Trainingsbuch Business English E-Book

Bob Dignen

• Herausgeber: Haufe Lexware
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: Haufe Fachbuch
• Sprache: Deutsch

Seitenzahl: 380

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Einen Vortrag auf Englisch halten? Meetings organisieren, E-Mails versenden, Kontakte pflegen – und das alles in perfektem Business-Englisch? Redewendungen korrekt ins Gespräch einfließen lassen und dabei regionale Gepflogenheiten beachten? Mit diesem umfassenden Werk gelingt es Ihnen, ihr Englisch zu verbessern und sich selbstsicher auf dem internationalen Parkett zu bewegen. Lernen Sie die wichtigsten englischen Vokabeln für den Arbeitsalltag und verleihen Sie Ihrer Aussprache den letzten Schliff! Der richtige Ausdruck im entscheidenden Moment kann viel bewirken. Mit diesem Englisch-Buch sorgen Sie dafür, dass Ihnen nie mehr die Worte fehlen! Wichtige Textbausteine, nützliche Phrasen und Vokabeln sind übersichtlich und thematisch sortiert aufgelistet. Dabei wird auch zwischen britischem und amerikanischem Englisch unterschieden – schließlich bestimmen oft Kleinigkeiten den Ausgang einer Verhandlung. Auf Englisch erfolgreich Geschäfte anbahnen, in Kontakt bleiben und Meetings führen – mit diesem Buch gelingt es Ihnen! Inhalte: - Lesen und Üben zugleich: Das ganze Buch ist in leicht verständlichem Englisch verfasst - Telefonieren in englischer Sprache: wichtige Phrasen und Tipps bei unerwarteten Anrufen - Eine Verhandlung auf Englisch führen: Wie Sie bei Meetings punkten - Von der Anrede bis zur Verabschiedung: englische E-Mails schreiben leicht gemacht - Kulturelle Unterschiede und false Friends: So vermeiden Sie typische Fehler - Mit korrektem Business-English zum Erfolg: trotz Fremdsprache klar kommunizieren Die digitale und kostenfreie Ergänzung zu Ihrem Buch auf myBook+: - Zugriff auf ergänzende Materialien und Inhalte - E-Book direkt online lesen im Browser - Persönliche Fachbibliothek mit Ihren Büchern Jetzt nutzen auf mybookplus.de.  

Leseprobe

[7]Inhaltsverzeichnis

Hinweis zum UrheberrechtCopyright PageWho this book is forHow to use this book1 Introduction1.1 Not just language1.2 What makes communication difficult?1.3 Communicating across cultures1.4 Assess your communication skillsPart 1: Fundamentals of communication2 Getting your message across2.1 Ask yourself2.2 Thinking about communication2.3 Strategies for getting your message across2.4 Language phrases: what should you say?2.5 Exercises3 Listening effectively3.1 Ask yourself3.2 Thinking about listening3.3 What is your typical listening style?3.4 Strategies for effective listening3.5 Language phrases: what should you say?3.6 Exercises4 Dealing with different communication styles4.1 Ask yourself4.2 Thinking about communication styles4.3 Strategies for dealing with communication styles4.4 Language phrases: what should you say?4.5 Exercises5 Managing your mindset5.1 Ask yourself5.2 Thinking about mindsets5.3 Strategies for managing your mindset5.4 The “D.I.E.” model of thinking5.5 Developing a positive mindset5.6 Language phrases: what should you say?5.7 ExercisesPart 2: Essential skills for international teamsForming relationships6 Networking for success6.1 Ask yourself6.2 Thinking about networking6.3 Strategies for networking6.4 Language phrases: what should you say?6.5 Exercises7 Building trust7.1 Ask yourself7.2 Thinking about trust7.3 Strategies for building trust7.4 Language phrases: what should you say?7.5 Exercises8 Creating a team culture8.1 Ask yourself8.2 Thinking about team culture8.3 Strategies for building a team culture8.4 Language phrases: what should you say?8.5 Exercises9 Dealing with “difficult” people9.1 Ask yourself9.2 Thinking about “difficult” people9.3 Strategies for dealing with “difficult” people9.4 Language phrases: what should you say?9.5 ExercisesBuilding teams10 Defining roles10.1 Ask yourself10.2 Thinking about roles10.3 Strategies for defining roles10.4 Language phrases: what should you say?10.5 Exercises11 Setting priorities11.1 Ask yourself11.2 Thinking about priorities11.3 Strategies for setting priorities11.4 Language phrases: what should you say?11.5 Exercises12 Making decisions12.1 Ask yourself12.2 Thinking about decisions12.3 Leadership and decision-making12.4 Strategies for making better decisions12.5 Language phrases: what should you say?12.6 Exercises13 Working in hybrid teams13.1 Ask yourself13.2 Thinking about hybrid working13.3 Advantages and disadvantages13.4 Key factors for successful hybrid teams13.5 Language phrases: what should you say?13.6 ExercisesLeading people14 Understanding leadership14.1 Ask yourself14.2 Thinking about leadership14.3 Strategies for effective leadership14.4 Language phrases: what should you say?14.5 Exercises15 Influencing others15.1 Ask yourself15.2 Thinking about influencing15.3 Strategies for effective two-way influencing15.4 Language phrases: what should you say?15.5 Exercises16 Taking care of your team16.1 Ask yourself16.2 Thinking about caring16.3 Dimensions of caring16.4 Strategies for caring16.5 Language phrases: what should you say?16.6 Exercises17 Sharing leadership17.1 Ask yourself17.2 Thinking about shared leadership17.3 Strategies for effective shared leadership17.4 Language phrases: what should you say?17.5 ExercisesImproving collaboration18 Enabling team performance18.1 Ask yourself18.2 Thinking about team performance18.3 Strategies for enabling team performance18.4 Language phrases: what should you say?18.5 Exercises19 Giving and receiving feedback19.1 Ask yourself19.2 Thinking about feedback19.3 Strategies for giving feedback19.4 Strategies for receiving feedback19.5 Language phrases: what should you say?19.6 Exercises20 Coaching to empower20.1 Ask yourself20.2 Thinking about coaching20.3 The fundamentals of coaching20.4 Strategies for successful coaching20.5 Language phrases: what should you say?20.6 Exercises21 Increasing creativity21.1 Ask yourself21.2 Thinking about creativity21.3 Strategies for increasing creativity21.4 Language phrases: what should you say?21.5 ExercisesResolving challenges22 Dealing with conflict22.1 Ask yourself22.2 Thinking about conflict22.3 Strategies for managing conflict22.4 Language phrases: what should you say?22.5 Exercises23 Managing change23.1 Ask yourself23.2 Thinking about change23.3 Strategies for managing change23.4 Language phrases: what should you say?23.5 Exercises24 Handling risk24.1 Ask yourself24.2 Thinking about risk24.3 Strategies for managing risk24.4 Language phrases: what should you say?24.5 Exercises25 Navigating disorganization25.1 Ask yourself25.2 Thinking about organizations25.3 Strategies for navigating disorganization25.4 Language phrases: what should you say?25.5 ExercisesPart 3: Phrases for key business situations26 Professional socializing26.1 Introductions and small talk26.2 Responding politely26.3 Talking about your work26.4 Socializing in a restaurant26.5 Saying goodbye27 Meetings27.1 Getting started27.2 Facilitating the discussion27.3 Exchanging opinions27.4 Making decisions27.5 Concluding28 Presentations28.1 Getting started28.2 Structuring your presentation28.3 Engaging the audience28.4 Closing your presentation28.5 Handling questions29 Negotiations29.1 Agreeing on the agenda29.2 Explaining positions29.3 Understanding positions29.4 Bargaining29.5 Closing the deal30 Writing30.1 Starting and closing30.2 Essential phrases30.3 Linking words/phrasesAnswers to the exercisesThe authorsDigital Extras

[1]

Hinweis zum Urheberrecht:

Alle Inhalte dieses eBooks sind urheberrechtlich geschützt.

Bitte respektieren Sie die Rechte der Autorinnen und Autoren, indem Sie keine ungenehmigten Kopien in Umlauf bringen.

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Haufe Lexware GmbH & Co KG

[6]Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek

Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.dnb.de/ abrufbar.

Print:

ISBN 978-3-648-16932-2

Bestell-Nr. 10949-0001

ePub:

ISBN 978-3-648-16933-9

Bestell-Nr. 10949-0100

ePDF:

ISBN 978-3-648-16934-6

Bestell-Nr. 10949-0150

Bob Dignen/Ian McMaster

Trainingsbuch Business English

1. Auflage, Juni 2023

© 2023 Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KG, Freiburg

www.haufe.de

[email protected]

Bildnachweis (Cover): iStock.com/PeopleImages

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[13]Who this book is for

This book is a practical guide for people who want to improve their communication skills in English for working internationally. It will also be very useful to those teaching, training or coaching such people.

Whether you are collaborating with international colleagues in your own organization’s offices or working with colleagues, customers and suppliers in different parts of the world, this book will help you to build better relationships and achieve better results.

The book contains ideas drawn from over twenty years of experience training and coaching a wide range of professionals in highly diverse international contexts. It provides powerful insights into key success factors for communicating and collaborating internationally.

Relevant for everyone

The contents of this book will be relevant not only for those in leadership roles, or those who have worked internationally for many years, but also for individuals starting out in professional life.

The book assumes a solid knowledge of the English language, which includes the fundamentals of grammar and a core professional vocabulary. Through its combination of useful tips and key phrases, the book will help you to gain greater confidence in using English to manage key work situations.

For example, you will become more effective at getting your message across clearly in meetings, influencing discussions and decisions, managing conflicts and giving feedback to others, whether working face-to-face or remotely.

Manage relationships and achieve results

Put simply, if you want to manage your work relationships and achieve results more efficiently and effectively when using English, then this book is essential for you.

We are also confident that the advice in the book will help you to communicate more effectively in your own language — in both your private and professional life.

We hope you find this book both useful and enjoyable. You will learn in these pages that feedback is a key part of working effectively. This is true for us as well, so we look forward very much to receiving your feedback via LinkedIn.

Bob Dignen, Ian McMaster

[15]How to use this book

This book is intended to be a practical handbook that will help you to develop your core communication skills for working internationally. It will enable you to handle as effectively as possible the challenges you face collaborating in everyday situations at work.

The book has three main sections:

Part 1: This section looks at the fundamentals of communication for working internationally. These include how to get your message across, how to listen effectively and how to work with people with different communication styles.Part 2: This section looks at twenty important areas of teamwork, grouped into five sections: forming relationships, building teams, leading people, improving collaboration and resolving challenges.

Each chapter in these first two parts includes a real-life “critical incident” for you to analyse and think about solutions to, tips for effective behaviour and useful phrases for implementing this behaviour. There are also exercises to help you to consolidate and develop your English as you go. The answers to these exercises can be found at the back of the book.

Part 3: This section includes useful phrases for five key business situations: professional socializing, meetings, presentations, negotiations and writing.

Ways to use the book

There are many ways — some more traditional, some more innovative — that you can use this book to help you (and others) to perform more effectively at work. Here are a few ideas that you may find useful.

a) Learning the classical way

The most traditional approach would be to work your way through the book from beginning to end. As you read, take notes on ideas that you find useful. Read quickly over the parts that feel familiar and that confirm what you already know. Take your time when you come across new ideas. As you read, think hard about how you could implement the tips, so that when you finish reading, you are ready to put the ideas into practice.

b) Finding solutions on demand

A more pragmatic approach to using this book is to think of it as a manual. So, when something goes wrong at work — a relationship becomes problematic, you have to take a difficult decision, you need to influence a customer — you can go to the relevant chapter for ideas and inspiration on how to handle this specific challenge.

[16]c) Reflecting on your week

Reflection is an important process in learning. It involves taking the time to stop and think about what happened in a specific situation. Who said what? How did everyone feel? What was the outcome? How could things have been handled differently? Most people don’t make time for reflection and, as a result, they slow down their learning process. So, take thirty minutes at the end of every working week to think about the communication challenges you faced that week. Identify some areas that you think could have gone better — an email, a presentation, a discussion about a decision — and check out the relevant chapter as a way to enrich your learning process.

d) Developing others

One of the most important things for leaders to do is to support the growth and development of others. This book can help you to do that. For example, you could ask team members to read specific chapters of the book that are particularly relevant for them. Then hold a short “learning” meeting with them to ask for their thoughts and takeaways on the content. You can use these short learning sessions to help people to create mini personal development plans to improve their critical communication skills.

e) Focusing on team building

In addition to helping individual team members to develop, team leaders also have to focus on team building. The aim is to get everyone to cooperate and to build a strong performance culture based on open and effective communication. You can use this book collectively with your team, reading chapters together, discussing insights and agreeing on what could be implemented by the team to support higher performance.

For example, everyone could be asked to read Chapter 19 on giving and receiving feedback. You can then hold a learning meeting with the team and ask the simple question: “Based on the insights of this chapter, how shall we practise feedback in our team?” This will generate a discussion, during which expectations can be clarified about what feedback means, who gives it and how, when and how often it should be given. This method of co-creating a team culture can help to improve team performance significantly.

Over to you

No matter how you use this book, make sure that you enjoy the experience and customize the ideas to your specific needs and contexts.

[17]1Introduction

Many people who use English as a second language for international communication believe that simply by learning more English — improving their grammar and increasing their vocabulary — they will be able to communicate effectively. In other words, they believe that their main challenge when communicating internationally is a question of language.

If this were true, we might expect to find that native speakers of English are the best international communicators. Yet they are often the worst: speaking too quickly and unclearly, and using too many complex words and idioms. They also often dominate conversations with their non-native speaker colleagues, who then struggle to follow and to find the time and confidence to speak.

1.1Not just language

There are, of course, language-related challenges for people who use English as a second language for international collaboration. And, naturally, these can increase the risk of misunderstanding.

But language is not the only problematic factor, and at times it may not be the most significant one. Many of the challenges of international communication have nothing to do with people having different language backgrounds. They are fundamental human challenges that we also face with colleagues, friends and family even when we share a common mother tongue.

Working internationally — with people we don’t know well and with whom we often communicate virtually — can increase these challenges but it doesn’t change their fundamental nature.

To become an excellent international communicator, it is important to think beyond language and to consider a range of factors that can create communication challenges. When we understand these, we can put in place solutions to make communication function more effectively.

[18]1.2What makes communication difficult?

There are various things that can make communication difficult, particularly when we are working internationally.

a) Different experiences and beliefs

When we work with people who come from very different places and backgrounds, we often struggle to understand each other because our starting points are so diverse. We have had different life experiences, which can mean we have opposing beliefs and values. We may have a different way of expressing the same thing. We probably have different levels of professional competence. We are also likely to have different priorities in our local work situations. These differences mean that we will struggle to understand each other.

b) Quick assumptions

We often like to think of ourselves as being tolerant when working with those from different backgrounds. When working in a high-pressure business context, however, most of us lack patience and openness. We tend to judge others too quickly and too harshly if they don’t meet our expectations of professionalism — for example, if they are slow responding to an email or communicate in a way that we see as too direct. In other words, one of the greatest challenges to communicating and collaborating internationally is our own attitude. We become our own challenge. It’s important therefore to stay positive, manage any negative emotions we feel and work hard to remain patient and supportive towards others at all times.

c) Poor relationships

Generally, we don’t know international colleagues as well as we know the people who sit next to us in our own office. We see them less often. We spend less time with them. We are not as close emotionally. As a result, we find it more difficult to know what they really mean when they communicate with us. Many of the problems that we associate with working internationally come down to the simple fact that two strangers are communicating with each other who have not invested enough time to enable deep mutual understanding.

d) High workloads

People working internationally are usually very busy — often too busy. So, if we send an email asking someone to do something, the fact that we receive no reply is not necessarily the result of the other person’s poor communication style or bad attitude. It may simply be that they are too busy. Indeed, many communication problems are caused by organizational, not people factors — dimensions such as time pressure, high workloads, technical problems and a lack of resources. If we keep in mind this bigger organizational picture, we will be less likely to blame others, which itself damages relationships and undermines collaboration.

[19]e) Different communication styles

When working internationally, there is sometimes a conflict of communication styles and around expectations of what is effective communication. For example, what we think of as clear, honest and focused communication might be too direct, confrontational and even unprofessional for another person. What for us is a consultative and inclusive discussion may be an inefficient way of making decisions for someone else. And when someone asks us “How are you?”, as an effort to be polite, we could see the other person as wasting our time when we have important tasks to do.

It is very difficult to communicate in the right way for everybody. This means we need to be senstive and flexible, and develop the skills to interact with others using a style of communication that is perhaps very different to our natural one.

f) The leader in the background

When we communicate virtually with people in another country, we need to remember that we are not simply communicating with this person’s personality. We are communicating with them as a professional, someone who is performing a role managed by a leader in the background. In other words, the behaviour we experience may be highly influenced by the other person’s relationship with their boss and their sense of professional duty.

This means that if a person is not cooperating fully with us, it might be because their boss wants them to focus on a local priority. Perhaps their boss has a problem with our boss, which can make it difficult for the team members to interact openly and easily. Politics are often in play in large organizations. We should always make an effort to understand the background of the people we are working with, their role, their manager and their local working pressures.

g) Language issues

Language issues can, of course, present difficulties when we are working internationally. Often the challenge is not inaccurate grammar or problems with vocabulary as such. More fundamentally, it’s that people are often less clear when they speak a foreign language. They may have to say what they can say rather than what they truly want to say.

This is similar with respect to listening. People’s comprehension of what has been said is often lower. Decoding another person’s meaning and intention is more difficult in a foreign language. The solution to this problem is, of course, to improve your English. However, this is a longer-term goal and insufficient as a solution. Additionally, we need to change the way that we speak and listen. We should make sure that, as far as possible, we are understandable when we speak and that we understand others correctly when we listen. Specific techniques for this are explained in this book.

[20]h) A first word about culture

“Culture” is a complex concept and there is still no clear consensus among experts about its correct definition. Fundamentally, it’s important to think about culture in two ways: first, understanding culture (building up your knowledge of how others are different from you), and second, managing culture (developing the skills to manage differences effectively).

In this book, we will look at both approaches, but we focus much more on managing culture. This means developing a mindset of patience, tolerance and openness to diversity. It also means developing a range of behaviours to handle different situations flexibly. This requires that we think more consciously about key communication processes such as team building, managing conflict, and giving and receiving feedback. Taking thoughtful decisions about how best to communicate can help to overcome and avoid any problems that diversity can bring to collaboration.

Remember: With challenges also come opportunities. Working with people who are very different from us — with diverse beliefs and working styles — provides a motivating and enriching working landscape in which we can develop new skills more quickly. Focusing on the opportunities in front of us is a key element of intercultural competence.

1.3Communicating across cultures

Most people who work internationally see national cultural differences as one of the major challenges they face — and as a potential barrier to communicating and collaborating effectively. This is why books about national cultural differences sell so well, and why courses with titles such as “Working with Americans” or “Doing business in China” remain popular.

What is culture exactly?

It is essential to understand that the term “culture” refers to much more than national culture. There are many other types of culture: regional, local, organizational, departmental, team, generational, gender, political, religious and so on. As individuals, we are members of many large and smaller group cultures that combine with each other and blend with our unique personality and common humanity to form our identity. It is vital to acknowledge that identity is complex and has many layers. Overemphasizing membership of one particular culture and explaining specific behaviour on the basis of this culture — “Doug is direct because he’s American” — is stereotyping.

Thinking about stereotypes

We often hear people say that we shouldn’t stereotype. But there is a problem with this standpoint because we cannot not stereotype, at least to some extent. General[21]izing and assuming are things the human brain does very naturally, which provides a useful shortcut in many situations. It helps us to avoid having to overthink every decision and conclusion.

The smart thing to do is to realize that we do stereotype, to notice when we are stereotyping, and to stop and make ourselves think twice about these kinds of assumptions. In other words, we need to consciously think about our thinking, and to engage more thoughtfully with the complex reality around us.

For example, you might think: “Maybe Doug is being direct today because he is in a bad mood. Or maybe he is very passionate about this subject. Maybe it’s urgent. Or maybe it’s not Doug, it’s me. Maybe the problem is that I am very indirect.” Thinking about our own thinking is perhaps the most critical intercultural competence.

Which dimensions of culture matter?

A number of writers have researched intercultural differences at the level of national culture. Although this has sometimes led to national cultural differences being overgeneralized, the research has highlighted interesting areas of difference that we should watch out for when working internationally. Unless these differences are managed well, they can lead to conflict. Here are six key areas that we need to ask ourselves questions about when working with others:

Leadership. Do they have a preference for a top-down directive style of leadership or do they prefer a bottom-up coaching style?Teams. Do they prefer having clear roles and responsibilities or are they happy with fuzzy roles and responsibilities that foster collaboration?Organization. Do they like to be part of a very clear structure or do they prefer more flexible (“agile”) forms of collaboration?Communication. Is their communication style generally direct or indirect?Relationships. Do they like to get down to business straight away or do they prefer to invest time in getting to know people and connecting emotionally?Time. Is punctuality essential to them or are they more relaxed about deadlines and schedules?

By observing how others like to operate in these six areas, and comparing this with your own preferences, you can begin to generate solutions as to how you might best collaborate. You can also explore these ideas in Chapter 8 when we look at how to build a team culture.

Managing cultural diversity

Many people, when you ask them how to deal with cultural differences, respond with the idea of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. In other words, they think the best strategy is to adapt our behaviour to match the behaviour of others. Yet this is only one [22]possible strategy. Here are five possibilities, listed from “A” to “E”. As you read them, try to think of situations in which each might be the most suitable strategy.

Adapt. Change your behaviour to match the style of the other person. If they wish to start the scheduled 9.00 meeting at 9.30, you are happy to start at 9.30.

Blend. Mix the two expectations and create a new cocktail. If you mix 9.00 and 9.30, you could decide to start the meeting at 9.15.

Co-create. Here, you forget where you come from and decide on a new rule based on the current situation. For example, if you have a lot of work to do, you could collectively agree to start at 8.30.

Divide. This strategy involves locational flexibility. When you visit their office, you agree to start at 9.30. When they visit your office, you start at 9.00.

Enforce. If you are the team leader, you may decide to impose your authority and say the meeting starts at 9.00.

Are there other strategies that can you think of beyond these five?

Is cultural diversity an advantage or a disadvantage?

Research into diverse teams at work is not fully conclusive. But many people believe the research shows us that diversity is an advantage. Put simply, the more diverse opinions and suggestions we have as to how to solve a problem, the more likely it is that we will get the best creative solution.

Greater diversity, on the other hand, may mean that we need more time to make decisions. It might also mean that we experience more disagreement, even conflict. In the end, the value of diversity will depend on the situation. But having a greater number of different minds looking at a problem does, in principle, offer greater potential to discover the best solutions.

1.4Assess your communication skills

Before you read further in the book, take a few minutes to complete the following self-assessment regarding your communication skills. This is important for several reasons:

It will help you to identify which aspects of communication you see as your strengths. This is important, as focusing too much on weaknesses can lead to an unnecessary lack of confidence. You need to know what you are good at and play to your strengths.[23]Assessing your skills can also help you to identify the most important development points for your personal growth as a communicator. This will enable you to use this book in the most effective way — for example, jumping directly to the most relevant chapters which can bring the quickest benefits.If you assess yourself today, you can compare these results with a second self-assessment, for example in three or six months’ time. Monitoring yourself across time, and seeing progress with important communication skills, is highly motivating and can help you progress not just in the short term but also in the longer term.In the end, it is much more important to understand how others see you than how you see yourself. Self-assessing is a way of collecting information that you can compare against feedback from others. So, for example, if you score yourself highly as a listener, take that score to a few colleagues, or even a few customers, and ask whether they agree. If they do, you can feel more confident in these relationships. If they don’t, you have great feedback about what you need to improve to become a better communicator. It’s a win-win situation.

Self-assessment

Rate yourself honestly across the dimensions below, scoring yourself on a scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high). When you have finished, reflect on your scores and decide on your top three priorities for development. This will help you decide which chapters of the book to read first.

Communication dimensionsScoreLanguageEnglishHow good are my English-language skills?Fundamentals of communicationSpeakingHow well do I get my message across?ListeningHow effectively do I listen?Communication stylesHow well can I manage different communication styles?MindsetsHow flexible is my mindset when working internationally?Forming relationshipsNetworkingHow much quality time do I invest in networking?TrustHow quickly/easily do I build trust with others?Team cultureHow comfortable am I working within diverse cultures?Difficult peopleHow effectively do I handle “difficult” people?[24]Building teamsRoles, responsibilitiesHow important to me are clear roles/responsibilities?Setting prioritiesHow effectively do I set priorities?Decision-makingHow decisive am I when faced with difficult decisions?Hybrid workingHow well do I handle working in a hybrid team context?Leading PeopleLeadership basicsHow strong is my understanding of leadership?InfluencingHow convincing and persuasive am I?Care and supportHow effectively do I care for and support others in my team?Shared leadershipHow well do I inspire others to take responsibility?Improving collaborationTeam performanceHow good am I at enabling others to perform well?FeedbackHow good am I at giving and getting feedback?CoachingHow effective am I at coaching others?CreativityHow good am I at encouraging creativity in others?Resolving challengesDealing with conflictHow well can I manage conflict?Managing changeHow open am I to change?Handling riskHow effectively do I assess and manage risks?OrganizationHow well do I understand the complexity of my organization?Key business situationsProfessional socializingHow good am I at socializing at work?MeetingsHow effectively do I lead and participate in meetings?PresentationsHow good am I as a presenter?NegotiatingHow strong are my negotiation skills?WritingHow well do I communicate my ideas in writing?

[25]Conclusion

Don’t worry too much about drawing conclusions from your self-assessment. It’s probably too early at this stage. Simply reflect: where do you see your own strengths, what do you most want to improve?

Then you can decide which chapters of the book it makes most sense to begin with. Do you wish to improve one of your strengths or try to work on a weakness? Or do you first want to get some feedback from others in order to test the accuracy of your self-rating before you begin the learning process. It’s up to you to decide how to proceed.

Importantly, make sure you come back to this assessment regularly to reflect on your learning journey. Do you still see yourself in the same way? Are there new learning goals that you can set for yourself?

Remember: You are just starting out on a never-ending journey. And your goal is to establish a commitment to the habit of continuous learning.

[27]Part 1: Fundamentals of communication

[29]2Getting your message across

“The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

George Bernard Shaw, playwright

2.1Ask yourself

Before you read this chapter, take a few moments to think about your answers to these questions. Then compare your answers to the insights from the following critical incident, based on a real-life event, and the ideas in the rest of the chapter.

What can you do to make sure that others understand what you want to say?How would people describe your communication style?What makes you easy or difficult to understand?

Digital extras

Critical incident: Communicating clearly at work

Here is a situation relating to communicating clearly at work. Read through the following text and then answer the questions below. You’ll find suggested answers later in the chapter.

John has been awaiting a proposal for a new marketing campaign from his creative agency for over a week. Jackie, the head of the agency, has written an email promising “a creative first draft for discussion as soon as possible”, to which John has replied “Sounds good!”.

When John finally sees Jackie’s email land in his inbox, he is disappointed to discover an unfinished presentation with a jumble of images with Jackie’s notes about what the campaign might look like.

John is very unhappy. He has to deliver a campaign plan to his own manager later this week, and it looks like Jackie has not committed time to the project. He considers handing the project over to another agency, which he hopes will do a more professional job.

What do you think?

Why is John unhappy?Who is to blame for any misunderstanding that has arisen?What advice would you give to Jackie for future communication with Jack?

[30]Communicating successfully is always a challenge, even when we are speaking with other people who share our mother tongue.

In this chapter, we look at some of the principles underlying effective speaking. We’ll also present some strategies that will help you to become a more effective international communicator and provide useful phrases to implement these strategies.

This chapter gives you the opportunity to reflect on your personal speaking style — and even identify elements of your style that might make it difficult for others to understand you. It will also help you to develop a plan to improve your ability to get your message across.

2.2Thinking about communication

It is very common for people to misunderstand each other. What makes matters worse is that people often don’t realize that a misunderstanding has taken place.

In many cases, we only realize we have not understood each other when it is too late. At this point, the consequences of the misunderstanding can lead people to blame each other rather than think about what they can learn from the experience — and how they can communicate more effectively in the future.

One classical model of the communication process is the “sender-receiver model”. This highlights the fact that listeners always need to interpret what has been said, and the risk is that this interpretation may not correspond to the intention of the speaker. In reality, there is often a “communication gap” between speaker intention and listener interpretation. And we always need to remember that, whatever we say, and however clear our message may feel to us, it will not be so clear to those listening to us.

In fact, various factors can lead to messages being misunderstood. There could, for example, be language reasons: a word can be wrongly used, or perhaps the pronunciation is unclear. Cultural differences, personality factors and aspects of the environment (for example, a poor telephone connection) can also lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations.

2.3Strategies for getting your message across

When talking to someone and trying to be clear, it’s important to be sensitive to the listener’s context. To know how they listen and interpret what you say, you ideally [31]need to fully understand a number of things about them: their level of experience, their needs and perspectives, their specific mood, their general style of listening etc. With this information we can adjust our message in ways that will make it clearer. Fundamentally, this tells us that to speak clearly we may need to listen to others first to build this contextual understanding.

If we have this understanding, and we adapt our speaking, there is a much greater chance that listeners will understand what we want them to and feel motivated to collaborate with us at work. Here are some communication tips to be effective as a speaker:

a) Confirming it’s a good time and place to talk

One of the main reasons why people don’t listen attentively is because it is the wrong time and place. In other words, they don’t have the time, are focusing on another subject or would rather talk to you elsewhere. Check these things before you start.

b) Beginning politely

Having an effective dialogue with someone requires them to give us their full attention and to focus on what we want to say. It is therefore important to request their attention politely, for example by asking whether you can ask them a question or tell them something.

c) Expressing positive intent

Very often people read negative intentions or meanings into what others say. One way to make sure that people don’t do this is to express an explicitly positive intention which makes the message appealing to the listener.

d) Stating the background context clearly

Sometimes we can confuse others if we don’t give them enough background information about what we are saying. Without context, messages are more likely to be misunderstood. For example, if what you want to say relates to a project you and the listener are both working on, you can introduce your comments by saying this.

e) Connecting to the listener’s needs/interests

People will listen more attentively to things that matter to them than to things that don’t. So it is a good idea to connect what we are saying to the listener’s current needs, interests and challenges.

f) Saying what you are not saying

It is also often helpful to say what you are not saying as a way of reducing the probability that listeners will misinterpret our messages. This can be particularly important [32]in cases where the listener might think we are being critical, even when this is not our intention.

g) Showing appreciation of the listener

People who feel appreciated and valued are generally more relaxed as they listen and more open to other people’s ideas. So don’t be afraid to include messages of appreciation or praise in what you are saying.

h) Getting feedback on your communication style

However careful we are, we sometimes speak in a way that is too complex, too detailed, too long-winded or simply too fast for other people. From time to time, it is important to get feedback so that you can adjust your communication style if the listener needs you to.

i) Asking for opinions

One of the best ways to check whether someone has understood your message is to ask them what they think about it. Their answer will tell you not only whether they understood what you said but also their level of interest and engagement.

j) Summarizing and ending positively

Take the time at the end of a conversation to briefly recap the key messages and decisions. By summarizing your discussions in this way, you can ensure that everyone has the same understanding. Also remember to end the conversation positively, for example by explicitly saying that you found the discussion useful.

Conclusion

Successful international communicators use all or most of the strategies described above. In addition, you should try to make sure that you:

Show courage. Non-native speakers often fear that they will make mistakes when speaking English. They may avoid talking about complex topics if they feel they don’t have the language skills to do so. As a result, native speakers often dominate international meetings. Don’t let your fear of making language mistakes keep you from saying what you want to say.Use multiple channels. For example, use email communication to set up phone calls and meetings and to follow-up these discussions. Putting ideas in writing before and after speaking can help to make your messages clearer.Listen first. Make the effort to understand others before you try to deliver your message. This means that when you do decide to speak, you will say something you know is meaningful for them.Seek feedback. Take the time to ask your listeners how clear you were and what you could do to be even clearer. Getting feedback is an important way to improve your speaking skills.

[33]Digital extras

Critical incident feedback: Communicating clearly at work — suggested answers

Here are some suggested answers. Other interpretations are, of course, possible.

John is unhappy because his expectations were not met by the creative agency. He expected the work to be more fully completed, to be of a higher quality and to be ready to submit to his boss at the end of the week.Both parties are to blame for the misunderstanding. Jackie didn’t explain clearly enough what she meant by “a creative first draft” and didn’t enquire as to John’s underlying needs. If she had done so, she would have delivered a higher-quality draft, knowing that she was supporting an urgent submission to John’s boss. John, on the other hand, should also have been clearer regarding his needs and expectations, and should have clarified with Jackie what exactly she meant by “as soon as possible” and “first draft”.Jackie should follow the best practices outlined in this chapter. Importantly, when speaking to a customer, it’s essential to clarify their underlying needs and to be very clear what your offer of support means — and doesn’t mean. It’s also essential to double check that what you are saying is understood by the customer and that it meets their requirements.

2.4Language phrases: what should you say?

Digital extras

a) Confirming it’s a good time and place to talk

Do you have ten minutes? I wanted to discuss…Is now a good time?Would you prefer to discuss this in the office tomorrow?

b) Beginning politely

Sorry, can I (just) ask you a question?Could I give you some feedback on yesterday’s meeting?Can I just say something?

c) Expressing positive intent

I heard something that I think might be important for you.One thing you may find useful is…Just to add to what you said…

[34]d) Stating the background context clearly

Just to explain the background a little, …You know that project we’re working on, I just wanted to say that…As a result of… , could we discuss... ?

e) Connecting to the listener’s needs/interests

I know you’ve had a few problems with customers in…I believe you’re very interested in…This will be relevant to you because…

f) Saying what you are not saying

I’m not saying that...I don’t mean to be critical here.I’m not challenging your idea. I’m just curious as to why…I have no preferred plan myself. I just want to brainstorm some ideas.

g) Showing appreciation of the listener

I thought your presentation yesterday was great, by the way.I agree with what you said about…I appreciate that you…

h) Getting feedback on your communication style

Sorry, is that too complex?Did you want to ask a question?Shall I go over that again?Did I express that clearly enough?

i) Asking for opinions

What’s your perspective on this?What do you think about this?Do you agree with that, or would you see things differently?

j) Summarizing and ending positively

OK, to summarize our discussion, we said that…To recap briefly, we decided that…So, we’ve agreed that we will…I think that was a really useful discussion.

[35]2.5Exercises

Digital extras

1. Vocabulary

Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.

It is important to clarify / clear exactly what we are saying.Often when speaking, we don’t realize there’s been a misallocation / misunderstanding.We need to think about whether our speaking style is approved / appropriate in the context.People listen to us more attentively if they feel assertive / appreciated.It’s good practice to surmise / summarize a discussion at the end.Effective communicators choose the best channel / challenge to get their message across.Involve your listeners by asking them for their opinion / opposition.

2. Communication strategies

Match each of these communicating strategies for speaking clearly to one of the sentences below.