecallerhastoldmetheproblem,doIneedtorestateit?Steve:Oftenyoudo.Thiswillhelpbothpartiesknowtheyaretalkingaboutthesamething.Carl:WhatifI’mthecallerandmycallisunusuallycomplicated?Steve:Youmightpreparesomebriefnotestohelpyourememberimportantpoints.Carl:Itiseasytobepolitewhenthepersonattheotherendofthetelephoneisalsopolite.ButwhatshallIdoifthatpersonisextremelyunhappyandisfarlessthanpolite?Steve:Youmustnotdescendtoahostiletonejustbecausethecallerhas.Carl:Istillfinditishardtohandledifficultsituations.Steve:Well,withpracticeyoumaybepolite,courteousandevendisarmingatthesametime.Carl:Butsometimesacustomer’sdemandsareunreasonable.Steve:Yousee,notallproblemscanbesolved.Butwithabitofpracticeyoucanretainevensomeoftheseindividualsasfuturecustomers.2.ConversationTwoMarkiscallingPetertotalktohimaboutsomethingurgent.Receptionist:KSBTrading.Goodmorning.CanIhelpyou?Mark:Yes.ThisisMarkHillspeaking.I’dliketospeaktoPeterBrown.Receptionist:Holdtheline,please.I’llgoandseeifheisin.Hello,Mr.Hill,Mr.Brownisn’tinatthemoment.Hissecretarysaidhelefthereonlyafewminutesago.Mark:That’stoobad.I’vegotsomethingurgenttotalktohimabout.Doyouknowwhenhe’llbeback?Receptionist:I’msorry.I’venoidea.CanIputyouthroughtothesecretary?Perhapsshecanhelpyou.Mark:OK.Thankyou.Secretary:Mr.Brown’soffice.CanIhelpyou?Mark:Yes.ThisisMarkHill.I’dliketotalktoMr.Brown,butunfortunatelyIwastoldthathewasout.CouldyoutellmewhereIcanreachhim?Secretary:Hehasgonetoameeting.I’mafraidhewon’tbebacktill3o’clock.Willyoucallbacklaterorleaveamessage?Mark:I’drathertalktohiminperson.It’ssomethingratherurgent.It’saboutourcustomer’sclaimforshortweight.Secretary:Oh,perhapsyoucantryhismobilephone.Mark:I’vetriedbuthismobilephonewasoffallthetime.Secretary:ThenwhatcanIdoforyou?Mark:Look,incasehecomesback,wouldyoupleasetellhimtocallmeback?I’llbewaitingforhiminmyoffice.Secretary:Sure.MayIhaveyourofficephonenumber,Mr.Hill?Mark:Mynumberis88464363,extension432.Secretary:Allright.I’llaskhimtoringyouassoonashereturns.Mark:Thankyouforyourhelp.Goodbye.Secretary:Goodbye.Edward:Goodmorning,SalesDepartment.ThisisEdwardBrownspeaking.Sarah:Goodmorning,Mr.Brown.ThisisSarahSmithcallingfromCBSTradingCompany.Edward:Yes,howcanIhelpyou?Sarah:I’minterestedinacoupleofitemsinyourcatalog2021,andIwouldliketoyoutoquotemetheprices.Edward:Well,we’reofferingapromotionalpriceonafewoftheitems.Couldyoutellmewhichitemsappealtoyou?Sarah:We’reparticularlyinterestedinItemNo.22shownonPage40ofyourcatalog.IwouldalsolikeyoutotellmethepriceforItemNo.24onpage41forquantitiesoffourhundredunits.3.ConversationThree

SarahSmithiscallingtoenquireabouttheproductssheisinterestedin.Edward:OK,thepriceforItemNo.22is$40perunitFOBNewYork.Wewillallowadiscountof5%,butonlyonitemsorderedinquantitiesof1000unitsormore.Sarah:AndthepriceforItemNo.24?Edward:Thisitemisoneofourpromotionalitemsthismonth.Forordersreceivedbytheendofthismonth,thepriceis$30each.Thepriceisgoodonanysizeorder.Sarah:Thatpricesoundsgood.Couldyousendmemoredetailsaboutthesetwoitems,includingthetimeofdeliveryandpaymentterms?Edward:Certainly.Iwillfaxoremailthatinformationtoyouverysoon.Sarah:Great.I’llgetbacktoyouafterI’vereceivedthedetails.Thanksalot.Goodbye.Edward:Goodbye.2.3ReadingPre-readingquestionsforpairwork.1)Whydoweneedtolearnandpracticegoodbusinesstelephoneskills?2)Doyouagreethatphonecallscanbeveryusefultoolsindevelopingbusiness?3)Whattypeofphonecallsdoyouoftenmake/receiveatwork?4)Whatarethebasicstepsofpreparingforthebusinessphonecall?5)Whatarethebasicstepsofmakingthebusinessphonecall?MarketingYourself:TelephoneSkills

Thetelephonemaybeoneofthemostpowerful,efficientandcost-effectivebusinesstoolsyouhaveatyourdisposal.Ifthingsstartoutbadlyonthephone,theymayneverprogressbeyondthefirstcall.Whetheryouusethephoneforcustomerserviceorforsalescallsaspartofatelemarketingstrategy,telephonemannersandetiquettearecriticalcomponentsofaprofessionalimage.Practicinggoodbusinesstelephoneskillshelpsencourageclearlinesofcommunication,buildrapportandavoidmisunderstandings.Thefollowingtipswillhelpyouuseyour“telephonetool”toitsfullest:(1)Thinkofalltopicsthatneedtobediscussedbeforeinitiatingyourcall—you’llavoidunneededandannoyingfollow-upcalls.

(2)Makeatelephoneappointmentwhenyouwanttohaveafocused,longer(15ormoreminutes)conversationwithsomeonewhoisnormallybusy.(3)Letthetelephoneringareasonablelengthoftime.Answeringaphonetoofastcancatchthecalleroffguardandwaitingtoolongcanmakethecallerangry.(4)Stateyournamewhenplacingacall.Thegameof“guesswhothisis”maynotplayverywelltoabusyfriend.(5)Smilewhenyou’reonthephone;yourcustomerswillhearit!(6)Answerthephonepleasantlyandmaintainapleasantdemeanorwhileonthephone.(7)Theotherpersoncan’tseeyoureactions,soalwaysconfirmthatyouhave(orhavenot)understandeachpointthat’sbeenmade.Don’tpretendyouhaveunderstoodwhenyouhaven’t.(8)Don’tinterrupttheotherperson:letthemfinishwhattheywanttosay.(9)Ifthepersonyouarecallingsoundsbusy,askifyoucancallbackatamoreconvenienttime.(10)Knowwhatyouwanttosaybeforemakinganimportantcall.Practicethewordsoutlouduntiltheyfeelcomfortable.(11)Don’treadfromascriptduringacall.Insteadeithermemorizeyourscriptasanactorwouldoruse“thoughtstarters"suchasawordortwoonindexcardstoguideyoufromoneideatoanother.(12)Don’tdothingssuchasopenamail,flipthroughthenewspaperordopaperworkwhileonthephone.Thepersonyou’retalkingwithwillknowyou’redistracted.(13)Listenandrespondtothepersonontheotherendoftheline.Whenyoufocusonthemratherthanonwhatyou’regoingtosaynext,thephonecallbecomesmuchmoreconversational.

(14)Theotherpersonisgettinganimpressionyourfirmwhiletalkingwithyou,somakesurethatyousoundefficient—yourfirm’simagemaybeatstake,evenifyou’rejusttakingamessage.(15)Don’trelyonyourmemory:makenotesduringacallandrewritethesenotesimmediatelyafterwardsasarecordofthecall.(16)Callingabusinessatornearclosingtimeissaytheleastunthoughtful.Whenitistimetogohome,afteralongday,donotdelaythem.(17)Sendafollow-upe-mail,faxorlettertoconfirmanyimportantdetailsespeciallypricesandnumber,sothatyoubothhaveawrittenrecord.Answerthefollowingquestions:1)Whyisthetelephoneconsideredtobeoneofthemostpowerful,efficientandcost-effectivebusinesstoolsyouhaveatyourdisposal?2)Whichdoyouthinkarethefivemostimportanttips?3)Whichofthetipsdoyoudisagreewith?Why?4)WhichofthetipsdoyoualreadyfollowwhenmakingorreceivingacallinEnglish?5)Whichofthepointsdoyoufeelleastconfidentaboutifyou’reusingEnglishonthephone?6)WhataspectsoftelephoninginEnglishcanbeimprovedbymorepractice?2.4WritingMemoTheterm“memo”(shortformemorandum)isusedtodescribethestandardformatofinternalcommunication,whichanorganizationusesforitsownstaff.Memosareusedtosolveproblemseitherbyinformingthereaderaboutnewinformation,likepolicychanges,priceincreases,etc.,orbypersuadingthereadertotakeanaction.Regardlessofthespecificgoal,memosaremosteffectivewhentheyconnectthepurposeofthewriterwiththeinterestsandneedsofthereader.Likeletter,memoscanhavemanydifferentpurposes,structures,andtones.Amemowrittentoacloseacquaintancewithinacompanycanbeinformal,whileamemowrittentosomeonelessfamiliar,particularlytosomeoneinahigherpositioninthecompany,canbeasformalasanyformalbusinessletters.Memosusuallyservethefollowingpurposes:

Giveinstructionsornotifyeventswhichhaveoccurred;

Seekinformation;

Offerideasandsuggestions.GeneralFormatAcomplexformatwastesthetimememosareintendedtosave:avoidalunnecessarydetails.Manyorganizationsprovideemployeeswithpre-printedforms.Forinstance,acompanymighthaveaparticularwayofpresentingaheadingormayevenuseaspecifictypeofletterheadorlogo.However,usuallyamemoshouldcontainheadings.Theheadingsegmentfollowsthisgeneralformat:TO:——Identifythereceiverofthememo;FROM:——Identifythesenderofthememo;DATE:——Servesasarecordofwheninformationisforwarded;SUBJECT:——Indicatethetopicofthememo.TO:PeterJohnson,SalesManagerFROM:SusanButton,PersonnelTrainingOfficerDATE:January2SUBJECT:Salesstafftoattendletter-writingcourseMay17-18.ReplytoyourmemoJanuary6.Yes,Peter,wehavebudgetedforthreestafffromyoursectiontoattendtheadvancedletter-writingcourse.Becausethisisanadvancedprogramitisessentialthatallparticipantshavecompletedatleastonebasicletter-writingprograminthepastyear.Itdoesnotmatterwhetherthebasiccoursewasoneofoursoronerunbyanotherorganization.

SampleMemoPleaseletmeknowbyJanuary25:(1)thenameofeachpersonwhowillbeattending;(2)whatcoursesonletterwritingeachindividualhasattendedpreviously;(3)thedateanddurationofeachcourseattended;(4)wherethecoursewasheld.Thanks,Peter.AssoonasIhavethethreenames,Iwillcontacteachparticipantpersonallyandpassonfulldetails.Effectiveapplicationlettersexplainthereasonsforyourinterestinthespecificorganizationandidentifyyourmostrelevantskillsorexperiences(remember,relevanceisdeterminedbytheemployer’sself-interest).Theyshouldexpressahighlevelofinterestandknowledgeabouttheposition.Theynormallycontainfourpartsinwhichyoushould:

confirmthatyouwishtoapplyandsaywhereyoulearnedaboutthejob;

saywhyyouareinterestedinthepositionandrelateyourintereststothoseofthecompany;

showthatyoucancontributetothejobbyhighlightingyourmostrelevantskillsandexperience;

indicateyourwillingnesstoattendaninterview.MessageMemosarereproducedandexchangedratherfreely,anditiscommonforareadertoreceiveamemothatisonlymarginallyrelevanttohimorher.Thisiswhyitisimportantthatthefirstsentenceofthememoshouldanswerthatquestionwithapurposestatement.Thebestpurposestatementsareconciseanddirect.Yourmemo’smessageshouldalsoprovideacontextforreaders.Inotherwords,alwaystellyourreaderswhyyouarewriting.Considerthefollowingquestions:

Isyourmemoaresultofasituation?Forinstance,“Asaresultofyesterday’smeeting…”

Isyourmemoareminder?Forexample,“TheProposalisdueJuly2.”Byprovidingcontextforyourreaders,youavoidbeingaskedtoprovidethatinformationlater.Also,youshouldalwaysincludeyourcontactinformationatthebottomofyourmessage.Thiscanbeyourphonenumberore-mailaddress.Finally,considerhowyourmemolooks.Ifyouhavenothingbutparagraphafterparagraphoftext,youmightuseliststodrawattentiontospecificinformation.Listsrepresentaneffectivewaytopresentinformation.Notonlydotheybreakdownlargeamountsoftext,buttheyalsoprovidetextinawaythatisvisuallypleasing.Listsareespeciallyusefulforconveyingsteps,phases,years,procedures,ordecisions.Byvoidingfullsentencesinalist,yourinformationisconciseandmorelikelytoengageyourreaders.Listscanbenumberedasintheaboveexample.Typically,youshoulduseanumberedlistwhenyouneedtostresstheorderofthelisteditems.ToneMemosareusuallysentbypeoplewhoknoweachotherandhaveestablishedworkrelationships.Thereislittleneedtodevelopordefinethetwo-wayrelationshipinmemos;thebackgroundsignalsstillmakeitclear.NoticethatSusan,intheexampleabove,startswith“Yes,Peter”andintheactionendingsays“Thanks,Peter”.Thisissufficienttosetafriendlyandpersonabletone.Aswithanyotherbusinesscommunication,clearlywritten,completeinformationinplainEnglishisthebestdemonstrationofyourprofessionalismandrespectforthereader’sinterests.Alwaysclosewithanactionending,asinanyothermessage,andsignamemopersonally.Guidelinesformemos(1)Keepmemosshort.Useshortwordsandshortsentences.Dealwithonlyoneideainanyoneparagraph.Completesentencesarenotessential.Ifyoulistpointsyouusefewerwords.(2)Stateyourpurposeclearly.Writeaninformativesubjectlineandpresentyourmaterialinorderofimportance.Divideyourdataintosectionsandnumbereachpointifthisclarifiesasequenceorrankstheinformation.Usesubheadingstoachievethisresultinlongermemos.(3)Useface-to-facelanguage.Usetheactivetense.Bedirectandpersonal.Letyourmemosbemorelikeanextensionofconversation.(4)Monitorbackgroundsignalsandtone.Memoscontainnon-verbalmessageswhetheryouwantthemtoornot.Beforeyousendamemo,readitaloudtoyourselfortoacolleague.Ifitsoundsartificial,orlikeaparentchastisingachild,rewriteit.(5)Allowsufficienttimeforreplies.Inmanyorganizations,amultipersonmemomovesfromthewriter’sdesk,throughtheadministrationsystemandontoreaders’desksslowly.Deliveryoftentakesalongtime,dependingonhowthememoistyped,printedanddistributed.Considerthisdelaywhenaskingforareplybyacertaindate.WritingPracticeTask1.YourcompanyisgoingtoprovidethestaffwithE-commercetraining.Therewillbetwocourselevels:intermediatelevelandadvancedlevel.BothwillbegivenonSaturdaysforfiveweeks.You,HumanResourcesManager,aretowriteamemotodepartmentmanagers,askingthemtohelpobtainthenamesoftheinterestedstaff,andencouragethestafftoattend.WritingStepsStep1:Identifythetask

Readthememoinstructioncarefully;

Specifythepurposeofthememo.Thetaskistoinformdepartmentmanagersofthecomingtrainingcourse,andaskthemtoencouragethestaffandreportthenamesofthosewhoareinterested.Step2:Listthepoints

Listthepointstobecoveredinthememo;

Arrangethepointsinalogicalorder;Addanypartifnecessary.YourcompanyisgoingtoprovidethestaffwithE-commercetraining.Therewillbetwocourselevels:intermediatelevelandadvancedlevel.BothwillbegivenonSaturdaysforfiveweeks.You,HumanResourcesManager,aretowriteamemotodepartmentmanagers,askingthemtohelpobtainthenamesoftheinterestedstaff,andencouragethestafftoparticipate.Step3:Writethememo

Fillinthelayoutwithallpointsabove;

Usebriefbutcompletesentences;

Useappropriatelypolitetone.Step4:CheckthememoAftergoingthroughtheabovesteps,youcangetthefollowingmemo:MEMORANDUM

To:DepartmentManagersFROM:EdwardSmith,HumanResourcesManagerDATE:October26SUBJECT:In-serviceE-commercetrainingFromNovember10,E-commerceClasswillbeheldonSaturdaysforfiveweeks.Therewillbe2groups:intermediatelevelandadvancedlevel.Pleaseencourageyourstafftoattendoneofthesessions.Allteachingmaterialswillbeprovidedforfree.PleasesendmethenamesofallinterestedstaffbynextFriday.Thesestaffwilltakeatesttheweekbeforethecoursestarts.Enclosure:TeachingProgramTask2.YouaretheSalesManagerofaforeigntradecompany.RecentlyyourreceivedafaxfromanAmericancustomercomplainingofthelatedeliveryofhisOrderNo.566for2000colorTVsets.Thenyoulookedintothematterandfounditwasthefaultofyourdispatchdepartment.Writeashortmemotoyourassistant,AlanChen:

Askinghimtovisitthedispatchdepartmentandurgingthemtodispatchtheorder;

Specifyingthegoods,quantityandthedeadlinefordispatch;

Addinganyrelevantinformationyoucanthinkof;

Write60-70words.2.5Roleplay1)YouarecallingtheABCCompanyabouttheadforsalespersons.Youwanttoapplyfortheposition.Inquireasmuchinformationasyouneed.2)YouwillbegoingoverseasnextweekonabusinesstripandyouwanttomeetwithMr.Nelson,yourcustomerinLondon,todiscussaboutyoursalesplannextyear.Callhimuptomakeanappointment.3)YouaregoingtotheUnitedStatesforashorttrainingcourse.Youreceiveaphonecallfromabusinessfriendwhomyouknowquitewell.YourfriendinvitesyoutovisithisorhercompanyduringyourstayintheUnitedStates.Youaretalkingonthephoneaboutthearrangements.2.6LanguageFocus1.Askingtheoperatorforhelp.1)CanyouconnectmewiththeBrownIndustries?2)CanyouputmethroughtothePersonnelDepartment?3)Hello,isthistheswitchboard?I’dliketoplaceanoutsidecall.4)CouldyoutellmethenumberoftheWestLakeTravelAgency?5)CouldIhaveextension466?6)GivemeadirectlineoutpleaseandI’llgetthenumbermyself.7)Operator,wewerecutoff.Couldyoureconnectme,please?2.Helpingtoconnectthecaller.1)Aminute,please.I’llconnectyourightaway.2)Justaminute/moment/second.I’llgetthenumberforyou.3)Onemoment,please.I’llseeifIcanconnectyouagain.4)Sorry,thenumberisengaged/busy.Willyouhold?5)Sorry,thereisnoanswer.6)Thelineisthroughnow.7)Yourcallisready/through.Pleasegoahead.3.Startingaphonecall.1)CouldIspeaktoMr.Johnson,please?2)MayItalktoChris,please?3)I’dliketospeaktoMr.Smith,please.4)CouldIhaveawordwithMrs.Blake?5)Hello.PatWilsonspeaking.CanItalktoMr.Kim?4.Identifyingthecaller.1)MayIaskwho’scalling?2)MayIhaveyourname?3)WhoshallIsayiscalling?4)MayItellhimwhoiscalling?5)WhatnameshallIgive?6)Who’scalling,please?7)Who’sthatspeaking?8)I’msorry,Ididn’tcatchyourname?5.Explainingthepurpose.1)I’mcallingaboutthemeetingtomorrow.2)I’mjustcallingtotellyouthatthesalesmeetinghasbeenputofftilltomorrow.3)I'mcallingconcerningtheorderwesentyoulastweek.4)I’mcallinginreferencetoyourletterofcredit.5)It’saboutourcustomer’sclaimforshortweight.6)It’sinconnectionwiththedeliveryyoumadelastmonth.6.Askingthecallertowait.1)Amoment,please.2)Justaminute/moment/second,please.3)Hang/holdonaminute,I’llgethim.4)Holdtheline,please.He’llbewithyouinaminute.5)Don’thangup,please.I’llseeifshe’sin.7.Dialingthewrongnumber.1)Sorry,you’vegotthewrongnumber.2)Youmusthavethewrongnumber.3)Whatnumberdoyouwant?4)Whatnumberareyoucalling?There’snoonebythenameofSmith.5)Whatnumberdidyoudial,please?Nobodyherebythatname.6)You’vedialedthewrongnumber,I’mafraid.8.Leavingamessage.1)CouldItakeamessageforhim?2)Wouldyouliketoleaveamessage?3)Doyouwanttoleavewordforhimtocallyou?4)CanIleaveamessageforhim?5)CanIleavewordforhertocallmetomorrow?6)Couldyougivehimamess