Top 10 tips for negotiation success

1. Respect the negotiation process and give it your full attention.

2. Remember that negotiation is a two-way process. You only ever know half the story.

3. Ask questions to help you build up a picture of the issues from your client and the other party.

4. Read people's body language as well as listening to what they say.

5. Good preparation is essential for effective negotiation. Research the law, understand the issue, be clear on your client's objectives and construct a plan.

6. Hold firm to your principles, but only if those principles can be objectively defended.

7. Don't let yourself be intimidated by a particularly aggressive negotiator. They are only doing their job.

8. Be prepared to compromise, but stay consistent.

9. Be prepared to walk away if the deal is unacceptable.

10. Reflect critically on the process and outcomes so you can learn from the experience.

Divide the list of adjectives in the box into two groups – characteristics of good communicators and bad communicators. Explain your choice.

 

Tactful Abrupt Blunt Direct Open Reserved Approachable Expressive

Arrogant Articulate Argumentative Tolerant Understanding Opinionated Straightforward Outspoken

 

Match the idiomatic expressions with sentences. Then replace the relevant words in each sentence with the expressions.

A. get to the point

B. clear the air

C. get the wrong end of the stick

D. bring something up

E. get through to someone

F. rub someone the wrong way

G. point something out

 

1. It’s so frustrating talking to her! It takes her for ages to say what she is really trying to say.

2. I’m really glad we’ve discussed that. I feel much better about it now.

3. I couldn’t make him understand what I wanted.

4. I thought it best to tell them what the disadvantages would be.

5. When he started talking about style I thought he meant those things you climb over between fields in the country…

6. In the meeting I decided to start talking about the sensitive issue of staff cuts.

7. I don’t know why, but he always manages to irritate or offend me whatever he does; maybe it’s his manner.

 

 

 

 

UNIT 4 TELEPHONE ENGLISH

I Background

 

A telephone call is a purposeful activity. Your caller will have some objective in mind and you will need to elicit this objective as quickly and as clearly as possible. In a simple information-seeking call, all you need to do is ask for the caller's name, address, telephone and fax numbers. However, in more complex situations, you need to develop your questioning techniques so that you obtain the facts. For example, poor phone skills at work can decrease an employee's chance for advancement or a pay raise. First, one may have to answer a want ad with a call to the company. This call might involve answering questions, obtaining information about the job, and finding out where and how to apply for the position. Second, following an interview or submission of an application, the applicant should follow up with a phone call to ask about the status of the position.

Telephone conversations, especially business telephone conversations, also follow certain patterns:

Someone answers the phone and asks if he /she can help.

The caller makes a request - either to be connected to someone or for information.

The caller is connected, given information or told that he /she is not in the office at the moment.

If the person who is requested is not in the office, the caller is asked to leave a message.

The caller leaves a message or asks other questions.

The phone call finishes.

Problems

One of the biggest problems is speed. Native speakers, especially business people, tend to speak very quickly on the telephone. Immediately ask the person to speak slowly. When taking note of a name or important information, repeat each piece of information as the person speaks. By repeating each important piece of information or each number or letter as the spell or give you a telephone number you automatically slow the speaker down. Do not say you have understood if you have not. Ask the person to repeat until you have understood. If appropriate, repeat what the caller has said.

Reframe any negative statements into solution-oriented ones. Stay calm. If the customer needs to vent, don’t jump to the solution too quickly. The caller may not be ready to listen to you yet.

Sometimes, there may not be anyone to answer the telephone and you will need to leave a message. Follow this outline to make sure that the person who should receive your message has all the information he/she needs: 1. Introduction (Hello, this is...); 2. Stating the time of day and your reason for calling (It's ten in the morning. I'm phoning (calling, ringing) to find out if... / to see if...); 3. Making a request (Could you call (ring, telephone) me back?/ Leave your telephone number... /Call me at...); 4. Finish (Thanks a lot, bye. / I'll talk to you later, bye).

II Practice and Experience

Part 1 Answering the phone

1.How do you answer the phone? Tick what you do.

1 greet the caller 4 say your department’s name

2 say your name 5 say your telephone number

3 say your company’s name 6 offer to help the caller

2. Underline the most suitable phrases in italics in this conversation.

RECEPTION (1) Ready / Hello. Sales. (2) Can I help you? / What do you want?

RAY Yes. (3) Give me / Can I speak to Vitaliy Smirnov, please?

RECEPTION Certainly. One moment.

VITALIY Hello. (4) Thirty-three, ninety-two, seventeen./Three four nine, two one seven.

Vitaliy Smirnov (5) speaking / talking.

RAY Hi Vitaliy. (6) I am / It’s Ray Graham here.

VITALIY Oh Ray. Nice to hear from you again. How are you?

 

3. Read these telephone numbers.

Note we say telephone numbers in groups of two or groups of three. For 0 say zero or oh. For 22 we can also say double two.

1. 0708 567 8493 4 00 39 050 364 478

2. 0770 336 3309 5 010 350 114 5794

3. 00 44 207 657 7467