Do you ever need to persuade or convince someone of your point of view? Do you need to win support for a proposal, or get backing for a project? Of course you do. 説得 – convincing someone of something – is an essential part of almost everything we do, from informal discussions to formal negotiations. To be successful, you need to be persuasive. You need to get people to accept a different point view, to see things your way. How can you be more persuasive? In this three-part series, we’ll be giving you some answers.
Throughout the years, many talented speakers and researchers have been developing ways to persuade people effectively. One of the most widely used methods is Alan H. Monroe’s. In the mid-1930s, Monroe created a persuasive process called the “Monroe sequence” that has become a standard in business, media and politics. Once you know it, you’ll recognize it everywhere – in speeches, ステートメント, proposals, advertisements. It’s popular because it is logical and effective.
そう, over the next three Business English Pod episodes, we’ll be studying language and strategies for persuasion based on the Monroe Sequence.
This lesson will focus on the first step, getting the audience’s attention.
The listening takes place at Swift, a bicycle manufacturer whose major market is the U.S. We’ll be listening to a good example and a bad example of persuasion. First let’s examine the bad example.
リスニングの質問
Bad example 1. Whose needs does Franz focus on? あれは, whose needs is he taking into consideration when he makes the proposal? 2. Why is Franz’s proposal so ineffective?
Good example 1) What does Steve do at the beginning of his presentation? 2) Whose needs does Steve focus on – the workers’ or the management’s?
Good customer service is essential to success in any industry, but it is particularly important in the service and hospitality sector. “Hospitality” means treating guests well; and here, we’re talking specifically about hotels. Because service is so vital to hospitality, hotels are a good place to look for excellent service practices.
So today we’ll be listening in on a phone call from an angry customer at the Majestic, a five-star hotel in Shanghai. By listening to a bad example and a good example of service practice, we’ll be studying skills that are useful in any industry, no matter whether you are dealing with internal or external customers.
We’ll see that a very important part of handling angry customers is showing empathy: Empathy is similar to sympathy – it means showing that you understand the customer’s pain.
リスニングの質問
悪い例: 1) How does the customer, Steve, learn the service associate’s name? 2) What is Steve’s problem? 3) How could Jenna have handled the complaint better?
良い手本: 1) When Steve says, “I’m at the end of my rope,” what does he mean? 2) What does Sandy do to calm Steve down?
This is the last in our three-part Business English Podcast series on cold calling. 今日のレッスンで, you’ll learn how to deal with several typical kinds of objections that a potential customer might raise.
When Steve first asked for an appointment, Linda didn’t agree right away, did she? As you know, it’s normal for even a good prospect to give you one or two negative responses, so it’s important to be ready to deal with these and “turn them around” skillfully.
Today we’ll be listening to the last part of the cold calling dialogue between Linda and Steve. あなたが聞くように, pay attention to how Steve turns around Linda’s objections.
リスニングの質問
1. When Steve asks for an appointment, what is Linda’s first response? 2. What is Linda’s second objection? 3. How does Steve deal with Linda’s objections?
