Appendix C Proofreader’s marks · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 161 Appendix D The use of the articles a/an/the/ zero (no) article · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 164 Appendix E Conditional forms in the English language · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 167 1 Communicating with clarity KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 169 2 Best-practice emails and working in multi-cultural teams KEY · · · · · · · · · · · 172 3 Building business relationships KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 175 4 Delegating KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 178 5 Complaints KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 181 6 Proposals and reports KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 184 7 Meetings KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 188 8 Writing promotional copy KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 191 9 Apologising KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 194 10 Giving presentations with impact KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 197 11 Team building and giving/receiving feedback KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 200 12 Deadlines and reminders KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 203 13 Saying “no” KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 206 14 Writing CVs with impact, covering letters, and letters of reference KEY · · · 209 15 Conference invitations and requests for abstracts, cards for various occasions KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 211 16 Influencing strategies and tactics KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 215 17 Dealing with difficult people KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 219 10 Contents 1 Communicating with clarity It is vital when communicating, whether speaking or writing, that the message is clear and unambiguous and that your audience easily understands what you want to say. The best-practice guidelines that follow will help you to write effectively, to leave concise voicemails, and to make telephone calls with impact. Writing clearly Good writing comes from clear thinking. Both result from a clear message that a reader can immediately understand. General Approach ᭤ match the style to the reader ᭤ use everyday English ᭤ explain new ideas clearly Phrasing and sentences ᭤ avoid jargon e.g., Boolean logic (Internet usage) ᭤ avoid clichés e.g., “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” ᭤ keep sentences and paragraphs short Words ᭤ use short words ᭤ avoid pomposity e.g., not “I will endeavour to find out” but “I’ll try to find out” ᭤ avoid tautology (repetition using two or more words with the same meaning) e.g., not “the round glass globes” but “the glass globes” ᭤ deal with the concrete rather than the abstract e.g., not “what means of transportation conveys you to work” but “how do you get to work – by car or by train?” ᭤ use active rather than passive verbs Use short sentences Long sentences are usually complex sentences. They are difficult for the reader to digest. Try to keep your sentences as short as you can without making them disjointed. A useful guide is to keep to one idea per sentence. If your average sentence length is below 25 words, you are probably writing concisely. One definition of a sentence is that it must make C OMPLETE sense. Sentence and meaning ᭿ Task 1 Read the following sentences. If a sentence makes sense, tick ✓ the Sense column, if it does not make sense, tick ✓ the NonSense column. A sentence may not make sense because of its grammar. The first one has been done as an example. Sentences Sense NonSense 1. He cooked the tomatoes in lubrication oil. ✓ 2. All the tomatoes burst. 3. The tomatoes, although he had cooked them with great care and had pricked them with a fork before putting them under the grill. 4. Hissed and spluttered merrily in the bubbling oil. 5. The tomatoes were fresh. 6. Were the tomatoes fresh enough? 7. What amazing tomatoes they were! 8. With reference to the tomatoes received on July 2 20XX. 9. The full details of our T OMATO SPECIAL including discounts for cash sales. 10. Look forward to receiving your order for tomatoes in the very near future. ᭿ Task 2 This sentence is over-long, over-complex, and incomprehensible. Rewrite it so that it makes sense. Although no one seems to recall who coined the phrase Publish or Perish to describe the assertion that a university or even college teacher will not be promoted within the system of American higher education unless he conducts original research and proves his capabilities by publishing, the words have provided scholars and their publishers with an unparalleled opportunity to defend the faith. 12 Communicating with clarity Writing a good paragraph Good paragraphs usually contain a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a closing sentence. A topic sentence is usually the first sentence in a paragraph which introduces the main idea. Supporting sentences come after the topic sentence and develop the main idea. A closing sentence restates the main idea of the paragraph using different words. ᭿ Task 3 Construct a paragraph containing a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a closing sentence from this information. Exercise is good for you – everyone should exercise – it keeps you fit and healthy and reduces stress – it can help you keep your weight down, relieve depression, and is good for your heart Effective paragraphing and linking Paragraphs enable readers to see divisions within a document, making a smooth transition between topics. If a topic is lengthy or you have to, for example, present advantages and disadvantages or alternatives etc., you may need to subdivide the topic into more than one paragraph. The important thing is to limit paragraphs to a single topic or idea. The length of the paragraphs should not, in general, exceed 175 words and will mostly consist of three to six sentences. Most readers, unless they are academics, have difficulty reading continuous text, therefore using shorter paragraphs will make your message easier to understand. The factual paragraph is often shorter than the explanatory paragraph as the latter may contain examples. A paragraph may consist of only a single sentence to emphasize important material. However, they should be used with care as too many single-sentence paragraphs can make your communication as hard to understand as if you’d used several very long paragraphs. Writing clearly 13 Example There are three reasons why New Zealand is one of the best countries to live in. First, New Zealand has an excellent healthcare system and all New Zealanders have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, New Zealand has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to go on to higher education. Finally, New Zealand’s cities are clean and efficiently managed with many parks and open spaces. New Zealanders generally are very environmentally aware. As a result, New Zealand is a desirable place to live. The structure of ideas within the paragraph should be logical. This could be: ᭤ chronological ᭤ problem to solution ᭤ cause to effect ᭤ general to specific ᭤ important to less important etc. Linking words/expressions This memo is coherent because the ideas have been linked together with a series of linking words. If you eliminate these, you will find that the flow of ideas is lost. ᭿ Task 4 Look at the following sentences and link them, as in the example above, to develop a more coherent text. Please refer to Appendix A on page 157 for a comprehensive overview of linking words and expressions. Memo from: HR Manager To: Managing Director Date: 5 th March 20XX Ref: GHL/13/PO (1) we have agreed in principle to try and cut down on staff, there are two serious problems in R&D. (2) , the person in charge of ordering from the stores is also responsible for updating the database. (3) , at the end of the month, when most people want replacements from the stores, and (4) require information from the database, he is unable to perform both tasks quickly enough. (5) , he is practically unoccupied during the first week of every month, when he could be helping someone else, (6) I suggest we try to reorganise his job to improve efficiency. 14 Communicating with clarity Example memo When the XYZ system was first introduced, it was found to be both flexible and advanced. Moreover, its speed of operation was greater than comparable hardware then available. However, in recent months major faults have developed in the equipment, and the local agent appears incapable of providing a reliable repair service. Consequently, the system is regularly out of order for several days at a time. Although the manufacturers have agreed to replace the system free of charge, the new equipment will not be installed for at least six months. Such a delay is clearly unacceptable to us. We should, therefore, insist that XYZ send their own engineer to upgrade the equipment. Alternatively, the equipment should be transported to the XYZ plant for inspection and repair there. . SPECIAL including discounts for cash sales. 10. Look forward to receiving your order for tomatoes in the very near future. ᭿ Task 2 This sentence is over-long, over-complex, and incomprehensible responsible for updating the database. (3) , at the end of the month, when most people want replacements from the stores, and (4) require information from the database, he is unable to perform both. Conditional forms in the English language · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 167 1 Communicating with clarity KEY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 169 2 Best-practice