VOA慢速英语--工作中更好的英语会话技巧

Tips for Better Conversations in English at Work

When we are learning¹ a new language, carrying on a conversation can be difficult. It is even harder when there is the added pressure of doing a job well using the new language. One of our readers, Emre, works² at a job that requires him to talk with customers in English. He recently asked for advice on how he can improve his listening skills.

There are probably many other readers who use English in their daily work, too. So today, we will suggest some simple learning strategies³ to improve your ability to listen and carry on conversations.

A learning strategy⁴ can be a thought or an action you take to make learning easier.

Here are four strategies for you to consider.

Predict

The first strategy is to predict what you will hear. Maybe your customers sometimes say they have problems with placing an order on your website. You can think about the ways they usually ask about that problem. What words do they often use in that kind of conversation? For example, customers may often use the word "order."

Focus

The next strategy is to prepare a list of those words and listen for them when a customer begins talking with you. I call this "focusing when you listen." The next time you are listening to a customer, pay attention to the key words that help you understand their question.

Ask

Next, think about what you can say to the customer to let them know you need a little help understanding them. You can let the customer know you are an English learner.

There are two questions you can ask. At the beginning of the conversation, you can ask, "Would you please speak more slowly?"

The other kind of question is one I call, "asking to clarify⁵." Remember, you predicted some of the words your customers may use. You should listen closely⁶ for those words. When you hear one, you can ask the customer a short question to be sure. "Did you say you want to order?"

Rehearse

You can prepare your answers to customers' questions and rehearse them in your free time. You may want to keep a notebook with your usual answers. You can practice saying them out loud to yourself.

Putting them together

Finally, you can put all these actions and thoughts together. Let's say a customer calls and says:

I want to order some face cream but I cannot find the button for ordering.

You are not sure of the product the customer wants. But you did note the words "order" and "button," so you can ask a question to clarify the customer's request. You rehearsed this question:

Are you looking for the button to order?

The customer says, "Yes." Then, you can ask another question that you practiced.

May I ask the name of the product you want to order?

We hope that these four strategies will help you to better deal with your customers in English. Learning English takes time and effort, but sometimes a few good strategies make things easier.

Another way you can prepare is to listen to English movies and podcasts as often as you can. The more you listen to conversations in English, the more you will understand over time.

Words in This Story

customer – n. someone who buys goods or services from a business

conversation – n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people or the act of talking in an informal way

focus – v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

rehearse – v. to say or do (something) several times in order to practice

button – n. a small area on a computer screen that you click on to make the computer software do something

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

3 strategies   

n.策略( strategy的名词复数 )；战略；战略学；对策

参考例句：

• Several steps and strategies have been developed to minimize these risks. 有关人士发展了若干措施和方法以减少这些风险。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Different threats require different strategies. 对付不同的威胁需要不同的策略。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 strategy   

n.方法，策略，战略

参考例句：

• The only way to take the enemy position is by strategy,not by forceful attack.只可智取，不可强攻。
• Tactics differs from strategy.战术有别于战略。

5 clarify   

v.澄清，阐明，使变得清晰；净化

参考例句：

• I am happy to clarify any points that are still unclear.我愿意说明任何仍然不清楚的地方。
• Can you clarify this long sentence?你能把这个长句子解释清楚吗？

6 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。