Friday 17 April 2009
Warm-Up 4
Warm-Up 4 doesn't give you any marks (!), but it is, perhaps, a way for you to see the collective wisdom of the group about two key areas in the In-Tray exam: complaining and apologising. Since you don't get any marks for it, you don't have to do it either - but I'm sure that your contributions will be gratefully received by everyone else, if you do!
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Warm up 4 – Åsa Rollsjö
ReplyDeleteComplaining:
If you are complaining about something for the first time I believe it is a good idea to have a polite approach and try to offer a way out of the situation, for example using phrasing such as “I am sorry to inform you that … I believe we can resolve the matter by…”.
If you have continuously complained about something without any result, I believe that being polite may actually undermine the seriousness of your complaint. By pointing out consequences you will show that you will not accept the behavior any longer. For example “I have pointed out the problems with … to you several times without result. … If the matter is not resolved immediately I will …”
Apologizing:
I believe an apology can sound very different depending on who you are apologizing to. For example: a very formal apology could be phrased “I wish to offer you my sincere apology for …”, and a less formal one might be phrased “I am very sorry about …”.
I believe it is a good idea to phrase both formal and informal apologies as directly as possible. Don’t try to beat around the bush, instead address the problem directly. I believe it is also important to take responsibility for what went wrong and to offer a solution or some kind of compensation.
Complaining
ReplyDeleteOne of the most important things in complaining is to prepare what to say before the start of a letter or a call. The plan, or strategy, for the call or letter must be detailed and keep focus on facts and the things that went wrong to have a good effect. It is not a good idea to blame somebody personal or say things that can make the other part upset. Try instead to keep the language in the conversation formal and balance the power in you language. Finally in the conversation it is recommended with an end that put the other part to take action and help to solve the problem in an amicably way before a due date and point out that after that date, the case will be sent to the legal advisor.
Christoffer Ljungar
Apologizing
ReplyDeleteI think the most important thing in an apologizing letter is that the person who receives it, really feel that the letter is written honestly and personal. An important thing is that the letter does not bring up any excuses, or at least it should be just one excuse. A repetition of excuses is only going to make the letter worse. On the other hand, the letter must be clear that a mistake has been made and how things are going to be put right again.
Complaining
Before complaining it is important to have a clear idea about why you are dissatisfied and what you want to achieve by complaining. It is also very important choose how hard language you want to use. I think that the language have to be definite and firm but not impolite and aggressive.
Linda Johansson
Before you start to complain you have to make a plan to get what you want. You have to know what your goal is. When you are complaining it is important to use a language which is not too hard and not too soft. You should use facts to make clear that you are right. You have to explain why you are disappointed and what claim you have.
ReplyDeleteTherese Hallenborg
Complaining
ReplyDeleteWhen complaining you should keep your language neutral and try not to attack or accuse the person or the company you are complaining about. The person is more likely to be reasonable if you do not attack him personally with your accusations.
Always try to keep your language formal, if you do the person you are complaining to will take you more seriously. Avoid colloquial words. If your language is informal the recipient is more likely to not take you seriously and simply throw away your letter. He will not feel threatened by someone who can not even write a business letter in a correct, formal language.
Try to keep your cool when you are writing a letter of complaint. Even if you feel very angry and hurt it will not help your case if you show this sign of weakness to your opponent. Keep the language neutral but make sure the recipient understands that you are disappointed in him or his company, and that you will not accept this kind of behavior.
If you use a neutral and polite language and try not to make demands unless it is unavoidable, the problem can often be solved more quickly. It is also often more cost-effectively as you can avoid lawyer’s fees.
Also make sure the other party understands exactly what they are supposed to do to redress your grievances.
Apologizing
When apologizing it is important to acknowledge the mistake that has been made. You should explain to the other party that you take this situation seriously and that you will make sure mistakes like this will not happen in the future. You should avoid trying to make up excuses, as this will indicate you do not want to admit that a mistake has really been made. You should also give som kind of indication about how things are going to be put right.
Once again it is important to use a correct, formal language and to avoid colloquil words. Try to be tactful and diplomatic when writing a letter like this. Always be polite and respectful towards your opponent.
Tina Abrahamsson
Complaining
ReplyDeleteBest strategies?
I think that a good strategy when you complain to someone is that you know what your point is and that you do not back down. You have to make your complaint without any hesitation. Then the person you complain to will take your complaint in a serious way.
Language tips?
My advice is to use a formal language and to be as strict as possible in the way you talk. When you complain to someone, language is very important and you have to use a serious and formal language. But depending in what country you are located in and depending on the cultural background you will have to accommodate your language after these factors.
Own experience?
When I write an complain letter I choose to use formal, well-written language and i try to be as strict as possible but at the same time not to strict so that the person i am complaining to doesn’t think that I am making threats to him/her.
When I wrote to a company to complain because they had sent me a package that I did not order I chose to use formal and very strict language because I was very upset. I would not have to pay for something that i did not order. So I wrote them a complaint letter and was very angry and strict in the letter. And that worked, they called me up and asked me to send the package back and i did not have to pay for anything and they even sent me an "we are sorry gift".
Apologizing
Best strategies?
When you apologize you have to have to things in mind, first of all you have to know exactly what you are apologizing for and second of all you have to know who you are apologizing to. The best strategy for apologizing is that you apologize for the problems and try to come up with a solution on how to fix it.
Language?
The language is important even in an apology. You have to use the right language so that you sound believable. Or if you are writing an apologize letter you have to use correct language so that the person you are apologizing to takes you seriously and accept your apology.
Own experience?
When I apologize to someone face to face I often use a serious but soft language so that I sound regretful. I have never apologized to someone in a letter so I don’t have any tips for that but if you apologizing to someone face to face here is some tips from my own experience:
- Act and sound very regretful and believable
- Use a correct and strict language and talk only about the mistakes that you have done, don’t start to talk about something because then you will risk confusing the other person.
- Try to come up with some examples of how to make everything right again and how to make up for the mistakes.
Ernan Mahmutovic
Complaining
ReplyDelete• The best strategy is to be gentle and not too straight forward. Start by building up the scenario slowly to make the reader understand the importance and relevance of the problem that you are dealing with.
• Use formal language and make the reader understand the problem in numbers and details. Informal language could ruin the importance of the problem since the language might cause that the problem won’t be taken seriously.
Apologizing
• I believe that the best strategy is to be honest and openhearted. By sharing your deepest feelings you can be able to make the other person understand where you are coming from and why something has happened.
• A mix of formal and informal language is the best combination from my point of view. By using informal language when you speak from your heart is better since it gives a more true tone.
Emma Wennberg
It is very hard to both complain and to apologise. And to do it in business English is even harder but is sometimes necessary.
ReplyDeleteI think that the best strategy is to be yourself, maybe that sound a bit naive. But sometimes it is the best. I think that you have to be prepared and maybe even have practiced at home first.
When to complain you have to think about everything you want to complain about so you don’t have to come back if you forgot something. It is also important to think about how hard you want to complain. Are you really angry at the moment maybe you should wait to complain until you have calmed down.
I think that I am rather to kind than to hard, the best is if you can be something there between. To threaten someone is to hard and asking carefully is to kind. Sentences that I like to use is “there appears to be a mistake…”, “I am sorry to have inform you that….”
When you are going to apologise for something that have went wrong you have to say “I am sorry” in one way or another and sorry is unfortunately the hardest word to say. You first have to acknowledge that a mistake has been made and try to solve this the best way for both of your companies. You don’t have to make up some excuses because the best way is to tell the truth and explain that it will never happen again. Words that I like to use are “I am sorry to inform you…”, “I am afraid that…”
Sofia Persson
Complaining:
ReplyDeleteMy best tips when you want to complain is to be straight, say what you mean, and do not lie. Some people tend to inflate what they mean. Give concrete examples and tell the person you complaining to concrete proposals how to improve.
Think about that the person you talks to can be of another culture, and maybe she did not experience the situation like you did. Ask the person what she think about the situation, and if she saw anything wrong in it. If not, explain why it was wrong in your culture. Also think about differences in culture, in speech and writing. For example, when a director speaks to you, in Sweden that is a sign that everything is good, it is when the director does not speak to you, you should be worried. But in Germany it is the opposite, when the director speaks to you, you know you are in trouble.
But most of all, tell the person why you are complaining, so they know what went wrong.
Apologizing:
When you are apologizing, it is the same thing as when complaining. You need to explain what went wrong and why. But also think about that in some cultures, like in Sweden, you need to explain yourself, but in some cultures it is unnecessary and unusual.
It is also important to see if cultural differences can explain why something went wrong. Did the two of you experience the situation in different ways?
Most important in this case, mean what you say, that you really are sorry for what happened. And say why this will not happen again. Or explain why you think it will happen again, and give a suggestion what you should do then.
Emelie Nilsson
Complaints and Apologies
ReplyDeleteComplaints:
1.Itemize the specific complaints in order to make it easier for the company to look into the complaint.
2.The date of the incident and the names of the parties involved can assist in the investigation of the complaint.
3.It is also good to write down or mention what kind of compensation you are asking for. This gives the company a reference of what they are willing to do or offer you.
1.If a company has received a complaint, they should reassure the client that they will do everything in order to regain their trust. This will help them keep their clients and their reputation.
4.The language should be assertive but not rude.
Apologies:
1.An apology should show the client's importance. This can be done by recognizing the company's fault.
2.If the company finds the client's complaints to be false, they can send a formal apology that states that no fault on the company's side has been found. In this case, the language should be formal but not condescending.
I think that the most important for both complaining and apologizing is to have clearly what you want to get as answer.
ReplyDeleteBut I found that there is one patron for each topic which should be considering before write. For the complaining is very easy to let our feelings address our claim. This can make very rude our complaining letter making worst the situation for us. The result won’t be as positive as you expected. A tip is to be quite polite but overwhelming. But if you persist to express your feelings may do using some metaphors to illustrate them at the same time to express them openly.
For the apologizing the patron is to go deep into. Giving too many explanations may result that you have to apologize for everything going behind the goal and leaving the perception that you aren’t quite professional. Offering a cogent apologize and solution the effect on your receptor will be positive. The politics and diplomatic languages fully of oxymoron can help to tinge our mistakes.
Finally I want to share a website where you can find some examples of how to use these forms.
http://www.english-online.org.uk
Rodrigo Ceciliano
Complaining
ReplyDeleteFirst of all and maybe the main thing is that, when you need to complain about something you need to keep calm and don’t give yourself to go over the limits, because people to whom you complain will better sense you and you will have more chance that they will help you.
When you are complaining it’s important to keep balance in the way you speak between soft complaining and hard complaining. The best way is to take something average, so hard enough to make your point, but not so hard that you 'demolish' the person you're writing to.
It’s also important to explain clear what the problem and what do you want to do with this problem.
Apologizing.
In apologizing one of the most important thing is to fully acknowledge mistake that has been made.
And then you should inform your customer what you are going to do to prevent these mistakes in the future, so he can be sure that it will never happen again.
Denis Smirnov
Strategies and language tips
ReplyDeleteComplaining
1. Explain your complaint (what you are complaining at) clearly and concisely.
2. State what compensation you demand.
3. Describe the circumstances that caused the problem or the damage that you are complaining of.
4. Do not make threats that cannot be defended publicly and which you are not prepared to carry through.
5. Do not exaggerate and do not use depreciatory remarks or words about the other party.
Apologising
1. Be honest, and of course humble.
2. Do not blame your fault on others.
3. Do not exaggerate when making your excuses. That can be misunderstood, as if you are trying to poke fun at the other person.
4. You may explain, shortly, why you think you did the mistake. But avoid getting entangled in long-winded excuses or explanations.
5. Ask the other party how you can make him/her good for your mistake.
Personal experiences
Fortunately I do not remember any personal experiences of complaints or apologies.
Thomas Olofsson
Complaining:
ReplyDeleteMy best tips for complaining is to do it in a polite and respectful way. I feel it is important to be calm and understanding about the situation but still be able to get your point across.
If you offer and objective view of the situation you will not upset the reader of the letter therefor making him/her more susceptible to the information of the letter and he/she is more likely to compensate, agree with you, you for your inconvenience.
It is also important not to lie, it will catch up with you making it less likely you will be compensated. Make the letter brief and omit things that are not important for getting your point across.
I also feel it is imporant not too make it personal, at least not in the first letter, the situation you are complaining about has probably happened to other customers before.
Last I would probably say that the most important thing about complaining is to do it without whining. Whining about something rarely makes someone sympathize with you, instead they might feel that you deserved what happened to you and you wont get an apology or compensation.
Emil Johansson
When I read or write business letter I think the most important thing is how to keep the distance. Write about the facts and not emotions. By writing you have a great advantage comparing with more personal contact as by phone or seeing a person “face to face”. When speaking directly to a person you might have to go in to direct argument, but when you write a letter both parties have an opportunity to calm down before writing an answer. You also get more time to get all your questions and answers in the same letter, as it is easier to forget some whilst talking to a person directly.
ReplyDelete