English for Secretaries
someone who works in an office, writing
letters, makingTHE
telephone
calls and
SECRETARY
arranging meetings for a person or for an
organization:
My secretary will phone you to arrange a
meeting.
(Cambridge Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary)
The Secretary
The role of the secretary:
– As an assistant
– As a manager
– As an executive
– As a leader
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
24%
31%
Básico
Intermediário
Avançado
45%
Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado/outubro 2011
Importância da Língua Inglesa para a profissão
1%
Muito importante
Um pouco importante
99%
Pesquisa feita com 100 profissionais de secretariado/outubro 2011
Possui algum diploma internacional
13%
Sim
Não
87%
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
RUBBERSTAPLER
BANDS
ADHESIVE TAPE
SCISSORS
MAGAZINE FILE
FOLDBACK
CLIP
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
Issues to be considered
when arranging a meeting
Making arrangements
– Could we meet on Monday at 10.30?
– Are you free sometime next week?
– How about next Friday?
– What about April 10th?
– Would Wednesday at 2pm suit you?
– Is 11.15 convenient?
Changing arrangements
– 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?
don’t understand. Could you explain what you mean?
Sorry, I…
’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
Only one
paragraph
Threatening
language
don´t solve a
problem
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
[email protected]
http://rrenglishforsecretaries.wordpress.com
www.englishforsecretaries.com