Business English blog articles

Email Confirmations: Using R.A.P.

A simple structure to confirm your discussion

Email confirmations are a key to avoiding confusion and saving time in business communication. The telephone is a great medium for quick discussions. Often agreements or commitments are made on the phone. But, one major disadvantage of agreements made over the telephone is the lack of written evidence. Where is the record of what was agreed?
If you make agreements over the phone, why not confirm them in writing with email confirmations? A quick follow-up email to confirm the agreement can prevent a lot of issues later on.
Follow a simple structure (R.A.P.) and your email confirmations should only take a few minutes.

Rap phrases

Reference – Action – Polite Close

Reference  

What was the subject of the discussion?
  • We spoke about …
  • Following our phone call this morning …
  • I am just writing to confirm our agreement …

Action

What points did we agree?
  • You mentioned that you would …
  • We agreed that I would …
  • As agreed, we will be…

Polite Close

 Polite close
  • Please let me know if there are any issues …
  • If this was not correct, please let me know.
  • I trust this was your understanding as well.

Example of email confirmations

You have just finished speaking to a supplier on the phone. You think that the results of your discussion are clear.  Your partner also thinks that everything is clear.
But are you both of the same opinion? Is there a potential for misunderstandings? 

Dear Jan
We spoke about rescheduling the delivery this morning.   
You mentioned that you would like to make the delivery on Saturday. I have arranged to have someone available at the plant to receive the order.   
Thanks again for giving me plenty of notice for this change to the delivery date.
Best regards
Helmut

Let us know what has worked with your writing at work in the comments section below. 

 

 

Holiday Greetings: Quick Email Phrases

Have you sent your holiday greetings to all your colleagues, suppliers, and customers?

It’s that time of year again. People keep dropping by my desk to ask what they should write in their emails they want to send out before the holiday period ahead of us. There isn’t really one set thing that you have to say, but it’s a good idea to consider cultural aspects when composing your text. It’s fine to say “Happy Christmas” to people you know celebrate Christmas, but is it the best message to send out across the company or to clients you don’t know well? Here we offer you some phrases which use the word “Christmas” and some which use alternatives – the main ones being “holiday period / season” or “festive period / season”.


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Phrases for holiday greetings

Less formal

  • We really appreciate the great teamwork this year and look forward to a repeat show in 2014! Thank you.
  • We wish all of you a very Happy Christmas and a smooth start to the New Year.
  • Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season!
  • Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

More formal

  • We would like to use this occasion to express our thanks for the successful cooperation this year, and we very much look forward to working with you again in 2014.
  • We wish a very happy festive season to you and all your staff.
  • We would like to wish you and all your staff a very happy festive season.
  • We wish you a very Happy Christmas, and a healthy and prosperous New Year.
  • Season’s Greetings!

An example email

Dear Ms Eisenmann,
We would like to say how much we enjoyed working with you this year. We very much look forward to continuing to work with you next year and wish both you and your team a very happy holiday period, and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Best regards,
The Target Team

Note: Happy Christmas / New Year  – each word starts with a capital letter.

Let us know if you have anything to add in the comments area below. If you post your holiday greetings email you want to write, we’d be happy to give you feedback on it.

 

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If you’re looking for phrases, tips and tricks and useful downloads related to this topic, start here. In a range of topics, here are some more links for you:

Female Management Quotas: Key Terms and Phrases

Female management quotas are currently a hot topic in Germany

What is the approach in your company towards having a quota for the percentage of women in management positions? The opinions on this topic are wide and very relevant in that Germany’s coalition has recently agreed to set a 30% target of women for supervisory boards in German stock exchange companies. Here are some opinions which could be raised when tackling the issue within your departments responsible for corporate culture and diversity.(Or make for a potentially heated small-talk discussion in your next business social event!.)

  • “A quota merely treats the symptoms, not the causes of the low representation of women in leading roles”.
  • “Quotas are an important signal to improve the chances of women in the workplace”.
  • “Concentrating on a quota solely in the boardroom risks making it a purely symbolic act. What is needed is systematic support for female workers even at junior recruitment level.”

Key terms and phrases for discussing female management quotas

Discussing female management quotas can involve quite specific vocabulary and there are a few language points to look out for.

  • As an alternative to a fixed quota, why not have a voluntary commitment to gender equality?
  • There needs to be more transparency on the root causes of the share of women in management.
  • There is a need to identify legal and cultural impacts that foster or interfere with gender diversity.

Things to watch out for when discussing female management quotas

  • Use ‘quota’ not ‘quote’. In English, ‘a quote’ (spelt with ‘e’ and pronounced ‘kwoht’) is either a price estimation, or when you cite the words of someone else.
  • Be consistent in your use of the words ‘woman’ and ‘female’. Both have come to be used as a type of adjective. E.g. ‘the share of woman executives’ has the same meaning as, ‘the share of female executives’. There is some argument, however, that using ‘woman’ as an adjective has become more favoured in recent years. There are many articles on this debate, including this one from the NY Times.

By using the correct terms and phrases when discussing female management quotas, you will keep the focus on the important topic instead of causing confusion on what is being said.  Let us know in the comments area below if you have any other suggestions or questions. Want to learn more on how to improve your management skills?  Click here.

Rescheduling Meetings: Avoiding Confusion

How to clearly describe changes when rescheduling meetings

One of the challenges of communicating internationally in English is how to clearly describe changes when rescheduling meetings. Frequently, there’s confusion about words like postpone, move forward, move back and delay. And while it’s not actually a word in Standard English, the word ‘prepone’ has reared its head recently, much to the confusion of native and non-native speakers of English alike.  In this post, we’ll take a look at the meanings of some commonly used words and phrases so you can know their meanings in the future. Then, we’ll throw them away completely and give you an email template that will let you feel confident that the recipients of your email will know where they should be and when.

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Words and phrases used when rescheduling meetings

postpone

To take place at a time later than originally scheduled

  • I postponed the meeting until Friday.
  • The meeting has been postponed until Friday.
delay

To make someone or something late or slow

  • Our flight from Shanghai to Stuttgart was delayed by 50 minutes.
  • The problems delayed the release of the project.
move forward

For some people, you move an appointment forward by moving it to an earlier time or date. However, some cultures view the progression of time differently, so this phrase can be confusing.

  • Can we move the date of our meeting forward?
  • They moved the date of the supplier meeting forward to Friday.
move back

Again, for some people, this means to move a meeting to a later time or date. As mentioned before, this can be confusing.

  • I’m afraid we have to move the meeting back.
  • They’re getting in later than we expected, so we have to move the start back.

What’s the solution?

In order to be 100% everyone understands where they need to be and when, leave out time phrases that can be confusing and use ‘from’ and ‘to’. ‘From’ designates the old time of the meeting and ‘to’ designates the new time of the meeting. This way, there’s no confusion about if the appointment is earlier or later.

An email example on rescheduling meetings

Hi everyone,
Due to a meeting room problem, the time of the project kick-off meeting has been changed from Monday, January 13th at 11:00 in room 143 to Wednesday January 15th at 16:00 in room 324.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Best regards,
Michael

Rescheduling meetings can cause confusion if you don’t use the correct language and structure.  Let us know if you have anything to add in the comments area below. Want to improve your meetings?  Click here for more info on how.

Following these 4 quick and easy steps, and using the phrases above, will help you have clearer communication in your meetings.  By alleviating your meeting misunderstandings, you will have faster, more productive meetings and save everyone time.  Want to improve your meetings?  Click here for more info on how.

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Email Complaints: 5 Keys to Replying

Handling complaints by email can be tricky

It is always better to handle them face-to-face or over the telephone, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. Every complaint is different, but there are enough similarities with each to approach them with a structure in mind. We can all receive complaints from customers, colleagues, suppliers, or even our boss. It is important to respond quickly, professionally, and politely.  Below is a suggested structure and some phrases to help you when handling email complaints.

5 Keys to replying to email complaints

1.  Start with a thank you:
  • Thank you for your email.
  • Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.
  • Thanks for letting me know about this issue.
2.  Apologize:
  • I am sorry to hear about …
  • We are very sorry that …
  • Please accept my apologies for …
3.  Show understanding of the other person’s situation:
  • I understand that this can cause some delays…
  • I know that this delay might cause…
  • I understand your concern regarding …
4.  Clearly state what next steps you will take to help:
  • I will contact my boss and see how we can solve this issue.
  • We will resend a new part immediately at no charge.
  • I will check with the shipping department and get back to you ASAP.
5.  End with a polite closing:
  • Sorry again for any inconvenience caused.  Let me know if you need anything else.
  • Thanks for your understanding and patience.
  • We appreciate your understanding and let us know what questions you might have.

Example of handling email complaints

Mark,

Thank you for your email and bringing the shipping issue to my attention.  I am sorry to hear that you have not received the replacement part as promised.  I understand that this delay has caused you issues in production and needs to be taken care of ASAP.  I will contact our Logistics Dept and DHL immediately and see what is causing this delay.  I will then contact you immediately with the best solution.  Thanks for your understanding and patience.

Rick

By replying to email complaints quickly, professionally, and politely; you can avoid escalation of the issue.  Let us know if you have any suggestions or tips in the comment area below.

Handling Difficult Questions in Presentations

How are you handling difficult questions in your presentations?

So you’ve spent hours preparing your slides, practicing in front of the mirror, and learning the material you are presenting inside and out. The big presentation comes and you breeze through it confidently and calmly. You are about to finish up and just quickly ask the audience if there are any questions.

“Any questions?  Ok, if not then…”

The difficult questions then arrive, one after another. Questions that you are not prepared for, don’t have the answers to, are not completely clear as to what they mean, etc. It has happened to us of all in one form or another, and is perfectly normal to presenters of all experience levels. What helps separate good presenters from “not so good” presenters is the ability in handling difficult questions professionally and effectively. Here are some quick tips to help.

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When handling difficult questions…

1.bmpThank the person for their question

“Thank you for your question.”
“That is a really good question and I am glad you asked it.”

2Clarify that you understand the question if necessary (or to buy some time to come up with a good answer).

“So, if I understand you correctly, you are asking me if we…….”
“Just to make sure I give you the correct answer, are you saying that if……”

3Answer with one of the 3 options depending on the question:

Admit that you don’t know the answer and turn it over to the audience to help.

“I’m afraid that isn’t my area of expertise, but I am sure someone else here may know the answer to that.”
“Can anyone help answer that question?”

Admit that someone you work with would be better suited to answer that, and you will consult with them and get back to the person.

“Unfortunately I don’t have the answer for that now, but I have a colleague that can answer that question.  Can we meet after the presentation and exchange contact details?  I will then ask him and get you the answer right away.”

You need more information on the question, it is a private question, or you don’t have the time to answer it in front of the whole audience.  Ask to meet later.  

“I think it would be better if I got a little more information from you to help answer that question.  Can we meet after the presentation at lunch?  I would be happy to get you more information then.”

Example

Question:  “Do you have the latest forecast sales figures for the 3rd quarter?”

Answer:  “Thanks for your question.  Just to make sure I give you the correct answer, are you asking for the forecast sales figures for the German location or the total figures worldwide?  (Clarification given by person who asked question) Unfortunately I don’t have the answer for that now, but I have a colleague who can answer that question.  Can we meet after the presentation and exchange contact details?  I will then ask him and get you the answer right away.  (Person agrees)  Great, thanks for the question.  Any other questions?”

Keeping these things in mind when handling difficult questions in presentations will allow you to seem more prepared and make your presentation go more smoothly. Want more info on how to be a better presenter?  Click here.

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Request Emails: Getting What You Want

Writing request emails

Have you ever written request emails to a colleague and never received the information you needed? While it might be one of the most frustrating situations in business, the reality is that we have very little control over how people react to our requests. There are many different factors that can influence how someone responds, or doesn’t respond, to request emails. Some of the factors include, but are not limited to: their culture, their workload and their personality. In light of this, we have to deal with the fact that we can’t control how someone will react when we ask for something. We can, however, control how we ask for things. We can ask in a way that gives our colleagues an incentive to respond by telling them the reasons why we need the information.

Quick and easy structure for request emails

1. Something nice

This should be something short and polite that doesn’t require an answer. It’s enough if we use simple phrases to wish our colleague well.

  • I hope you’re having a nice Friday.
  • I hope you had a nice weekend.
  • I hope you’re doing well.
  • I hope this email finds you well. (This means that we hope the person is well, or doing good, when they open the email.)

2. what you need

Here we simply state what it is we want.

  • Can you send me the agenda for our annual meeting?
  • As you might remember from my email dated Oct 1, 2013, I need the price spreadsheet for XYZ company.
  • As you may recall from our previous contact, I need the ABC document for my report.

3.  why you need it

This is the missing element in many request emails. You have a better chance of getting what you need if you give a reason for the request. First, it helps explain why your colleague should take time to help you. Second, it can link the request to your organization as a whole, or to the work your colleague does.

  • I need the price spreadsheet so I can put together a proposal for the client next year.
  • It is important that I have the spreadsheet so I can complete the analysis.
  • If I don’t have the final sales numbers, I wont be able to get the report finished.

4.  something nice

Again, the “something nice” here is as simple as a ‘thank you’ accompanied by the following short phrases:

  • Have a nice day.
  • Have a nice weekend.
  • Have a good afternoon.

If the suggested structure above seems like a lot of work, compare it to the time and frustration it costs to write repeated request emails and get no answer. We can write a polite request that will help us get what we want and includes all the necessary information in just four short sentences.

Below is an example of a request email using this structure. Let us know if you have any suggestions or comments.

Good example of request emails with structure

Hi Sarah,
I hope you’re having a good Thursday.
Could you please send me the payment details for the payment made by XYZ Company on Sep 22, 2012 in the amount of €5,000? As you know, year-end closing is coming soon and I need to clear that payment to balance our accounts.
Thank you.
Have a nice day.
Best regards,
Jake

For more information on how to write well in English at work, click here.

Presentation Introduction Phrases Toolbox

Key to success

Making an effective presentation introduction is key to the success of your presentation. Not only will it give you confidence and a strong foundation to build on, it will also instill confidence in the listener, showing them that you are well prepared and have taken the presentation seriously.

So how do you make an effective presentation introduction? Here are some important points to cover, as well as some phrases to use.

Useful Presentation Introduction Structure and Phrases

Welcome the audience

  • Good morning ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today.
  • Thank you all very much for coming today.
  • I hope you all had a pleasant journey here today.

Introduce yourself

  • My name is Markus Fischer and I am responsible for … .
  • My name is Markus Fischer from [name of company], where I am responsible for … .
  • Let me introduce myself; my name is Markus Fischer and I am responsible for … .

Introduce your subject and outline your structure

  • My presentation today will cover three points.
  • In today’s presentation I’d like to cover three points. Firstly…, secondly… and finally…
  • To start with I’ll describe the progress made this year. Then I’ll mention some of the problems we’ve encountered and how we overcame them. After that I’ll consider the possibilities for…

Speak about timing

  • The presentation will last for 20 minutes.Contact us now
  • The presentation will take about 20 minutes.
  • Today, I will be speaking for about 20 minutes on this topic.

Speak about questions

  • If you have any questions you’d like to ask, please leave them until the end, when I’ll be happy to answer them.
  • Do feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions.
  • I’ll try to answer all of your questions after the presentation.

Let us know if you have any suggestions of other phrases or approaches for making an effective presentation introduction in the comments area below.

Example presentation introduction

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. My name is Markus Fischer and I am responsible for … . In today’s presentation I’d like to cover three points. Firstly…, secondly… and finally… The presentation will take about 20 minutes and if you have any questions you’d like to ask, please leave them until the end, when I’ll be happy to answer them. So if there are no questions, then I will begin.

Click here to learn more about how you can make more impact with your presentations.

Email Phrases: Getting the Tone Right

Adapting your message

It can be difficult to know what email phrases to use in your business emails. This depends on whom your audience is, and if the business situation is formal or informal.  You don’t want your emails to make a business partner uncomfortable, so it is important to use the correct email phrases at the correct times.  Using an email phrase that is too formal can make you seem stiff or cold, while using one that is too informal can make you seem presumptuous or arrogant.  Here are some good phrases to use in certain situations for both formal and informal writing.

Email phrases for formal business situations

  • Talking about the last contact:  I am writing in reference to your last email about…
  • Giving the reason for writing:  I am writing concerning…
  • Giving good news:  I am pleased to inform you that…
  • Giving bad news:  I’m afraid that…
  • Asking for something:  Could you please…
  • Sending an attachment:  Please find attached…
  • Offering help at the end of an email:  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
  • Talking about the next contact:  I look forward to seeing you next week.

Email phrases for informal business situations

  • Talking about the last contact:  Thanks for your email.
  • Giving the reason for writing:  I’m just emailing to…
  • Giving good news:  I am pleased to say that…
  • Giving bad news:  Sorry, but…
  • Asking for something:  Can you just…
  • Sending an attachment:  I’ve attached…
  • Offering help at the end of an email:  If you’ve got any questions, feel free to ask.
  • Talking about the next contact:  See you next week.

Using good email phrases at the right time can help you build business relationships more effectively. Let us know of any other suggestions you might have in the comments area below.

 

Acronyms and Abbreviations in Presentations

Be clear and consistent

It can be very helpful to use acronyms and abbreviations on PowerPoint slides during a presentation.  This helps save time and space.  The key is to be clear as to what they represent, and then be consistent in using them.  A manager I train recently asked me to give feedback on a presentation he was giving to two new senior managers he would be directly reporting to. The presentation was about his department’s performance over the first half of this year.  After introductions, he settled in to his stride and I was really pleased to see that he had taken on board a lot of what we’d been working on in training. The presentation was well structured, pace and delivery were good, and he even felt confident enough to throw in a couple of jokes. One problem; it wasn’t until a good few minutes in to the presentation that I and his audience realized what some of the topics were that he was referring to. The problem? Abbreviations and acronyms.
Contact us nowBeing Clear with Acronyms and Abbreviations in Presentations

Acronyms and abbreviations are fine, as long as everybody is familiar with them. You’d be amazed at the amount of slides, documents and presentations I see where the use of acronyms and abbreviations confuses the reader about what is being presented. Believing that your audience will automatically understand because they come from the same business area or field of expertise as you is an easy trap to fall into.

Introducing Acronyms and Abbreviations in Presentations

When using acronyms or abbreviations in presentations, the first time you introduce them make sure to give the full word, name or title followed by the acronym or abbreviation in brackets.

For example: Structured Query Language (SQL). Using only the acronym or abbreviation after this shouldn’t then cause any problems.

Commonly Used Acronyms and Abbreviations in Presentations

AOB – any other business
asst. – assistant
B2B – business to business
CEO – Chief Executive Officer
CFO – Chief Financial Officer
dept. – department
mtg. – meeting
P & L – Profit and Loss
QTD – quarter to date
ROI – return on investment
YTD – year to date

So, being clear from the beginning with your acronyms and abbreviations in presentations can save you time and space on your slides.  All the while not confusing your audience, which is the most important thing. Want to improve your presentations overall?  Click here.

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Evaluating an Idea: Quick Email Phrases

What do you think?

Evaluating an idea without causing offense can be challenging at times. Often it is a colleague, client or your boss who wants to know what you think of an idea. Sometimes you think it’s great, sometimes you don’t, and sometimes you’re going to need to know more before you can respond. The first case is relatively easy – you can tell them it’s great. But what about the next two cases?

Here are some phrases which you could use either when writing an email in response to a written request, or when speaking to the person who has made the suggestion.

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…

3.  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..?

Example of an email when you are evaluating an idea

Hi Melissa
Thank you so much for putting your idea to me.
It‘s certainly worth considering. I can’t help wondering though, how this might affect the administrative staff. Before getting back to you, I would really need to know how much would actually be saved by implementing this change. Perhaps you could get back to me on that?
Best regards,
Ariana

By using the suggestions above, you can acknowledge an idea without offending the person who came up with it. Let us know if you have any suggestions of other phrases or approaches when evaluating an idea in emails in the comments area below.

Handling Complaints Quickly: Phrases to Help

Avoid having small issues escalate into big ones

Handling complaints quickly can help your company avoid having small issues escalate into big ones. This summer I had the pleasure of taking my five year old to a well-known fun park on a beautiful, but scorching hot August day. For those of you who haven’t been lucky enough to share this experience and the hours of standing in line it includes, let me tell you this, tempers can fray quickly.

On the bright side, standing in line means that you have lots of time for people watching. I particularly enjoyed one incident where the officials staffing the line decided that it was getting too long. Their solution: change the direction. What happened was that the line simply reversed its order, so that those who had just arrived went to the front and those who had been waiting for over an hour got to go to the back. I felt really sorry for the young French official being eaten alive by the customers – she looked pretty scared. The decision to change the line hadn’t been her decision, but what could she have said instead of just “sorry, sorry, sorry.”? A basic structure for handling complaints along with some suitable language certainly could have come in handy.
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3 Common stages of handling complaints

1.  Listening and empathizing

You might not agree, it might not be your fault personally, but the customer is angry and needs a chance to vent their anger. Don’t keep butting in, let them have a bit of a rant, make some sympathetic noises and try some of these phrases:

  • I see your point / I understand.
  • I can appreciate that.
  • Thank you for pointing that out.
2.  Apologizing and accepting responsibility

Angry customers need to be calmed down – a simple “sorry” goes a long way. And “It’s not my fault” or “there must be a misunderstanding” is never going to improve the situation – avoid both of those phrases at all costs.

  • I’m sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.
  • I’m / we’re terribly sorry about that.
  • Please accept my/ our apologies.
3.  Promising and taking action

You’ve said sorry, now the customer wants to hear what you’re going to do about it. Here are some phrases that might have worked well in the above situation.

  • I’ll let my manager know how you feel, and let’s see if we can find a solution.
  • I’m going to see how we can make this better for you.
  • Here are some vouchers for lunch for any trouble we may have caused you.

3 Possible outcomes of not handling complaints well

1.  Loss of sales

Your competitors may benefit. The customer may decide to take their business elsewhere. This means a loss of sales.

2.  Damaged reputation

The customer will badmouth you to others. Social media means that this is so much easier to do than it used to be. Thousands of people could hear, and you have no way of defending yourself – you just look bad.

3.  Unhappy staff

It isn’t fun having people shouting at you. If there is a clear structure in place, however simple it may be, it will give staff confidence in unpleasant situations. Handling complaints in another language is that much harder, so having some key language up their sleeves will also contribute significantly to how they feel about dealing with the situation.

Why not share your ideas on other language that would be useful or other simple steps that you feel could be taken when handling complaints?

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Reacting to Bad News: Tips for Email Phrases

Reacting to bad news

Reacting to bad news in a prompt, well-written way can convey a powerful message: not only are you concerned about your business relationships, you also care about how your clients and colleagues are doing personally, too. If a client cancels a meeting because something unfortunate has happened in their lives, take a moment to pass along your best wishes. This is a very simple process that can be accomplished with just a few phrases. The key is to make sure your email matches the seriousness of the situation. Here are some phrases that match situations you might encounter.



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Phrases for reacting to bad news

1.  That’s a pity. / That’s a shame. / That’s too bad.

We use these phrases for unfortunate, but small, incidents. For example, if someone can’t come to your  presentation.

2.  I’m sorry to hear that. 

Here we see a useful phrase: ‘I’m sorry to hear’. Some examples:

  • I’m sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well.
  • I’m sorry to hear you missed your flight.
  • I’m sorry to hear you didn’t get the job.
3.  I’m very sorry to hear that.

We use this phrase for serious events, such as a death in someone’s family.

Phrases referencing a positive view of the future when reacting to bad news

  • I hope you get well soon.
  • I hope you can catch another flight.
  • I hope you find an interesting position soon.

Phrases offering to help when reacting to bad news

These phrases can be used in the more serious situations listed in numbers 2 and 3 above.

  • If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.
  • If you need anything, please let me know.
  • If there is anything I can do to assist you in this difficult time, please let me know.

Example of a good way of reacting to bad news

Hi John,

Thanks for your email.
I’m sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well. I hope you get well soon.
If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.
Brigitte and the rest of the team send their best wishes.

Best regards,
Pierre

Giving and getting bad news can be very difficult in business.  Hopefully, these email phrases can help. Let us know if you have any suggestions on other phrases or approaches to reacting to bad news in emails in the comments area below.

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If you’re looking for phrases, tips and tricks and useful downloads related to this topic, start here. In a range of topics, here are some more links for you:

 

Updating your CV: Quick Tips

Updating your CV

You may not be looking for new opportunities at the moment, but at some time in your future career you will use it. CV writing in English can be a bit tricky when you don’t keep it up-to-date on a regular basis. Reflecting now on the last 12 months and your successes, while things are still fresh in your memory, will mean your CV is ready when you need it, detailed and with all the important information to make a great impression.

Updating your CV with a purpose

When writing about your responsibilities and achievements, start each sentence with a dynamic verb. These show action and progress over a period of time, and will give the reader the impression of things being done.
Dynamic verbs are rarely used in the Present Simple tense. If you’re writing about activities which are still happening, use the progressive verb+ing. For example:

  • Managing a team of 10 engineers based in Romania and Slovakia.
  • Developing state of the art software for scanning equipment used at Heidelberg training hospital’s head trauma clinic.

If you’re writing about a project which has finished, start each sentence with a dynamic verb in the Past Simple tense. For example:

  • Negotiated contractual deadlines with customers.
  • Organized supply and delivery of system components.

You can make your CV stand out amongst other by using dynamic language.  Take a look at your CV and make some changes to help you get that dream job you have been looking for! Let us know of any specifics questions on writing well when updating your CV in the comments area below.

 

Parental Leave Questions for Human Resources

What kind of parental leave questions in English can you expect from your company’s employees?

Working in HR and answering employee’s questions can often be difficult, especially when you are dealing with people’s personal lives and their impact on work.  This definitely is the case when it comes to time off due to a new baby being born, or what is known as ‘maternity'(mother) or ‘paternity(father) leave’. Below are some common parental leave questions in English.  The answers may be dependent on your company regulations, but a lot of these are also subject to German laws. It may be a good idea to practice by taking the questions in turns with one person being the employee and one the HR consultant.  This could help your department be better prepared and avoid any difficult situations that may arise.

Common parental leave questions

  • What is the earliest date I can start my maternity leave and the earliest I can finish it?
  • What do I need to do with regards to informing work if my baby comes early or late?
  • Can I extend my parental leave unpaid? What do I need to do?
  • Can I work from home during my maternity leave? Why / Why not?
  • Can I take temporary work somewhere else during my parental leave and do I need to inform the company if I do?
  • What rights does my live-in partner have if he/ she are not the biological parent of the child?
  • What options do I have if I want to work in a temporary position while I am on parental leave?
  • If I work in a temporary different position during my parental leave, is it easy to get my old job back?
  • What is my maternity allowance and is there a maximum rate?
  • Am I entitled to maternity allowance if I am a trainee / a 6 month intern / started work 6 months ago?
  • Do I have to come back to work full-time if that was how I was originally employed? What is the procedure for going part-time?
  • Can both my husband and I apply for parental benefit?
  • What is the situation with parental benefit and having children in preschool or school?
  • What other benefits might I be entitled to during my maternity / parental leave?
  • What options do I have if my job is no longer available when my parental leave is over? (They have closed my location.)

Let us know if you can think of any other parental leave questions that have come up, or suggestions on answers, in the comments area below.  Also, make sure to check out interviewing seminar specifically designed for HR professionals by clicking here.

Apology Emails: 3 Tools to Help

A good apology email goes a long way when canceling an appointment.  You ever get a message from someone declining a meeting in Outlook that had no apology or explanation in it?  I’m sure you have and, like me at times, wondered why that person couldn’t make it. Did you think it was rude or unprofessional? It may or may not be depending on the situation, but it could be perceived to be a bit rude by some people; so it’s important to send a quick apology email within your cancellation notification. It helps to be diplomatic and polite when doing so in English. Here are some quick tips to make your apology emails easy to write and effective.

3 Parts 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.
2. 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?
3. 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.

Example of a good apology 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

Following the structure and using the phrases above should allow you to avoid confusing, or possibly offending, clients or colleagues.  Let us know what good emails have worked for you in the comments area below.

Finance Emails: Quick Tips for Clarity

Writing clear finance emails can be a challenge at times

Because the email was confusing, the wrong cost center was used; because the wrong cost center was used, the payment was late; because payment was late, penalties were charged; because penalties were charged, the contract went over budget; because the contract went over budget, the client was unhappy; because the client was unhappy, they gave their next contract to a competitor….. and all because of a confusing email.

Example situations of finance emails

You’re covering for a colleague who is on holiday for three weeks. In the middle of the month you get the following email from one of the suppliers they deal with:

“Would you mind making payment by the end of the month? If not, there’s a chance that penalties might be applied which could possibly cause a bit of delay to delivery of goods. Would it be possible for you to use the usual cost center? That would be great.”

No, you don’t mind, but “might”? “Chance”? Will there be penalties or not? Is the end of the month the last working day or the last calendar day? How long is “a bit of a delay”?  Yes, you can use “the usual cost center,” but what is it?
Two days ago, at month closing, I got a frantic call from one of the finance teams I train. They’d received an email that would have made Ebenezer Scrooge scratch his head. They had one simple question — what did this person want and when?

Tips for making your finance emails clearer

There are many words and phrases used in English to soften a message. However, in some situations it’s essential that politeness doesn’t compromise clarity. Email communication about finance is exactly one of those situations.
The most important point of your email is the action you want taken. For clear finance emails, my tips are:

  • Limit your requesting language to “please” at the start of the first sentence
  • Avoid the words “quite,” “some,” “a bit,” “a chance,” “possibly”
  • If there’s a deadline, give the date or time
  • If there’s important information, for example a cost center number, write it in the email. That way there will be no confusion. You also don’t know if the person you’re writing to will deal with the email
  • Save any messages of thanks to the sign off. A simple “thanks in advance” is enough

Let us know if you have any advice for finance emails in the comments area below.  For more information on how to improve your writing at work, click here.

Writing Meeting Minutes: 3 Ideas to Help

3 Language tips on writing meeting minutes

Writing meeting minutes can be tricky if you are not used to it. Every company has their own style or tips and tricks, but here are three language tips which could help you, or your team assistant, in the future:

When reporting what was said usually we use past tenses, but in writing meeting minutes it pays to at least start with the present simple. This should keep the grammar simpler in the rest of the topic (for the writer and the reader) and gives the impression that the minutes are up-to-date. Compare:

  • “Kevin discusses an overall overview of impacted headcounts by country. One of the German members was offered a new role and re-employed.”
  • “Kevin discussed an overall overview of impacted headcounts by country. One of the German members had been offered a new role and re-employed.”
  • “The spokesperson says that there were no questions from the countries in question.”
  • “The spokesperson said that there had been no questions from the countries in question”.

Vary the different verbs you use by finding synonyms for ‘says’ and ‘asks’.

Here are a few:

  • explains
  • questions
  • queries
  • requests
  • reports
  • challenges
  • states
  • raises (a question / point)
  • responds
  • replies
  • mentions
  • contradicts

(Try not to forget to add the ‘s’ / third person singular!)

Demonstrate and link conversations that were made by using some of the following expressions:

  • “In reference / Referring to this point, John states….”
  • “In reaction / Reacting to Mr. Miller’s point, John requests…”
  • “In follow up to / Following up Mr. Jack’s comments, John explains…”
  • “Continuing his topic of XYZ, Frank reports….”

Click here for more information on how to improve writing meeting minutes. If you have any comments or tips to add, please write them in the comments area below.

 

Getting to know what your employees want

Do you know what your employees want?

Most employees are hopeful and positive when they start out in a new role. From the employer’s point of view it may have been hard work finding a suitable candidate to fill a specific post – you need to keep this newbie.
Most companies have an induction process, assign a mentor or buddy, and arrange for someone from HR and/or the line manager to spend time with the new recruit showing them the ropes.  First days and weeks in a new role or a new company can be quite overwhelming. It all seems to be about learning – the newbie learning about what they have to do. How often though, hand on heart, can we say that we really invest time finding out what the newbie really wants?

3 Reasons to show an interest in what motivates your new employee

  1. Showing genuine interest from the start makes the employee feel cared for and welcome.
  2. Knowing what they want and how they like to work will help you manage them better.
  3. You will start building up a trust relationship and employees are likely to feel motivated to contribute more than you expect.

3 Questions to find out what your new employee wants

  1. What do you want from this post? You know what you expect them to do, but have they really thought about why they are here and what it is going to do for them?
  2. What do you hope to learn on the way? This is an early indicator of things to come, and a great question for finding out more about attitude in general. If no interest is shown in learning, then perhaps you will see early on that this is a relationship that won’t be going anywhere. There are also those who expect you to tell you what they should learn and find the right training for them. And then there are those who have clear goals, and will not be afraid to say what they want – and they will definitely warm to this question.
  3. How much support do you expect from me? Different people have different expectations. Some people may expect and want a line manager who controls every step they make. Others may want a boss who leaves them completely to their own devices.  And there are plenty of options between these two extremes. Doesn’t it make sense just to ask? Once we know , we can try and work around these expectations. But if we don’t know, how can we possibly be aware of whether  we are keeping them happy or not?

3 Possible outcomes of not discovering what your new employee wants

  1. Allowing the wrong people to pass the probationary period. Getting some clear answers early on shows you so much about attitude. Making the wrong decisions in terms of the probationary period can be a costly mistake, de-motivate other members of the team.
  2. Losing great employees. If no interest is shown, then those employees we really want to stay, will eventually move on to the competition.
  3. Never getting the full potential. An employee may do their job well, but if they feel that you care what they want and are doing something to help them achieve it, they are just going to give so much more.

We only suggest three questions you could ask to find out more about what your employees want. There are hundreds out there. We’d love to hear what questions you use. Why not share them with us by posting in the comments box below?

Writing Request Emails: 3 Solutions to Help

Writing request emails can be very tricky at times, especially depending on the person to whom you are writing.  Many of us work in large, international companies and communicate with colleagues from all over the world.  We all depend on others for information that we need to do our job effectively and on time.  It can be difficult to ask someone for something that is very important to you, but might not be important to them.  It’s important to be careful how you request things in English, as some phrases could seem rude.  Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing request emails:

3 reasons to avoid being direct when writing request emails

1. Damaged relationships.  Your directness could be taken personally.  This could lead to a damaged relationship between colleagues.
2. Increased costs.  If you think someone is being rude to you, you are less likely to help them quickly, if at all.  This could slow down the speed of information exchange, delaying projects and thus increasing costs.
3. Decreased Quality.  If someone reads a direct email and gets offended, it could cause the recipient to not focus on the important topic of the email and not get you the exact information you need.  Then you will have to ask at least one other time for more information, which leads to valuable time being wasted.




Writing emails that people read: Free eBook download

3 solutions to use for more polite emails

1. Begin your email politely with phrases such as:

“I hope all is well today.
Thanks for the email and information.” (responding to an email)
I hope everything went well with the meeting last week.” (referencing a known event)

2. When requesting something, use the following phrases:

“Could you please send me the _______?  It would really help me finish the ____.
I would appreciate it if you could send me the ________.  This information will allow me to _______.
Would you be so kind as to send me the _____?  It is important that I have it by Wednesday in order to ______.”

3. End your email using a polite close with a sentence like:

“Thanks for your time and have a good day.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.” 
Thanks for your assistance and enjoy the rest of your day.”

3 outcomes to help your business when writing request emails

1. Improve business relationships.  You improve rapport with the other person, which will lead to smoother and more comfortable interaction going forward.  People like to help those who are polite to them.
2. Receive information faster.  You will get the information you need in a timelier manner, which will help you keep your project deadlines and avoid unnecessary delays and costs.
3. Ensure quality and save time.  People like to do a good job for those who they feel respect them.  They will make sure to take the extra time upfront to get you what you need.  This then avoids having to chase the person with multiple follow-up emails if they send you incomplete information the first time.

Taking a few extra seconds each email can help you build relationships, save time, and eventually money as well.  Why not start improving your communication and productivity when writing request emails?  Click  here for more information on how you can improve your writing at work.  Let us know of any other tips you might have to share in the comment areas below.