How To Be More Diplomatic & Polite - Business English

Summary

本视频为商务英语专业人士提供了六个实用的沟通技巧，旨在帮助他们在商务场合中更加圆滑和礼貌。通过使用缓和语气的词汇、提出否定疑问、展示理解、使用道歉、避免负面词汇以及使用模态动词等方法，视频教授了如何以更委婉、更具有外交手腕的方式表达意见和要求。这些技巧有助于避免误解和关系破裂，促进成功的商务会议和谈判。

Takeaways

• 🌟 在商务场合，我们需要根据情况选择直接或委婉的表达方式。
• 📝 使用特定的词汇和短语可以使表达更加温和，例如在动词前加'just'或'quite'。
• 🛂 通过添加'a bit'或'a little'来缓和形容词，使语气更加委婉。
• 🔍 使用'slight'来减轻名词的严重性，例如'we have a slight problem'。
• 💡 结合使用缓和词和短语，如'the price seems to be a bit too high'。
• 📢 使用'I'm afraid'作为句子开头，表达更加礼貌和间接的信息。
• 🤔 利用否定疑问句来委婉提出建议或表示不同意，如'shouldn't we...'。
• 👂 展示理解和倾听，即使你不同意对方的观点，也要表现出对他们观点的理解。
• 🙏 使用'sorry'可以使表达更加委婉和非直接。
• 🚫 避免使用负面词汇，转而使用更积极的表达方式。
• 🔄 使用模态动词'could', 'would'和'might'来表达不确定性和可能性。

Q & A

视频课程的主要目的是什么？

视频课程的主要目的是向观众展示如何使英语在商务场合中更加外交和礼貌。

为什么在商务沟通中需要使用更外交的风格？

使用更外交的风格可以帮助避免误解和损害关系，有助于在商务场合中成功地沟通。

视频中提到的第一种使英语更外交和礼貌的方法是什么？

第一种方法是使用能够缓和自己话语的词汇和短语，例如在动词前加上'just'或'quite'，在形容词前加上'a bit'或'a little'，在名词前加上'slight'。

如何使用'I'm afraid'来表达更委婉的意思？

在句子开头使用'I'm afraid'可以表达一种礼貌、不那么直接、更外交的方式，例如'I'm afraid I won't be able to finish the report by Friday'。

视频中提到的第二种方法是什么？

第二种方法是使用否定疑问句来委婉地提出建议或表示不同意，例如'Shouldn't we try to reduce training costs?'。

如何通过倾听和展示理解来表达不同意见？

即使不同意对方的观点，也可以通过表达理解对方观点并提出自己的看法来展示倾听和理解，例如'I can see your point, but I'm confident the team will be able to manage it'。

视频中提到的第四种方法是什么？

第四种方法是使用'sorry'这个词来使想要表达的内容不那么直接，更加外交，例如'Sorry but I don't quite agree'。

如何避免在商务英语中使用负面词汇？

可以通过将负面词汇替换为更中性或积极的词汇来避免直接表达，例如将'I think that's a bad idea'改为'I don't think that's such a good idea'。

视频中提到的最后一种方法是什么？

最后一种方法是使用模态动词'could'、'would'和'might'来表达可能性或请求，例如'It might be a bit hard to complete the project on time'。

视频最后给观众提供了哪些练习？

视频最后提供了六个直接的例子，要求观众尝试使这些例子变得更加外交和礼貌。

观众如何与视频制作者交流更多关于商务英语的问题？

观众可以在评论区提出更多关于商务英语的问题，或者通过电子邮件列表与视频制作者交流。

Outlines

00:00

🌟 提升英语沟通技巧：委婉表达的艺术

本段主要介绍了在商务场合中，如何根据不同情境选择直接或委婉的表达方式。讲师Derek强调了在可能引起误解或损害关系的情况下，采用更外交、更礼貌的沟通风格的重要性。他分享了六个技巧来使英语听起来更委婉、更礼貌，并通过实例演示如何将直接的句子转化为委婉的表达。此外，还鼓励观众通过练习和参与评论区的活动来巩固所学技巧。

05:00

🤔 巧妙运用疑问句和倾听技巧

这一部分重点讲述了如何通过使用否定疑问句来委婉地提出建议或表示不同意，以及如何通过倾听和展示理解来回应对方观点。讲师通过对话示例展示了如何在不同意对方时，依然能够表达出对其观点的理解。同时，介绍了使用'sorry'这个词来使表达更委婉，以及避免直接使用负面词汇，转而使用更中性或积极的词汇来表达同样的意思。

10:01

📝 实践环节：将直接表达转化为外交语言

在这一部分，讲师Derek邀请观众参与一个实践活动，要求他们将六个直接的句子改写为更委婉、更礼貌的表达方式。这个练习旨在帮助观众运用之前介绍的沟通技巧，并在实际情境中加以实践。同时，讲师鼓励观众在评论区分享他们的答案，或者通过暂停视频来完成写作练习，以此加深对如何外交地表达自己观点的理解。

Keywords

💡直接性

直接性是指在交流中坦率明确地表达观点或需求。在商务沟通中，有时候需要直接性以确保信息的清晰和准确，但过度直接可能会引起误解或损害关系。视频中提到，在需要成功沟通的商务场合，选择更外交的风格往往更为妥当。

💡外交性

外交性是指在沟通时采用更为委婉、有礼貌的方式表达意见或要求，以维护良好的人际关系和避免冲突。视频中强调，使用软化词汇、否定疑问句、展示理解等技巧可以提高英语的外交性，有助于商务沟通的成功。

💡礼貌

礼貌是指在交流中表现出对他人的尊重和考虑，使用礼貌的语言可以增强沟通效果，促进合作。视频中提到，通过使用特定的词汇和表达方式，如'对不起'、'我恐怕'等，可以使语言更加礼貌和委婉。

💡软化词汇

软化词汇是指那些能够减轻语气、使表达更加委婉的词语，如'只是'、'相当'、'略微'等。这些词汇在商务沟通中非常有用，因为它们可以帮助缓和直接的批评或请求，使得交流更加顺畅。

💡否定疑问句

否定疑问句是一种通过提出带有否定前缀的问题来委婉表达意见或建议的表达方式。这种方式比直接表达意见更为礼貌，因为它给了对方思考和回应的空间，而不是直接强加观点。

💡理解

理解是指在沟通中展示出对对方观点的认同和理解，即使在不同意的情况下也能够表达出尊重。视频中提到，即使不同意对方的观点，也可以通过表达理解的方式来提出自己的看法，这有助于维护良好的沟通氛围。

💡避免负面词汇

避免负面词汇是指在沟通中尽量减少使用带有消极含义的词语，以避免给对方带来负面情绪。使用正面或中性的词汇可以使得交流更加和谐，有助于建立积极的沟通环境。

💡模态动词

模态动词是指用于表达可能性、能力、许可等含义的助动词，如can、could、may、might等。在商务沟通中，使用模态动词可以使得表达更加委婉和有礼貌，因为它们不直接断言，而是给出了一种可能性或选择。

💡练习

练习是指通过重复和应用所学知识来提高技能的过程。在视频中，观众被鼓励通过练习将直接的表达方式转换为更外交和礼貌的方式，以加深对如何有效沟通的理解。

💡商务英语

商务英语是指在商务环境中使用的英语，包括专业术语、表达方式和沟通技巧等。视频中的内容专注于如何通过提高英语的外交性和礼貌性来改善商务沟通，这对于在国际商务环境中工作的人来说是非常重要的。

Highlights

在商务场合中，有时我们需要直接表达，有时则需要更礼貌、更委婉。

本课程将向你展示如何使你的英语更委婉、更礼貌的技巧。

过于直接的沟通可能导致误解和损害关系。

使用诸如‘just’和‘quite’等词汇可以使表达更委婉。

在形容词前加上‘a bit’或‘a little’可以缓和语气。

使用‘it looks like’或‘I’m afraid’等短语可以更礼貌地提出意见或表示不同意见。

通过否定疑问句提出建议或表示不同意是一种礼貌的表达方式。

倾听并展示理解，即使你不同意对方的观点，也要表现出你在听并理解他们的观点。

使用‘sorry’这个词可以使你想说的话不那么直接，更委婉。

避免使用负面词汇，转而使用更积极的表达方式。

使用模态动词‘could’、‘would’和‘might’可以使请求或建议听起来更委婉。

练习将直接的表达转换为更委婉、更礼貌的表达是提高商务英语沟通技巧的重要步骤。

通过观看视频和参与评论，可以在实际应用中练习和提高商务英语的沟通技巧。

订阅频道并加入邮件列表，可以定期接收到商务英语和日常英语的词汇更新。

课程鼓励观众提出商务英语的其他需求，以便在未来的课程中进行覆盖。

通过点赞、分享和评论，观众可以与其他朋友和同事交流这些有用的商务英语技巧。

Transcripts

hi everybody in business there are times

when we have to be

very direct but there are also times

when we need to be more polite

and less direct in this lesson i'm going

to show you some great tips

to make your english more diplomatic and

more polite

[Music]

welcome back to english for

professionals i'm derek and i'm here

with another short lesson for you busy

people before we get started

a quick reminder to subscribe to my

channel if you haven't done that already

hit the red button and don't forget to

click on the little bell

that way you'll be notified every time i

upload a new lesson

and now let's get started as i said in

the intro

sometimes we need to be direct but if we

are too direct

it could lead to misunderstandings and

it could

damage relationships often it's better

to choose a more diplomatic style if we

want to communicate successfully in

business

and now let's look at six different ways

to be more diplomatic

and more polite in english and at the

end of the lesson i have a task for you

i'm going to give you six direct

examples

and i'm going to ask you to make them

more diplomatic

more polite so make sure you stick

around until the end

tip number one is to use words and

phrases that

soften what you want to say

can i add something here if we add the

word

just just before the verb it makes it

softer

can i just add something here say it

with me

after three one two three can i just add

something here

i didn't understand that here if we add

quite before the verb it has the same

function

it makes it softer i didn't quite

understand that

say it with me one two three i didn't

quite

understand that the price is too high

if we add a bit or a little before the

adjective

again it makes it softer the price is a

bit

too high say it with me one two

three the price is a bit too high

we have a problem here if we add

slight before the noun it makes it

softer

we have a slight problem say it with me

one two three we have a slight problem

and now let's combine those words with

some phrases we can use

to further soften what we want to say

the price is too high if we add

seems to be again it makes it softer

the price seems to be a bit too high say

it with me

one two three the price seems to be a

bit too high

we have a problem if we use it looks

like at the start

it makes it softer and less direct

it looks like we have a slight problem

say it with me

one two three it looks like we have a

slight problem

another very common phrase to soften

what we want to say

is to use i'm afraid at the start of a

sentence

now this has nothing to do with fear

it's simply

a polite less direct more diplomatic

way to express something let's look at

two examples

i can't finish the report by friday

i'm afraid i won't be able to finish the

report by friday

say it with me one two three i'm afraid

i won't be able to finish the report by

friday

the second example i don't have time on

thursday

can we meet on friday instead i'm afraid

i'm not available on thursday

would it be possible to meet on friday

instead

say it with me one two three i'm afraid

i'm not available on thursday

would it be possible to meet on friday

instead

great now let's move on to tip number

two

use negative questions to make

suggestions

or to disagree politely

we should try to reduce training costs

now to turn this into a negative

question

it's very simple we take the modal verb

should

turn it into a negative so we have

shouldn't

and then we swap positions with the

subject

so we start with shouldn't we try to

reduce training costs

and hear the way my voice my intonation

goes up

at the end to make it a question

shouldn't we try to reduce training

costs

say it with me one two three shouldn't

we try to reduce training costs

it's much more diplomatic and sounds

less direct

20 euro would be a better price wouldn't

20 euro be a better price

say it with me one two three wouldn't 20

euro be a better price

it would be better to change the design

first

wouldn't it be better to change the

design first

say it with me one two three wouldn't it

be better to change the design

first but it would be more difficult to

organize

but won't it be more difficult to

organize

say it with me but won't it be more

difficult to organize

tip number three is listen and show

understanding

take a look at this short dialogue we

don't have enough resources to start the

project now

i disagree even if you disagree with

what the other person is saying

don't just say i disagree instead

show that you're listening to them and

that you understand their point of view

let's have a look at three different

ways to do this

i can see your point but i'm confident

the team will be able to manage it

say it with me one two three i can see

your point

but i'm confident the team will be able

to manage it

i know what you mean but we think the

team can handle it

say it with me one two three i know what

you mean

but we think the team can handle it

that may be true but i believe we have a

strong project team who can make it work

say it with me one two three that may be

true but i believe we have a strong

project team who can make it work

tip number four is very simple use

the word sorry this is one of the

easiest things you can do

to make what you want to say less direct

and more diplomatic

sorry but can i just say something here

say it with me

one two three sorry but can i just say

something here

sorry but i don't quite agree say it

with me

one two three sorry but i don't quite

agree

sorry but i think your first suggestion

was more interesting

say it with me sorry but i think your

first suggestion was more interesting

tip number five is avoid negative words

i think that's a bad idea now this is

very direct

and as i said at the beginning of the

lesson it is necessary to be direct

sometimes

but let's change this one what we can do

here is

change the sentence into a negative

sentence

but use the opposite of bad

i don't think that's such a good idea

say it with me one two three i don't

think that's such a good idea

i'm sorry but that's impossible

i'm sorry but i'm not sure that will be

possible

say it with me one two three

i'm sorry but i'm not sure that will be

possible

it's going to be very difficult

it's not going to be easy say it with me

one two three it's not going to be easy

excellent now it's time for my final tip

which is to use

modal verbs words like could would and

might it will be hard to complete the

project on time

it might be a bit hard to complete the

project on time

say it with me one two three

it might be a bit hard to complete the

project on time

can you give us more time could you give

us a little more time

say it with me one two three could you

give us a little more time

we want to have an answer soon

we would like to have an answer soon say

it with me

one two three we would like to have an

answer soon

great so those are my tips and now it's

your turn to practice

in a moment you'll see six examples

which are direct

and it's your job to see if you can make

them

less direct more diplomatic more polite

you have two options to do this you can

pause the video

and then write your answers into the

comments or

i've also put the task in the

description below

you can copy and paste it from there put

it into the comments

and then write your answers next to it

are you ready

let's have a look

that brings us to the end of this lesson

i hope you found it helpful

and i hope you can start using some of

those tips

to communicate more diplomatically and

to have successful meetings

negotiations and so on and if there are

any other areas of business english

that i can help you with let me know in

the comments and i'll do my best to

cover those topics

in an upcoming list if you like this

lesson hit the like button

and share with your friends and

colleagues subscribe to my channel if

you haven't done that already

and don't forget to join my email list

every two weeks i send out my free

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with additional business english words

from the news

and everyday english for you to learn so

check it out the link is in the

description below

thanks a lot for watching and see you

soon