Etiquette. Video Materials for: English II, English for Professionals, Hokkaido University Open Courseware

Transcription

1 Video 1 Etiquette Video Materials for: English II, English for Professionals, Hokkaido University Open Courseware Dr Philip Seaton, Research Faculty of Media and Communication, Hokkaido University Introduction We live in the digital age. Computers, and social media are now an inescapable part of our daily lives. Virtually everyone these days uses them for work, study or leisure. In many ways this is an exciting revolution in the way we interact with each other. We can be in contact with people on the other side of the globe at any time. Messages take only seconds to reach people. Via social media, such as twitter and facebook, we can make contact with many people we would not be able to meet otherwise. In other ways, however, the digital age has caused problems. Issues such as online bullying have emerged. Our inboxes become so full that sometimes we have to send hasty replies. It is easy to fire off messages quickly without thinking about how they will be received. It is very easy to sound rude in s. This video series introduces some simple techniques to make your s in English sound more polite. In the modern world, English is an international language. Everybody will probably need to send s in English at some stage during their professional lives. Learning how to sound polite in s, therefore, is a vital skill. Structure of the Video Series There are three videos in the series. This first video has provided a short introduction to our topic and discusses the opening words of your , namely how you should address the recipient. The second video discusses some of the useful phrases you need in s, particularly thanking others for their s, introducing new topics for communication, and making requests to the other person. The final video discusses how you should sign your name at the end, and what your style says about you as an individual. The Opening Greeting So, letʼs begin looking at the contents of s. In the remainder of this video we will look at a very small but very important part of your the opening greeting. Here is a little quiz question.

2 My name is Philip Seaton. I am an associate professor at Hokkaido University. Let us suppose you want to write me an . What is the difference between Dear Philip, Dear Seaton, and Dear Philip Seaton? This is actually an extremely important issue because if the first impression you give to recipients of your mail is rude, they might not send you a reply! When choosing the opening greeting, there are three things that you must decide: the greeting word, the personʼs title, and which name or names to use. Letʼs look at these in turn. Greeting Word The first greeting word of your really sets the tone of the whole . The main options are these: Dear, To, Hello, Hi and nothing. Put simply, these five options indicate from the beginning whether your is polite and business-like, or casual. Dear is the most common opening greeting used in letters, and now it is commonly used in s. For all professional correspondence, Dear is the safest option. It is polite and appropriate in almost all contexts. Using To can sound distant and bureaucratic. However, there are times when you want to use this distant, bureaucratic tone. If you are sending an to a particular individual via a general account that is read by many people, To is a good greeting to use. It explicitly states who the mail is addressed to. The next two greetings, hello and hi, are more casual. You can use these greetings when you have already developed a personal relationship with the recipient. It is inappropriate to use these greetings with people who are your seniors, unless you have a strong, friendly relationship with them. Hi is a little more casual than hello. Finally, you can use no greeting at all, just the personʼs name and title. You may use this in a professional content in a short, business-like mail, but it is a little more casual than saying Dear So-and-so. Title Next, letʼs move onto the personʼs title. Getting a personʼs title right is important. There are four types of title: a title that indicates an honor or hereditary title; a title that indicates the personʼs professional position; a title that indicates a personʼs educational qualifications; and a title that indicates a personʼs gender and/or marital status. The first type, an honor or hereditary title, is quite rare. Examples include Lord, Lady, Sir, Dame, the Right Honorable, and so on. You are unlikely to use it in s. Letʼs concentrate on the cases you will most likely encounter. Professor is an example of a personʼs professional position. It is a job name at a university or research institute, and it is inappropriate to use this title for anyone not in a professor or associate professor position.

3 Doctor is an example of a title gained through a qualification. If you complete a PhD or become qualified as a medical doctor, people may call you doctor regardless of your job. The distinction between a position and a qualification is particularly important in the university world. It would be inappropriate to address your professor at university as Dr Tanaka if he did not have a PhD. Similarly, if you are writing to a person who is a lecturer, it would be inappropriate to call her professor. If the person you are contacting does not have one of these titles then you should address him using Mr or her using Ms. There is also a term of address Mrs for a married woman. However, in the modern professional world, it has become less acceptable to draw attention to a womanʼs marital status. The term Mrs is not rude if used correctly, but it is safest to avoid the term. Addressing someone as Mrs if she is single or divorced might be considered a significant gaffe. Also, it goes without saying that you should be absolutely sure whether the person you are addressing is male or female before you use Mr or Ms. Some names are used by both men and women. Examples in English include Sam (from Samuel or Samantha), Chris (from Christopher or Christine) and Kim. And with foreign names, often it is very difficult to tell! Name Finally, letʼs look at the personʼs name. You must be aware of which name is the given name and which name is the family name. In English, the basic rule is that using the given name is friendly while using the family name is formal. In English these days it is very common to use a personʼs first name, even when you do not know them very well, to create a friendly atmosphere. But, what happens if you cannot tell which is the family name and which is the given name? Or, what happens if you have no idea which name they like to use? In these cases, the safest thing to do is to write the personʼs full name in your greeting. This has an impersonal and slightly bureaucratic sound, but it is polite and common in professional contexts. It is OK to use a title with a full name. If you decide to use only the personʼ s first name or only the family name, using the title correctly is extremely important. In general, we do not use titles with first names. So, saying Professor George sounds strange. The main exception here is for people called Sir. It is normal for people who have been knighted to be called Sir George, for example. If you use the family name only, you must have a title to be polite. Calling someone by their family name only gives a strong sense of being senior to that person. School teachers may call their pupils by their family names only, or senior officers in the army or police may call their subordinates by their family names only. Beginning an with the greeting Dear Saitoh, therefore, is condescending. You need the title - Mr, Dr or Professor - to make it polite.

4 Summary All of these rules may seem very complicated, but we can summarize the best opening greetings as follows: Distant and bureaucratic, but polite: Dear Philip Seaton, To Dr Philip Seaton. Polite: Dear Dr Seaton, Dear Professor Seaton. Friendly: Hello Dr Seaton, Dear Philip. Casual: Hi Philip, Philip. Condescending: Hi Prof Seaton, Dear Seaton. Here are three final hints. First, if you do not know the personʼs exact title, or which is their family name, make sure you use their complete name. If you say Dear plus their full name, you cannot be impolite. Second, if you are writing in English to someone who understands Japanese language and culture, adding the Japanese title is a very nice way to address someone. So, beginning an with Dear Suzuki sensei, or Dear Suzuki san, is both friendly and polite. Third, if you are corresponding with the person regularly, look to see how they sign their name. If they sign their using their first name only, it is safe to reply using their first name. However, we will discuss this more in video three.

5 Video 2 In this second video of the Etiquette series, we look at some of the useful phrases you need in s. We will think particularly about how to sound polite in . It is often said that politeness levels exist in Japanese that do not exist in English. In some senses this is true. In Japanese, you may use a different verb or verb ending to mean go depending on whether you are talking to someone senior or junior to yourself. In English, we use go with anyone. But, politeness levels do exist in English. The basic rule is that the longer the phrase, and the more appropriate phrases are used, the more polite the expression becomes. Letʼs look at polite language in three situations: thanking others for their s, introducing new topics, and making requests to the other person. Thanking senders for their Probably the shortest way to say thank you in English is the very casual term ta. Another is cheers. If a close friend sent you an providing some information you wanted to know, you could say ta or cheers as a quick way of saying thank you. With s in a professional context, you are more likely to use thanks as a casual form. Thank you is the standard term which may be used in almost any situation. When thanking someone for sending an , Thank you for your mail and Thanks for the mail are very common first phrases in your reply. To make it more polite, we can add extra words: Thank you very much for your . If you want to express even deeper gratitude, you can use phrases such as I was extremely grateful to receive your . The most humble forms of thanks include phrases such as I cannot express adequately in words my deep sense of gratitude for your . To be honest, however, this final example is way over the top for most s. The point I am trying to make, though, is that in English, politeness levels do exist, and they depend on the length of the sentence and combination of appropriate phrases. In short, in professional s the most useful phrase is: Dear Tom, Thank you for your . You might want to add the date, too: Thank you for your of 18 July. Introducing New Topics When writing s, you do not only respond to other peopleʼs messages. Sometimes you want to initiate contact or introduce new topics yourself. If you already know the person well, you have probably developed a communication style. But maybe it has been a long time since you contacted them. In that case, you could use these phrases in a casual context: How have you been? I hope you are well.

6 Or, you could use the term Long time no , which is a variation on the well-known English idiom Long time no see. This is a good phrase for Japanese people to learn because it is the closest English equivalent to O-hisashiburi desu. Perhaps you want to apologize for your long silence. In this case, Many apologies for not contacting you sooner is a useful phrase. Note how the similar phrase I apologize for not contacting you sooner, which uses the verb I apologize rather than the noun many apologies, is clearly more polite in English. Overall, the closer your relationship with the other person, and the more recent your last contact with them, the less necessary these opening pleasantries are. However, if your relationship with the other person is very distant, or if this is your first contact, then a brief self introduction is appropriate. My name is Emily Smith. I am a consultant at Hokkaido Savings Bank. And all students at Hokkaido University, please learn this absolutely essential phrase for when you contact your teachers. Dear Professor Suzuki, My name is Hokudai Taro and I am taking your English class on Fridays at 10:30 am. Your teachers have many students, and in this one simple sentence you give all the necessary information for the teacher to know who you are! If you are contacting someone senior or if they are not expecting your , you might want to use a humble phrase like this: Dear Professor Williams, Please forgive this mail out of the blue. On other occasions, it would be appropriate to state how you got the personʼs contact details. Dear Professor Williams, My name is Hokudai Keiko and I am a student at Hokkaido University. I was given your address by Dr Tanaka, who recommended that I contact you. Or, I found your address on the Hokkaido University website. Once you have completed all of the opening pleasantries and self introductions, introduce the topic of your mail. I would like to make an appointment to discuss my job with you... Making Requests There is always a purpose to a professional . Sometimes you simply send out information that does not require a reply. But, on many occasions you want a reply. This is when understanding politeness levels in English is really important. The important question when making a request is this: Does the other person have to reply or not? Letʼs look at cases where people have to respond first. Letʼs suppose I am the boss of a company and I am trying to set up a meeting time with my employees. In this situation, they have to respond. They are my employees. I pay them to respond! A request in this situation is very similar to an order. Send me the dates you can come to the meeting. Remember that we can make phrases politer in English by making the sentence longer and using appropriate phrases. Please could you send me the dates you can come to the meeting is longer, and politer.

7 On the other hand, when the other people do not have to respond, and particularly when the person is more senior or distinguished, it is very important to get the humble language correct. If you sent an to your professor saying, Tell me the date I need to hand in my homework, you are going to create a really bad impression. The minimum level of politeness you need in this situation is Please can you tell me the date I need to hand in my homework. Remember the basic rule: longer means more polite. In English there are a number of humble phrases we can use: I wonder if you could tell me the date. Could you be so kind as to tell me the date. I would be very grateful if you could tell me the date. I would be extremely grateful if you could be so kind as to tell me the date. I am very sorry to trouble you with this, but I wonder if you could tell me the date. Notice how in English the main message is always tell me the date, but by using more and more phrases before the request it becomes more and more polite. Be careful not to go over the top: being too humble can sound insincere and sarcastic. Making requests will also affect your final greeting in the , but we will look at that in video three. Finally Finally, let us recap the main point of this video. Different levels of politeness do exist in English and it is important that you use them well in a professional context. The basic rule is that combining appropriate phrases into longer sentences increases the level of politeness. So, remember that, or if I wanted to be more polite, Please can you remember that.

8 Video 3 In this final video, we look at how to end your s. The way that you close your sends many important messages to recipients about how you want them to reply. We can divide the end of your into four components: repeating your main request, a final greeting, your name, and the signature at the bottom of your mail. Repeating Your Main Request As we have covered politeness levels and making requests in the first two videos, all we need to do here is list a few of the most useful phrases. Your final request will probably be something like this: I look forward to hearing from you soon. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you need an answer quickly, the following phrase is useful: Please could you reply as soon as possible. However, always be aware of how the other person will receive the . Such a direct request might seem rude if used in the wrong situation. Closing Greetings Next are the closing greetings. There is usually a set phrase before you sign your name at the bottom of an . As we have seen in this series, there is a variety of different politeness levels to choose from. Letʼs start with a simple list: Best wishes, With all best wishes, All the best, Best, Regards, Warmest regards, Yours sincerely, Sincerely, Yours, Cheers, There are other final greetings, too. But they are for use with very close friends or family only, particularly: Love, Love from, Using these phrases is relatively simple. Choose the one you feel is most appropriate and then sign your name. The most appropriate formal greetings in work s to people you do not know very well are these. If you are friends as well as work colleagues, then use these ones. If your relationship is warm but a little distant, use these. In short, fast exchanges between close colleagues, it is also possible to just drop the final greeting altogether.

9 Your Name Signing your name at the bottom is very simple. You have three options: your full name, your first name, or a nickname. Which you choose depends most on how you want other people to call you when they reply to you. If you sign with your full name, it puts across a slightly formal and professional image. When people respond, they might do so in a formal way, too. If you sign with your first name only, it creates a much more friendly and casual image. You are effectively inviting the other person to beginning their reply with Dear + your first name. Using a nickname (perhaps only your initials, or a nickname that the other person will know), is a casual way of ending a mail. But, it is OK to use a nickname in professional situations if your relationship with the other person is friendly. Signature Finally, it is possible to put an signature at the bottom of your . Many people do this nowadays to give their position, qualifications and contact details. Here is a typical example of a university professorʼs signature. However, if you want to portray a slightly more individual or personal image, you could have a different signature. Some people have a favorite quotation at the bottom of their mail. You can also use various characters and symbols to make the signature more attractive. But, be aware that if you give an impression that is too casual, people might not take you seriously in a professional context. Finally This video series has introduced many concrete examples of things to do and not to do in s. Ultimately, however, etiquette is mostly a matter of common sense. You understand best your relationship with the other person. You know what image of yourself you want to project. And you know exactly what kind of response you want from the other person. Use your common sense. Perhaps the final thing to remember is this. It only takes a few minutes to write an . However, it can stay in the other personʼs inbox for a very long time. If you rush to send an and it contains rude or inappropriate language, you can cause many problems for yourself. With good etiquette, you will create a good impression on both personal and professional levels. It is always worth taking time to write s carefully.