Expressing Congratulations: Email phrases

Do you need some ideas on expressing congratulations to colleagues?

Expressing congratulations when something positive happens in the personal and professional lives of your colleagues and clients is a useful business skill. When you extend your sincere congratulations, you send the message that you care about what happens in the lives of others, even if it’s not connected to you personally. As a result, the colleagues and clients you reach out to are more likely to be pleased when you yourself succeed. In addition, expressing congratulations to your clients is an opportunity to network and remind the client that you’re there and ready to help them meet their business needs in the future. Applauding someone on the good things in their lives is a win-win situation.

Writing emails that people read: Free eBook downloadEmail phrases for expressing congratulations in a professional context

 

1.  promotion (when a colleague gets a higher position; e.g., from Junior Analyst to Senior Analyst)

  • Hi John. I just heard you got the Senior Analyst job. Congratulations on the new position.

Here we use the word congratulations. Note that this is an uncountable noun that always ends with s. We can use “Congratulations” as a standard way to praise someone in both spoken and written English, but we never say “Congratulation”.

2.  positive work performance (e.g., your colleague got a new project for the company)

  • Hi Sara. Michael just told me you won the ABC contract. That’s great news. Let me congratulate you on a job well done.

3.  a client gets a new position

  • Hi Hans. I just heard from Klara, our Account Manager, that you were recently promoted to General Manager. Congratulations. I’m looking forward to working with you in the future.

In the phrases above, we see the structures:
congratulations + on + (something)
Let me congratulate you + on + (something)

Email phrases for expressing congratulations in a private context

 

1.  marriage

  • Congratulations on your marriage! I’d like to wish you and your wife all the best.

2.  birth

  • Congratulations on the birth of your son.
  • Congratulations on the new addition to your family!  I hope mother and child are doing fine.

 

In past posts, we covered how to react when something bad happens. Now that we’ve given you some easy phrases to use when something good happens, you can confidently write your emails when expressing congratulations.  Want to improve your overall writing in English?  Click here for more information.

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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:

Meeting Rooms: Phrases for Booking Conflicts

Do you ever have someone using the meeting rooms that you booked?

Have you experienced conflicts with the meeting rooms in your company? Imagine this situation: you’ve done hours of preparation for a meeting with your customer. Your slides, documents and ideas are in perfect order and you’re feeling confident. You meet your client in the lobby of the building and direct him upstairs to the meeting room you booked months ago, especially for this meeting. When you arrive, you feel a rush of panic: the door is closed and you can hear the sounds of a meeting in progress. You open the door. What should you do and say? It is important to knock on the door, enter slowly, excuse yourself and politely clarify the issue. Here are some phrases to help your issues with meeting rooms.

Phrases to use when discussing meeting room conflicts

 

  • Excuse me for interrupting. Do you have a booking? / Did you book this room?
  • I’m sorry to interrupt. Do you have a reservation? / Did you reserve this room?

The verb ‘to book’ is helpful when we need meeting rooms. We can also use the verb ‘to reserve’.

  • Sorry for interrupting, but I have a booking here. / I booked this room. / I reserved this room.

If you checked and you know you’re in the right place at the right time, it can help to be assertive and confident.

  • Hello. Sorry to interrupt your meeting, but I have a booking at 12:00.

If it’s close to 12:00, this can be a friendly way to suggest the person already in the room needs to finish his or her meeting in progress.

  • Hi. Sorry to interrupt your teleconference, but I think I have a reservation here at this time. Can we check the calendar?

It might be necessary to look together and see how the conflict happened.

 

While these phrases can help in the uncomfortable situation that two people have booked the same room, this doesn’t really solve the problem. Employees around the world complain about meeting rooms in their office. Bookings are changed, rooms are double-booked and appointments are modified at the last minute. Do you have any tips for how to manage this sticky situation? It would be great to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Want to improve your meetings overall? Click here for more information.

Polite emails: Hamburger Approach

Do you send polite emails?  Each day at work we send and receive many emails.  The longer you spend writing and replying to emails, the less time you have for other important tasks.  Why should you waste time trying to be polite in emails when all you need is some quick information from someone or to give them a quick answer?  The answer is simple: relationships.  Building lasting relationships is key in business, and how you write your emails can help.  Taking a few extra seconds to show professional and personal respect can go a long way.  One easy way is by keeping in mind the ‘Hamburger Approach’ when writing your emails.  You may have heard of this method for giving feedback as a manager.  A hamburger has three main parts: the top bun, the meat, and the bottom bun.  Here is how you can use these parts to create polite emails.

3 Parts of the Hamburger Approach for polite emails

1.  Polite introduction (top bun)

The goal here is to start off your email in a positive way.  This is especially helpful if you are delivering unpleasant news to your recipient.  Jumping right into your subject can be read as being very direct and abrupt.

  • I hope all is well today.
  • Thanks for your email Tim. (when replying to an email)
  • I hope you had a good holiday/weekend/business trip.

2.  Information/Request/Update (meat)

This is where you discuss the main point of your email.  It could be a quick answer, a request, etc.

  • Regarding the management meeting on Tuesday…
  • That proposal sounds good.  Let’s meet…
  • I am writing about the changes to our…

3.  Polite close (bottom bun)

The last part finishes the email in a positive way.  Without a phrase, like the ones below, your email will seem incomplete and unfinished.  This could lead to a negative impression for the recipient.

  • Thanks for your time and have a good day.
  • Feel free to contact me with any further questions.
  • I am looking forward to seeing you next week at the meeting.

Example of a polite email using the Hamburger Approach

 

Bill,

I hope all is well today and you had a good weekend.  I am writing about the change in the meeting agenda for our conference next week.  Could you please inform the others about the new schedule before the end of the week?  This is important to make sure everyone is prepared.  Thanks for your help.  I’m looking forward to seeing you next week in Boston.

Robert

 

You don’t have to use this approach with every email.  If you are emailing back and forth all day on a topic, this isn’t necessary.  It is important for the first or second email in an email exchange.  Keep this Hamburger Approach in mind and it will help you write polite emails.  Let us know if you have any other suggestions in the comments area below.  Want more help with polite emails or to improve your writing overall at work?  Click here for information.

Prioritizing Work: 4 Categories to Help

4 Simple categories to help in prioritizing work

Prioritizing work can be a challenge for anyone, especially managers. I have just returned to work after being on holiday for two weeks. After reading all of my emails and speaking to my colleagues, I now have a huge to-do list. In the past, I wouldn’t have known where to start but I recently learned a very simple method for prioritizing. Based on The Eisenhower Matrix, I label each task on my to-do list with a letter, A, B, C or D.

Prioritizing work with A, B, C, or D

 

1.  ‘A’ tasks: Do it

These tasks are:

  • urgent, very important and should be done straight away
  • directly affect the work of others and they are waiting on you to continue their own tasks

2.  ‘B’ tasks: Plan it

These tasks are:

  • important but not urgent, so you can take the time to plan when you will do them
  • ones that require extra thought and consideration and should not be rushed

3.  ‘C’ tasks: Delegate it

These tasks are:

  • ones that aren’t overly important but need doing quickly
  • easily done by others who have more time to do them

4.  ‘D’ tasks: Drop it

These tasks are:

  • not urgent, nor are they necessarily important
  • ones that could be skipped, forgotten about, or done only if you have extra time at the end of the day

 

The A tasks are the most important, so I start with them, then the B and so on. One challenge I face is to find the time for the C tasks. Normally, at the end of the day, I find it useful to make my to-do list for the next day, along with the priorities; that way I know exactly what to do when I arrive at the office and I can get straight to work. It also stops me from brainstorming tasks for the next day when I should be listening to my bedtime story!

What methods do you use for prioritizing work? Let us know in the comments area below.  Are you interested in improving your time management?  Click here for information on how.

 

Meeting misunderstandings: 4 Steps to Clarify

Do you ever have to deal with meeting misunderstandings?
So, you’ve just finished putting forward your proposal. You’d planned out what you wanted to say, given a few examples, convincingly described the advantages, and cautiously addressed the disadvantages. All extremely clearly. Or so you thought. Until you hear the first response:

“So, are you saying that you think we should XXX?”
What you want to say is “No, no, no. We should YYY. Weren’t you listening? Can’t you read?”

Obviously you can’t say that. Here are some phrases that could help you in this kind of situation.

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4 Steps to clarify meeting misunderstandings

Step 1: Answer the question/comment
  • Not exactly.
  • Not quite.
  • That’s interesting.
Step 2: Rephrase your arguement
  • What I was trying to say was…
  • What I wanted to suggest was….
  • The point I intended to make was..
Step 3: Find a quick way of summarizing your argument again
  • Let me show you this slide again. Here you can see the outline of the proposal.
  • The three key issues were….
  • Basically, we should…
Step 4: Check that the misunderstanding has been cleared up
  • Is that clear now?
  • I hope that helps.
  • Is there anything else you’d like clarifying?

An example of dealing with meeting misunderstandings

A: So, are you trying to say that we should XXX?
B: Not exactly. What I wanted to say was that we really need to take a close look at YYY. If you look at this slide here, you can see the three main reasons why. Does that help?

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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Condolence Emails: Phrases and Structure

Writing condolence emails can be difficult

Have you ever had to write a condolence email to a colleague?  Writing to people about these topics obviously requires considerable diplomacy and the right choice of words. Broadly speaking most condolence emails have three steps. (Often only one sentence each).

3 Steps for writing condolence emails

1.  Acknowledge the death

2.  Sympathize

3.  Offer support

Of course, there is no set format for writing these kinds of emails- it largely depends on how much you want to say and how well you know the person. Below are two examples of an email / short letter to someone who has had the death of a family member recently.



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Examples of a condolence email

 

Dear John Smith,
I was deeply saddened to hear of your Mother’s death recently. Although I didn’t know her personally,
I hope that you will accept my most sincere sympathy and condolences. I truly hope that you and your family can gather the strength and courage to endure during this difficult time.
If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.
Sincerely,

 

Dear Tom Atkinson,
I was saddened to hear of Bill’s death. I hope that you will accept my most sincere sympathy and condolences. Bill was such a well-liked person and it is difficult to accept that he is not with us any longer.
If there is anything I can do for you at this difficult time, please let me know.
Sincerely,

Simple religious sentiments may also be appropriate if you knew the colleague had faith. For example:

  • They / You are in my thoughts and prayers.
  • May God bless you and your family during this time.
  • May the comfort of God help you during this difficult time.
  • Kevin’s kind soul and giving spirit touched so many and will never be forgotten.
  • May God watch over your family during your time of need.

Alternate expressions to use for ‘death’

  • I’m sorry for your loss.
  • I understand that your ________ recently passed away.
  • I hope that ________is now at peace. ( for someone who had illness before death)
  • I would like to extend my sympathies for your recent bereavement.

Writing a condolence email can be a sensitive topic. By using the tips and phrases above, you can make sure your condolence emails are as thoughtful and professional as possible.  For more help with improving your writing at work, click here.

Head, Hand & Heart: 3 elements all presentations need

Every presentation is different. Or is it? In this short video, Chris Slattery, Managing Director and training enthusiast, outlines the three elements all presenters need to keep in mind to make sure their presentations runs well. By keeping the key elements of head, hand and heart in mind even the most inexperienced presenter can deliver a clear and memorable message.

Discover more about how we integrate the Head, Hand and Heart model into our seminars here.

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. 

 

 

Meeting Rules: Mobile Phones and Laptops

Does your company have clear meeting rules?

While some organizations have clear policies about whether laptops and mobile phones can be used during meetings, in other companies the rules were never established or have been allowed to grow relaxed. Ask a group of professionals what they think about this issue and you’re bound to get a mixed response. Some people will say these devices should be banned from every meeting with no exceptions; some will say they don’t see any problem with using them in meetings; others will say that remaining in touch is an absolute business necessity. We’re not here to tell you how to run your meetings. We are here, however, to bring your attention to the fact that you need to have clear meeting rules on this issue, regardless of how you decide to handle it.

3 Dangers of not having clear meeting rules for mobile phones/laptops

  1. There’s not a unified approach to the meeting – In previous posts, we’ve discussed the importance of setting ground rules for your meeting. Mobile phones and laptops should definitely be addressed when you set the ground rules along with your team.
  2. There’s a chance some colleagues might be unhappy – If a member of your team is strongly against the use of laptops and mobiles in meetings, they should have a chance to discuss the issue with their colleagues. In the end, a conversation about the situation might highlight key issues. What if, for example, one colleague has responsibilities that force him or her to be in contact with another group of people at the same time as your meeting?
  3. You’re not as efficient as you could be – While we’ve stated that it may be necessary for some people to be in contact all the time, the fact is that when someone’s attention is divided between the meeting they’re in and their laptop screen, they’re not completely focused on the matter at hand.

3 Ways for your team to deal with the issue

  1. Establish a total ban – This might not be a popular approach, but it solves the problem permanently. This means all mobile phones and laptops are switched off and put away, out of sight.
  2. Ask colleagues who absolutely must take a call or send an email to leave the room – This is probably a healthy compromise, but the risk is that attendees will still spend the entire meeting checking their phone or laptop, even if they don’t make any calls or send any emails.
  3. Put an “email break” on the agenda of longer meetings – This doesn’t take care of urgent phone calls or emails, but can probably satisfy even the most hardcore smartphone and email addicts.

3 Outcomes of establishing meeting rules

  1. You display leadership – Setting ground rules and then sticking to them is key to running meetings that really work. When you take charge effectively and suggest solutions, the members of the group will feel more committed to working together with you as the leader of the meeting.
  2. You save time – A few minutes spent discussing this issue now can potentially save a lot of time (and problems) later.
  3. You ensure everyone is on the same page – Without the chance to discuss opinions, small disagreements about issues like these can turn into bigger problems. A unified team will ultimately work better together over time.

Having clear meeting rules will help everyone focused on the topic and not distracted by calls and emails. Let us know what has worked for you in the comments area below.  Click here for more information on how to make your meetings run more smoothly.

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:

Presentation slides: 4 Keys to Keeping Attention

4 Keys to good presentation slides

Creating presentation slides that summarize your points but still keep your audience’s attention isn’t easy. Ever try talking to someone who is busy reading a book? It’s not easy to get and hold their attention, is it? This is what happens when you stand up to make a presentation and your presentation slides are full of text. The audience will be splitting their attention between trying to read and trying to listen. You should keep your text to a minimum, and never just read from your presentation slides. So, to ensure that your slides support your message rather than distracting from it, here are a few tips.

1.bmp3 main points per slide, one sentence per point. If there is too much information on the slides, your audience will not be able to concentrate on what you are saying as they will be trying to read the slides.

 

2Slides should NEVER include paragraphs.  You are the presenter; the slides support you, not the other way around.  If you need a lot of text, you should be sending a report or email. They should not contain information that the speaker or audience needs to spend time reading.  This information can be included in the handouts.

387% of the information we process is through what we see, 9% is through what we hear and 4% is from other senses1.  If you want people to listen to what you are saying and to understand it, don’t ask them to read at the same time.  If you want them to read, perhaps you should email them a report instead.

4When you want to talk, try adding a blank slide into your presentation – they will have nothing else to look at so they’ll concentrate on you.

 

 

Remember

Your presentation slides support your message, they don’t tell the whole story for you! Let us know what has worked for you in the comments area below.

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[1] Sheldon Press; Pease, Alan; “Body Language, How to read others thoughts by their gestures”

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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Setting Goals: 8 Ideas to Ensure Effectiveness

8 Ideas to ensure you are setting goals that are effective

Setting goals is a large part of any manager’s job. If you are going to spend the time setting goals, make sure that they are going to be effective. We all know about SMART goals, but what about effective goals?

1.  Linked to business priorities

Your goals should:

  • be linked to the bigger goals of your organization or to key elements of your business strategy
  • solve a particular short-term problem which is “urgent but not important”
2.  Linked to results, not activities

Also expressed as “should be related to the job’s outputs, not inputs”, or “concerned with ends and not means”.

  • An activity: “conduct six training sessions for First Aiders on site”
  • A result: “train six First Aiders so that they pass the basic examinations by June 6th”
3.  Measurable and specific

Objectives should state clearly “how much”, “by what date”, “how well”, “at what cost”, “with what degree of accuracy”, “compared to what”. This is obviously easier for some jobs than for others. Even for service-orientated jobs, (always difficult to quantify) it is often possible to identify some valid performance indicators on which objectives can be based.

4.  Challenging – but attainable

Objectives should certainly be stretching, challenging and “developmental”. However, unattainable objectives will prove very de-motivating – even if you were the individual who originally proposed them. Keep an eye out for self-imposed objectives which are over-ambitious!

5.  Matching experience and capability

Objectives should not only be based on business goals, but should also be tailor-made for each individual. These should take into account their personal experience, skills, knowledge, planned development, etc.

6.  Updated

If changes outside the job-holder’s control occur which make the objectives significantly more or less achievable, the objectives should be reviewed and updated. Failing to do so leads to total cynicism about the whole principle of objective-setting and recognizing good or bad performance.

7.  Number of objectives

It is easy to set too many objectives. This could lead to priorities that aren’t clear for either party, as well as attention and focus that is diluted. There is no universally “correct” number – this will vary from job to job. When in doubt, aim for fewer rather than more.

8.  Compatible upwards/downwards/sideways

Check that each individual’s set of objectives is compatible with others. These should aligned with the manager’s own objectives, those of the job-holder’s colleagues and their subordinates.

Remember

The more effective you are at setting goals, the more chance you have of achieving what your business really needs to achieve! Want to know more about setting goals as well as working more efficiently and effectively?  Click here.

 

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.

Asking Good Questions in Presentations

3 Quick tips on asking good questions in presentations

Asking good questions during a presentation can be difficult. If you haven’t understood a point in the presentation, it is likely that other people in the audience will be thinking the same as you. You don’t want to leave the presentation with a question mark in your head so it is important to ask your question. Other people in the audience will likely be pleased that you have asked.  Here are 3 quick tips on asking good questions in presentations.

1.  Prepare

Write your question down before you ask it. This will allow you to reflect on your question before you ask it, as well as giving you time to check to see if it is understandable.  Also, some questions sound good at first, but you may reconsider asking them after a minute of thought.

2.  Provide context

Some presentations are long and your question may be related to a topic covered 10 minutes ago. Provide some context of what the topic was or what point you are addressing. This will help both the person who is answering the question and the rest of the audience understand what you are talking about.  It also shows that you have been paying attention and are following the presentation.Contact us now

3.  One question

Try to ask just one question instead of clustering your questions. If you ask a lot of questions all at the same time, it can confuse the presenter and you probably won’t get the detailed response you are looking for.  If you have a two or three part question, wait until the presenter answers the first question and then ask your next question.  They may answer your second question in their first answer.

If you have any more tips on asking good questions in presentations, please let us know in the comments section 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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Presentation Introductions for Beginners: The 3 Ps

Presentation introductions for beginners

Do the thoughts of presentation introductions make you nervous? Does the idea of speaking in front of people make your mouth go dry? Well keep reading …
If you are nervous about presenting in English, making effective presentation introductions is especially important.  Effective presentation introductions will help your audience know what to expect and it will help you feel confident. Once you’ve started well it is easier to keep going – and don’t forget that your audience is there to listen to what you have to say and not your English.

The 3Ps

A colleague shared this simple technique with me, and it always works. When you are presenting in English (or in any language) your introduction needs to answer three questions:Contact us now

  1. Why are you standing there presenting? What is the purpose of your presentation?
  2. What are the steps in your presentation? What is the process you will follow?
  3. Why should your audience listen to you?  What is their payoff?

It doesn’t matter if you are introducing your team, presenting a process or giving an update on a project – the structure is the same. The 3Ps help you remember this structure, and if it helps you when you are nervous, why not use the three keywords?

An example of the 3Ps in action

“Good afternoon and thank you for coming.  The purpose of my presentation today is to update you on the factory acceptance test.  The process I will follow is to first review the agreed schedule, then talk about the tools we are using and finally we will look at two problems we have found and how we will solve them.  This will take me 10 minutes. Why should you listen?  Well, your payoff is that you will be confident that we can complete the FAT on schedule and that everything is under control.”

If you follow this structure your presentation introductions will be simple, clear and effective.  Most importantly you can concentrate on what you want to say, and stop worrying about the English.
Good luck, and let me know how it works for you in the comments area below.

 

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.