Successful Communication

Discussion on teaching Business English

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myprofe
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 19 Aug 2004, 18:50
Status: Teacher

Successful Communication

Unread post by myprofe »

Successful oral communication with a native English speaker depends on your ability to understand what is being said and your capacity to make yourself understood, the latter being easier due to the fact that native speakers are more reluctant to alter their way of speaking. If you’re having difficulty following a conversation with a business partner or client it’s important to make the other person aware of this. Not only are both of you wasting your time but the slightest misunderstanding could have serious results down the road. Ask him or her to speak slowly and repeat back the important information with expressions like, “So, what you’re saying is; let me see if I understood you correctly; OK, you want me to.” And, as a final step, make a habit of following up each conversation by sending a written summary of the important topics. You can never be too careful.
Gordon http://www.myprofe.com/tandem
Nigel
Rising Star
Posts: 26
Joined: 25 Apr 2004, 15:00

Successful communication

Unread post by Nigel »

Yeah, this is obvious and we all know about it.

Why don't you tell us what you actually do to TEACH it!
myprofe
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 19 Aug 2004, 18:50
Status: Teacher

Re: Successful communication

Unread post by myprofe »

Nigel wrote:Yeah, this is obvious and we all know about it. Why don't you tell us what you actually do to TEACH it!
Apparently I didn’t make myself clear. Successful communication, which can be difficult even when speaking in your first language, is a frequent topic of concern among my business students. Together we discuss the different approaches, such as those listed in my previous message, when dealing with a difficult situation. I believe that successful communication depends, more often than not, on the capacity to apply these techniques rather the student’s level. ;)
Gordon http://www.myprofe.com/tandem
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