English for Secretaries

English for Secretaries

someone who works in an office, writing letters, making THE telephone SECRETARY calls and arranging meetings for a person or for an organization: My secretary will phone you to arrange a meeting. (Cambridge Advanced Learner s Dictionary)

The role of the secretary: As an assistant As a manager As an executive As a leader The Secretary

AGENDA The Secretary and the Language Telephone Cultural Awareness Writing The Office Travel Management Meetings The 21st Century Professional

THE SECRETARY & THE LANGUAGE

11% Bilíngues Não citam 89% Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado/outubro 2011

Nível de Inglês 31% 24% 45% Básico Intermediário Avançado Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado/outubro 2011

Importância da Língua Inglesa para a profissão 1% 99% Muito importante Um pouco importante Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado/outubro 2011

Possui algum diploma internacional 13% 87% Sim Não Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado/outubro 2011

CULTURAL AWARENESS Share our similarities, celebrate our differences.

Receiving Visitors

Welcome visitors to your company and show them the premises Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

Communication in Business How important are the following things when doing business in our country? Are they: important, not important or best avoided? Exchanging business cards Shaking hands Kissing Small talk before meetings Using first names Punctuality Giving presents Humour

Communication in Business What would you say in the following situations? You don t hear someone s name when you are introduced to them. You have to refuse an invitation to dinner with a supplier. You are offered food which you hate. You want to end a conversation in a diplomatic way. You have to greet a visitor. You have to introduce two people to each other at work. You have to introduce two people to each other at a party. You have to propose a toast. You colleague s been made redundant. You arrive half an hour late for a business lunch.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO IMPROVE INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION?

avoid using slang and idioms, choosing words that will convey only the most specific meaning; listen carefully and, if in doubt, ask for confirmation of understanding (particularly important if local accents and pronunciation are a problem); recognise that accenting and intonation can cause meaning to vary significantly; respect the local communication formalities and styles, and watch for any changes in body language.

Even if they speak the same language... U.S. and British negotiators found themselves at a standstill when the American company proposed that they "table" particular key points. In the U.S. "Tabling a motion" means to not discuss it, while the same phrase in Great Britain means to "bring it to the table for discussion."

British English x American English Accomodation Alter Bill (for food) Engaged (telephone) Fill in Luggage Reception Taxi Petrol Holiday Return Truck Line Accomodations Change Check Busy Fill out Baggage/Luggage Front desk/front office Cab Gasoline Vacation Round trip Lorry Queue

OFFICE SWEET OFFICE

Office Supplies CD-ROM KNIFE HOLE PUNCH RUBBER BANDS RUBBER STAPLER BANDS ADHESIVE TAPE SCISSORS FOLDBACK CLIP MAGAZINE FILE STAPLER SHREDDER

MEETINGS

Give directions about the time of a meeting and where it will be held Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

Read and understand an agenda for a meeting Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

Understand lines of argument and the reasons for decisions made in meetings that I attend Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

Minutes The official record of things that were said and decided in a meeting

Take part in a meeting and write the minutes Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

Making arrangements Could we meet on Monday at 10.30? Are you free sometime next week? How about next Friday? What about April 10 th? Would Wednesday at 2pm suit you? Is 11.15 convenient? Changing arrangements Issues to be considered when arranging a meeting I m afraid I can t come on Friday/then. We ve got an appointment for 11.00, but I m afraid something s come up. Could we fix another time? Responding That ll be fine. That s ok. No sorry, I can t make it then. My diary s rather full that day/week. Sorry, I ve already got an appointment at that time.

TELEPHONING

Find information that I need in a telephone directory Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

Understand a person s name when she or he gives it to you over the phone Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

Take a telephone message for a co-worker Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

Communicating with clarity: Effective Phoning Is it difficult to talk on the phone in a foreign language? Why? People mumble, whisper People speak too fast, too slow People use too much technical jargon People have strong accent (native or non-native speakers) How can you make it easier? Be calm Ask the person to spell the names you don t understand Focus on the most important parts of the conversation Practice your listening!!! Remember: your personality and manner will leave the person on the other side of the line with a good or bad impression of you and your company.

To the caller, the person who answers the phone is the organization.

Telephoning But and if you really don t understand? missed that. Could you say it again? didn t catch that. Could you slow down a bit? Sorry, I don t understand. Could you explain what you mean? m not with you. Could you go over that again? don t follow you. Could you run through that again? don t quite see what you mean. Could you be a bit more specific?

Read the letters of the alphabet Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

Spell your name and company name Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

WRITING LETTERS Communication E-MAILS

Dos and Don ts No clear subject. The subject line should be clear and concise. It should not contain negative words or expressions. No greeting. Always begin your email with a friendly greeting. Copying in too many other people. Don t cc others unless they are directly involved in the situation otherwise you just add to the spam that we all receive on a daily basis. Flaming. Writing an email in capital letters to make a point is annoying to read! Difficult to read. Long emails with no attention to paragraphing, sentence structure, or unnecessary repetition are difficult to both read and understand. 2009 Regina Rezende. Todos direitos reservados.

Oops! An all-caps text block is angry, furious, enraged Threatening language don t solve a problem Only one paragraph Juvenile touches

You re more visible in e-mail than in person People remember who takes the time to write a clear and effective e-mail. And they remember who doesn t.

Acronyms or Abbreviations? Altough some acronyms, such as FYI and ASAP, have passed into dictionaries of standart English usage, most abbreviations don t make it across the threshold.

Translate documents from English to Portuguese, with little use of dictionary Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

Translate documents from Portuguese to English, with little use of dictionary Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado, baseada no TOEIC Can-do Questionnaire

TRAVEL MANAGEMENT

What is the purpose of the trip? What are the desired departure and return times and dates? What is the point-by-point itinerary? Will the boss be travelling alone, or will other staff members or family members be travelling along? What type of transportation does your boss desire? Hotel reservations Transportation reservations Visas and passports Immunization Currency Time zones

The 21st Century Professional

How do you evaluate yourself? Technical skills Computer Equipment Organization Meeting planning Soft skills Education Customer Service Phone Etiquette Communication Sales / Networking Professional Traits Appearance Confidence Protocol Poise Confidentiality

Areas to evaluate Ask yourself the questions What are my strengths? What areas would I like to develop? How will I benefit? Skills I need to develop Obstacles I need to overcome Who can help me achieve this goal and how? Date to achieve? And always review your answers!

The future of the assistant is in your own hands if you continually learn, make and achieve goals, embrace and adapt to change, you can be whoever you want to be and do whatever you want to do. One thing is for sure, it s up to you to take responsibility for your own destiny. Sue France, The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook

Thank you! ENGLISH FOR SECRETARIES Regina Rezende 21 9305-3308 21 3598-9258 reginarezende@englishforsecretaries.com http://rrenglishforsecretaries.wordpress.com www.englishforsecretaries.com