Introducing Guests and the Proper Use of Titles ω disk 1-10

Promptly introducing a business guest or visitor to a colleague in your company is a very important part of doing business with Americans. Usually, Americans are very good at performing this task because it is a basic rule in American business etiquette. In fact, if you should forget to make introductions, your American colleagues most likely will introduce themselves formally to the guest or visitor.

The proper way to introduce two people is to stand between them, slightly behind, and with your dominant hand gesture to one of the people and introduce him/her (using the full-name and title) to the other person. Repeat this in reverse when introducing the other person, if the person being introduced wishes to be called by a less formal name, such as a given name or nickname, then he/she will say so at this time. If no offer is made to be less formal, it is best to continue using a title (Mr. or Ms.) with the person's family (last) name.

Related to this is the use of professional and academic titles. People who have special titles that they have earned through study or through their occupation should be introduced as such. For instance, if you are introducing a member of the clergy, then "Reverend," "Rabbi," "Father," or "Sister" should be used in front of the family name, depending upon the religion and denomination of the person being introduced. Physicians who have medical degrees, researchers who have doctorates, and university professors who have Ph.D. degrees should be introduced with "Dr." before their family name; professors who do not have doctorates can be introduced as "Professor" along with their family name. If by chance the person has more than one title, then it is appropriate to introduce him/her using all of the titles (i.e. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King).

Introducing a guest or visitor properly to your colleagues is a very useful skill. It is an easy way to make the person feel welcomed and important; also it will make a very good impression upon the guest about not only you personally, but about the organization or company that you represent. In today's business world, competition is very keen, so any manner you can use to leave a lasting, positive impression on a client is to your advantage.

Answer the following questions using information found in the essay.

1. What is the proper way to introduce two people?

2. How should a physician with a medical degree be introduced?

3. Who does introducing a guest or visitor properly to your colleagues make an impression upon?

UNIT 2

Taking and giving messages

Lesson 4

Leaving a Message on an Answering Machine or Voice Mail

1. DIALOGUE Ω disk 1-11

Listen to the dialogue and note the numbered expressions.

(leaving a message on an answering machine)

Machine: You have reached the company headquarters³³ of Gaines Manufacturing. We are now closed. Our regular business hours are weekdays from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, we are open from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. We are closed on Sundays. If you would like someone to contact you directly, please leave your name, telephone number and area code, and the purpose of your call at the tone.³⁴ Thank you for calling.³⁵

Mr. Kono: Yes, I'm calling about an order that my company, Kono Industries, placed with your sales department about a week ago. I'd be very grateful if someone from sales could contact me about this A.S.A.P.³⁶

My name is Kazuo Kono... let me spell that - the first name is: K -A - Z - U - O... and my family name is K - O - N - O.³⁷ My telephone number is: area code (765)555-2121. Let me repeat that: It's (765)555-2121.³⁸ I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you. Have a nice day.

(leaving a message on voice mail)

Recording: Welcome to the headquarters of Alpha International. Your call is very important to us, so it may be monitored for quality control.³⁹ If you wish to talk to someone in the main office press or say "1" now; if you wish to talk to a sales representative, please press or say "2" now.⁴⁰

Caller: "2"

Recording: Thank you. If you wish to speak to someone in particular, please say the name now...

Caller: Kathy Lane.

Recording: Please hold while you are being connected... "Hello, you have reached the voice mail of Kathy Lane. I'm not at my desk right now, so if you would please leave your name, telephone number and the purpose of your call, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you for calling. Have a nice day."⁴¹

Caller: Kathy, this is Minoru Shimura calling from Tokyo. I met you last month at the convention in Orlando. I'm calling in reference to the product that we discussed. If you could call me back, I'll give you all of the details. I think you have my number, but just in case, it is: country code 81 - city code (3) - 3324-7645, extension 324...that is 81-3-3324-7645, extension 324. I hope to talk to you soon. Bye.⁴²

³³ company headquarters = the main office of a company; the term "head office" is also used sometimes.

³⁴ The instructions ask for general personal information; the recording specifically asks the caller to leave the "area code." This is a three-digit number that each calling area is assigned - without this number it is impossible to call by long-distance. Within the same calling area, it is sometimes not necessary to use the area code.

³⁵ Usually, at the end of a message, a friendly phrase is used. Also, "have a nice day" is sometimes used to leave the person calling with a good impression.

³⁶ A.S.A.P. = As Soon As Possible. This is a common acronym that businesspeople use to shorten the phrase, meaning "please do it as soon as you can."

³⁷ Notice that Mr. Kono carefully and slowly spells his name for the recording. This is very important to insure that the person listening to the message later will be able to understand it clearly. Especially with foreign names and terms, it is best to spell out each name or word.

³⁸ Long numbers, with repeated numerals, are sometimes difficult to hear, so Mr. Kono repeats the number in case the person taking down the message from the recorder missed it or couldn't understand it completely. Also, answering machines don't always record clearly, so it is important to repeat the number slowly.

³⁹ monitored for quality control = recently, many companies have begun to have their employees' conversations with customers listened to by a supervisor to insure that the employee is treating the customer in a professional, courteous manner.

⁴⁰ Today, from small offices to big companies, it is becoming more and more common to speak initially to a computerized system which will route your call to the proper department. Nowadays, it is rare for an operator to pick up the phone and transfer your call for you. It is important to listen carefully to the menu of options, and to follow the directions accordingly.

⁴¹ The caller knew specifically who he wanted to talk to so he just said her name - Kathy Lane - and was connected. This is her voice mail which is like a private answering service. It works like an answering machine, but it is much more high-tech with many more options available to the person who has it.

⁴² Mr. Shimura made sure to explain who he was by reminding her of where she met him. He also asked her to call him back and he gave her his number again. It is a good idea to always leave the number even if you know the other person has it because it will assist that person in calling you back more promptly.

2. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

Answer the following questions with short answers from the dialogue.

1. What are the business hours and days Gaines Manufacturing is open?

2. What information does the machine ask the caller to leave?

3. Is Mr. Kono returning a call to someone who called him first?

4. For what reason should the caller press or say "1"?

5. Who does the caller want to speak to?

3. MATCHING

Match the best combination of sentences from Column A and B.

COLUMN A	COLUMN B
• Please say the name now. • Please say the number “2”. • Please leave your name and number.	- Sam Johnston.
- Please leave your number and area code at the tone.	• Country code 81(03)5465-1234. • Area code (317)555-9089. • 32-4321, extension 2.
• Have you met my friend, Don? • I haven’t met you yet, have I? • It’s a pleasure to meet you.	- It’s nice to meet you, too.
- I will spell my family name.	• S-A-M Johnston. • A-N-N C-O-X. • Jesse S-A-N-D-S

4. MINI-DIALOGUES Ω disk 1-12

Listen and fill in the blanks and then role-play the dialogues with a partner.

A: Hello, you've ( ) the company ( ) of Nexus International. If you need ( ) with an order, press or say "1"; if you need to ( ) on the status of an order, press or say "2"; if you want to become a member of our ( ) team, press or say "3"; if none of these ( ) apply to your needs, stay on the line and a ( ) representative will be ( ) with you... . All our ( ) are currently busy, please continue to hold and the next ( ) operator will be right with you. Your call will be ( ) in the order it was ( ). Thank you.

A: Hello, you've reached the ( ) ( ) of Kenji Takahashi. I'm away from my ( ) at this time, so please leave your name, telephone number and the ( ) of your call at the ( ). I'll return your call when I get back. Thank you for ( ). B: Mr. Takahashi, ( ) ( ) Susan Talbot from Portland Electronics. I'm returning your call about the ( ) you needed about our ( ) line of computers. Please call me at your convenience. I'll ( ) you my number again...it's ( ) ( ) (503)...555-6789. Again, it's (503)...555-6789. I look forward to ( ) from you soon. Bye.

A: The Accounting Offices of Miller and Anderson are now ( ) for the day. Our ( ) office hours are Monday ( ) Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. We're closed on Saturday, Sunday, and all ( ) holidays. If you'd like to ( ) a message, please leave your name, telephone number and a ( ) message as to the ( ) of your call and someone will get back to you as soon as ( ). Thank you for ( ).

5. PAIRWORK-PRACTICE

Fill in the blanks using the words from the box. Each word is only used once.

Message A

call reached associate take tone regular name closed message sorry Hello, you've ( ) the Law Offices of Brown & Smith. We're ( ) that no one is here to ( ) your call. Our ( ) office hours are weekdays, 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. We're (           ) on Saturdays and Sundays. If you'd like to leave a ( ), someone will get back to you as soon as possible. Please leave your ( ), telephone number and a brief message at the ( ). If this is an emergency, you may page an ( ) at 555-6789. Thank you for your ( ).

Message B

someone hello day return voice code leave business telephone immediate ( ), you've reached the ( ) mail of Wilma Peters. I'm currently out of the office on ( ) and will not return until Monday. If you need ( ) attention, please call the main office number at (317)555-7654 and ( ) will assist you. If you'd like for me to ( ) your call after Monday, please ( ) your name, ( ) number and area ( ), as well as the purpose of your call at the tone. Have a nice ( )!

6. READING. AMERICAN BUSINESS CULTURE

Hints on How to Leave Messages by Telephone Ω disk 1-13

In today's business world, it has become necessary to interact with machines regularly. The convenience of using answering machines and voice mail has made it rarer to have contact with a live person whose job is to answer the phone and take messages.

Learning the fine art of leaving messages on machines and voice mail is a necessary part of doing business in the 21st century. There are several hints that will help make this task easier. For instance, it is helpful to jot down the main points you wish to say in the message on a memo in order not to forget any crucial information. This also helps to keep your message in logical order.

If you know the person, it is good to begin by saying his/her name and then explain who you are. This way, he/she will be able to place you quickly, if you are calling a stranger, someone you have never met, it is best to begin by saying your company name and then your name. Briefly explain why you are calling. If the message is too long, the person won't be able to remember the entire message easily. Keep it simple.

When leaving your name, it is best to spell it out. Especially if your name is unusual, the person may have no idea how to spell it, so it is a good idea to clearly and slowly spell it out completely. When giving your telephone number, again, it is important to say it very clearly and slowly. There is nothing more frustrating than to have someone quickly mumble a number that is unintelligible. Repeat the number to insure that the person on the other end will easily be able to write it down without having to re-listen to the message over and over.

Talking on the telephone in English is difficult enough for a non-native speaker, but talking to a machine with no reassuring feedback is even more so. A machine can't say that it didn't understand you and it doesn't ask follow-up questions. It is important for you to make sure you leave all of the necessary information the person needs to contact you, as well as explain clearly who you are and why you are calling.

Being comfortable on the telephone while speaking to a person, or when leaving messages, will aid you greatly in making a positive impression with the other person.

Answer the following questions using information found in the essay.

1. Why is it important to jot down on a memo the main points you will say in a telephone message?

2. Why is it important not to leave a message that is too long?

3. What three things are important to do when leaving a message by phone?

UNIT 2