1、Unit Eleven Information Asking Etiquette詢問(wèn)禮儀詢問(wèn)禮儀Focal Points1. Some basic rules of the etiquette of asking 2. How to request effectively in business situations 3. How to request information on a product or serviceContentsLead in1Reading A2Reading B3Reading C45ExercisesComplete the following sentence

2、s with appropriate expressions1. Hello, _speak with Mr. Jackson? 2. Hello, is Mr. Jackson_, please?3. My name is Hack and _about the assistant position. 4. Please let me know if theres a better _to call you. Ill be happy to do so.5. Would you mind _ telling me about the position, please? 6. Are ther

3、e other _ that you are looking for in this position? 7. I hope we can _and discuss the position further. 8. Is there anything else I _the position? Warming upavailabletime or dayIm callingspending a minute or two unique qualificationsshould know aboutget togethermay Imay IavailableIm callingtime or

4、dayspending a minute or two unique qualificationsget togethershould know aboutLearn the Etiquette of Asking You cant go through life without having to ask others for things. Whether at work or at home, you constantly need to ask others to do something for you, get something for you, or look after so

5、mething for you. But, the way you ask for something strongly influences the reaction, the response and the ultimate answer you get from those other people. Whether dealing with a boss, a fellow employee, your children, other family members, or even more importantly your spouse， how you ask for somet

6、hing is important. And if you ask the wrong way, you likely wont get what you want, not just then, but in the future as well. Reading ALearn the Etiquette of Asking Others might be able to decode your impolite or controlling way of asking, and conclude that you really intended to ask in a nice way.

7、But at other times, they may only hear exactly what you said, and may not like what they heard. In those cases, you likely get a very negative response for them. If this has happened, and youre wondering why this happened, take a close look at how you ask for things. Discover if you are using effect

8、ive or ineffective ways of asking. If you improve your etiquette of asking, youll likely get what you would ask for much more often. Reading ALearn the Etiquette of Asking Ineffective ways of asking: “What about. ” “By the way, were going to.” “Do you mind. ” “Arent we (or you) going to.” “Why dont

9、we. ”Reading A In all these situations, you are supposedly asking someone to do something for you. But, are you asking? Or, are you only using different ways of telling the other person what you want them to do, and expect them to do it for you, without your first checking out their feelings and vie

10、ws on the issues? . Learn the Etiquette of Asking When you use a positive etiquette of asking, you share your request, but in a way, that the other person may feel free to turn down your request if they so wish. And, if they agree to your request, they need to be able to agree it, without feeling an

11、y coercion or pressure from you. Lets look at changing some of the above poor ways of asking, listed above, into more positive and equality based forms of etiquette. Reading ALearn the Etiquette of Asking Reading AIneffective ways of askingEffective ways of askingWhat about.lI am interested in . (do

12、ing something).lI would like to know if it also interests you.Do you mind.lI would like to .(do something). lAre you interested in doing it with me?Why dont we.lI would like to do (something).l I am especially interested in doing it with you.lI am wondering if you are interest in doing it too.Learn

13、the Etiquette of Asking By the way, “we are going to.” is not even asking. Its telling your partner about a decision after you have made it, and without your partner having any input into the decision. If you dont get a pretty negative reaction from your partner when you say something like this, you

14、r partner needs to learn to stand up for himself or herself. Most people dont intentionally mean to ask for things rudely or in a controlling way. For many, its lazy language. They only express part of what they are feeling. They also ignore their partners feelings. They forget that asking does not

15、always mean getting, and that they have no right to demand their partners to do things for them. Reading ALearn the Etiquette of Asking But, if people develop a positive etiquette of asking, they will not only get more requests, but also a more relaxed and happy relationship with the other person. I

16、f you recognize that youve been using any of the negative ways of asking, try using a more positive etiquette. You may or may not get what you ask for, but, your relationship will benefit from doing so. Reading AHow to Make Effective Requests in Business Situations When dealing with people in busine

17、ss situations it is, of course, essential to be as polite as necessary. English has a rather unique, diplomatic style when spoken - it is important to not sound too direct when you are making requests as this can sound impolite and more like a demand. Modifying your language is a very effective tact

18、ic in business dealings when you are trying to establish a friendly and cooperative atmosphere, especially when negotiating in meetings or asking for assistance from colleagues. Polite use of language will take you far. However, there are different levels of politeness and how you use them depends o

19、n three things:Reading BHow to Make Effective Requests in Business Situations 1) Your relationship with your listener. Is he or she your boss or a counterpart or a colleague you consider a good friend? 2) How important you consider your request to be. If something is very important and/or urgent you

20、 may need to be more polite than usual. Reading B 3) How much inconvenience your request could cause the listener. For example, if you are asking a colleague to work your shift, you are more likely to get a positive response from them if you are more polite than usual and appreciate the hassle it ma

21、y cause them. So, what are these different levels of politeness? Well, you can scale them from 1 to 5 in terms of directness, ranging from very direct (not so polite) to very indirect (very polite): How to Make Effective Requests in Business Situations Reading Bvery indirect (very polite)very direct

22、 (not so polite)1) Help me file these papers (please).This is very direct and sounds more like a demand.2) (Please) will you help me file these papers?This is less direct and perhaps more suitable if you are asking a friend for help.3) Could you help me file these papers (please)?This is neutral and

23、 therefore the most suitable for the majority of business situations.4) Do you think you could possibly help me file these papers?This is indirect and therefore much more polite. This phrase is suitable for people you dont know very well.5) I was wondering if you could possibly help me file these pa

24、pers.How to Make Effective Requests in Business Situations This is very indirect and the most polite request of the bunch. This phrase is best kept for situations where the task is urgent and/or inconvenient to the listener. Generally, the more indirect the phrase, the more polite you will appear an

25、d the more words you will use! It might seem that the indirect phrases are overly polite and in many cases that is true, but bear in mind that they are still effective tactics in gaining help from colleagues or business associates. Everyone likes to be spoken to with respect and courtesy and what ar

26、e a few extra words if it means you get the assistance you want and need? Reading BHow to Request Information on a Product or Service When approaching a company, government agency or other organization for information about a product or service, a satisfactory answer often depends on the information

27、 we provide and the questions we ask. 1Get organized. Look at the information you already have at hand about the product or service. Write down the questions you want to ask or the problem you are trying to solve. Leave some space between each question or step of the problem so that you can write do

28、wn the answers you receive. (This is especially important if you are comparing services or products by telephone; you cannot expect to remember everything you are told.) Reading CHow to Request Information on a Product or Service 2Be prepared to ask for information in the way the company or agency r

29、equests it. This may be as easy as a single direct phone call. It may, however, also involve waiting for customer service to take your call. Some companies ask that inquiries be submitted by email instead. Be prepared to spend some time getting the answers. Keep in mind that most companies and offic

30、es work very hard to provide good customer service. Reading CHow to Request Information on a Product or Service 3Make certain you provide all the information a company or agency needs to answer your questions. If you are shopping for a lawnmower, you need to know the square footage of your lawn or t

31、he overall size of your property. If you need household help, you must be specific about the tasks that need to be done. If you need to replace an instruction booklet for an appliance or electronic device, have the model number handy. Reading CHow to Request Information on a Product or Service 4Have

32、 an alternative prepared if you receive poor or incomplete information. If telephone customer service is poor, ask to speak with a supervisor. If emails go unanswered, consider snail mail. If you have asked for information in the form the company or agency requested without result, you are entitled

33、to complain. Most companies maintain a public relations or customer relations department for just that reason. Government and other agencies are likely to provide access through the department or agency directors office. Your complaint will be handled more efficiently if you can explain how many tim

34、es you called or how long you have waited for help. Reading CHow to Request Information on a Product or Service 5Be prepared for additional mail if you send an inquiry postcard, coupon or email form. Some companies share mailing lists, and if, for instance, youve asked about a rototiller, you may re

35、ceive information from other companies about gardening magazines or tractors. Check general inquiry cards, catalogs and email sites for do-not-share check off blanks. This will slow the flow of junk mail and junk email. Reading CHow to Request Information on a Product or Service 6Use consumer protec

36、tion resources if you receive poor information or requests for lots of personal information not pertaining to your problem (your vacuum cleaner still makes that funny noise irrespective of your general annual income, for example). Report requests like this to the Better Business Bureau or your area

37、government consumer protection office. Reading CIRole-play: Requesting Travel InformationStudent A: Choose a city in your country. You are going to travel to this city for a business meeting over the next weekend. Telephone a travel agency and reserve the following:Round-trip flight Hotel room for t

38、wo nights Restaurant recommendation Prices and departure times ExercisesStudent B: You work in a travel agency. Listen to Student A and offer him/her the following solutions: Round-trip flight: Air JW $450 Coach, $790 First Class Hotel room for two nights: Hotel City $120 a night in the downtown are

39、a, Hotel Relax $110 a night near the airport Restaurant Recommendation: Chez Marceau - downtown - average price $70 a person II. Role play: Requesting Product Information Student A: You need to purchase six new computers for your office. Call JAs Computer World and ask for the following information:

40、 Current special offers on computers Computer configuration (RAM, Hard Drive, CPU)Guaranty Possibility of discount for an order of six computers ExercisesStudent B: You work in JAs Computer World and answer Student As questions using the following information: Two special offers: Multimedia Monster

41、- with latest Pentium CPU, 8 GB RAM, 800 GB Hard Drive, Monitor included - $2,500 AND Office Taskmaster - cheaper CPU, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, Monitor not included - $1,200 1 Year guaranty on all computers Discount of 5% for orders of more than five computers ultimateadj. 最終的；極限的；根本的 例：Indeed,

42、many college students do not select their ultimate career path until after they graduate.當(dāng)然，很多大學(xué)生直到他們畢業(yè)才會(huì)選擇他們的最終職業(yè)道路。Words & Expressionsdecode vt. 計(jì)通信 譯碼，解碼 vi. 從事破譯工作例：We can encourage older kids to decode media messages, by asking: Who created it?我們鼓勵(lì)年齡大些的孩子通過(guò)幾個(gè)問(wèn)題來(lái)認(rèn)識(shí)廣告：誰(shuí)制作了它？Words & Expres

43、sionsintended adj. 故意的，有意的；打算中的 v. 打算；準(zhǔn)備（intend的過(guò)去分詞） 例：Those facilities are intended to civilize people.那些設(shè)施的目的在于教化民眾。Words & Expressionssupposedly adv. 可能；按照推測(cè)；恐怕 例：Having a century or more of experience is supposedly a big advantage for family firms in difficult times.在這樣艱難的時(shí)刻里，擁有一百多年的經(jīng)驗(yàn)對(duì)于家族企

44、業(yè)來(lái)說(shuō)，本應(yīng)是一大優(yōu)勢(shì)。Words & Expressionscoercion n. 強(qiáng)制；強(qiáng)迫；高壓政治；威壓 例：Force, violence and psychological coercion have convinced them to accept it.權(quán)勢(shì)、暴力與心理脅迫使他們接受了自己的命運(yùn)。Words & Expressionsintentionally adv. 故意地，有意地 例：I would never intentionally hurt your feelings.我決不會(huì)有意傷害你的感情。Words & Expressionsigno

45、revt. 駁回訴訟；忽視；不理睬 例：A realistic examination of world food production cannot ignore these systems.現(xiàn)實(shí)的考察世界糧食生產(chǎn)不能忽視這些系統(tǒng)。Words & Expressions essential adj. 基本的；必要的；本質(zhì)的；精華的 n. 本質(zhì)；要素；要點(diǎn)；必需品例：It is an essential principle that we must combine theory with practice .我們必須把理論與實(shí)踐相結(jié)合是個(gè)重要的原則。Words & Expres

46、sionsdiplomatic adj. 外交的；外交上的；老練的 例：But there are political and diplomatic considerations, too.但是也有政治和外交的考量。Words & Expressions tactic n. 策略，戰(zhàn)略 adj. 按順序的，依次排列的例：The new tactic was put into operation early in 1939.這個(gè)新的戰(zhàn)略是在1939年初開(kāi)始運(yùn)用的。Words & Expressionsinconvenience n. 不便；麻煩 例：For any inconve

47、nience due to product or service problems, Hewlett-Packard earnestly apologizes to customers, the company said on its Chinese Web site Monday.該公司周一在其中國(guó)網(wǎng)站上說(shuō)，由于產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)問(wèn)題給客戶帶來(lái)的不便，惠普向客戶鄭重道歉。Words & Expressionsassociatesn. 同伴；合作人；聯(lián)合公司（associate的復(fù)數(shù)形式） 例：It also involves a security of knowing that you have the love, trust, and support not only of family, but also of friends and associate