LET’S TALK BUSINESSCommunication Skills practice in the

workplace

10 years ago, how did you do most of

your communication? How about today?

(what’s different?)

Can you rank the following from

“Most frequently used” to “less / rarely

used”?

Email Face-to-Face SMS/Text

Voice Call Letter/”snail mail” Video Call

Workplace Communication Quotes &

Expressions

Agree or disagree?

Can you convey an emotion using only your body

language?

* Do you have anyone on your team that doesn’t speak as much?

In order to “move up the corporate ladder” executives

need more than just skills to score a higher position.

Talented employees must also demonstrate the ability to

effectively communicate with all levels of staff.

The ability to effectively communicate or express ideas, feelings

instructions, requests, etc. is often referred to as

In______per______l Skills (or what we call ‘soft skills’)

The ability to effectively communicate or express ideas, feelings

instructions, requests, etc. is often referred to as

Interpersonal Skills (or what we call ‘soft skills’)

Other names: “People Skills” “Emotional Intelligence”

Can you improve the following statements to sound

friendlier, more confident or more empathetic?

Scenario 1: Job Interview

Manager: Why are you looking for a new job?

Interviewee: My old boss is so difficult. She makes it

impossible to achieve my target and

doesn’t support the team.

Why is this response bad?

What is a better response?

Manager: Why are you looking for a new job?

Interviewee: Actually, I was content with my position at

X, but when I heard about the vacancy

here, I thought it’s a wonderful opportunity

to challenge myself in a new, professional

environment. This company has an

outstanding reputation and I’d be

honored to be a part of the team

* You should never ‘bad-mouth’ bosses or colleagues as it

shows unprofessionalism. Additionally, within a small

industry, it’s highly possible the interviewer could know

the former boss.

A better response could be:

Interviewee: What’s the salary for this position? Are

there any other benefits?

This is a fair question to ask later in the interview process

but how can we make it sound more professional?

Interviewee: Can you tell me about the compensation

and benefits package?

Ideally, the employer should bring this up, but if they haven’t – it’s

your right to ask about it. “Compensation & Benefits Package” is

a standard, professional term.

Interviewee: Ooh, I’m sorry. My English isn’t so good.

I’m nervous.

Feeling nervous, especially about an interview in English, is

very common…. but what’s a better way to handle this situation?

Interviewee: I love to speak English, and I’m still

learning, so pardon me if I ask you to

repeat or say something again.

Even if you’re nervous, no company wants to hire someone

who lacks confidence. It’s best not to mention / apologize for

your speaking skills. However, if you’d like to “hint” to the

interviewer to speak slower and clearly, then you can say

something like this.

Scenario 2: Work event (customers/

colleagues)

Med Rep: “So, what’s your job at your company?”

“What product do you sell?”

Remember: this is a work function, so you need to sound a bit

more informed…

Med Rep: “So, I understand you are a doctor/med rep.

Tell me more / What can you tell me?”

“From my research, I understand that your

hospital is (expanding quickly / has one of

the best cardio departments)… I’m

interested to hear more about it. “

When talking to potential customers or even other med reps, it’s

important to show that you have some professional knowledge of

their job. (if you don’t, you can always ask someone around you)

Med Rep: “What? I can’t hear you. Can you repeat

that?”

Work functions can get noisy, but there’s a more polite way to

address hearing…

Med Rep: “Do you mind if we move over there where

it’s quieter?”

“Pardon, could you say that once more?

I didn’t catch what you said.”

“Sorry, it’s quite noisy. Would you like to

speak out in the hallway?”

Customer: “Well, what did you think of the speaker?”

Med Rep: “Oh, I was busy, so I didn’t hear him.” /

“Ah, he’s okay.”

Customer: “Well, what did you think of the speaker?”

Med Rep: “Unfortunately, I had to take care of some

work-related business. I’m sad I missed it

- what were your thoughts?”

“Dr. Nghia is so well-respected at his

hospital. He’s absolutely professional and

I’m happy I got to hear his opinions.”

• Be careful to give comments and personal opinions; the best

response should be positive or at least neutral.

Med Rep: “Hi – do you remember me? We met

before.”

Customer: “Oh yes. What’s your name again? I

forgot it.”

• Both sides of this

conversation can be

improved…

Med Rep: “Hello Dr. Nghia, – I believe we met before

at the Heart Association conference a few

months ago.”

Customer: “Oh yes, I remember you. Please remind

me of your name again.”

Scenario 3: In the office

Manager: “I’m going to need you to help take over

Vy’s territory for this quarter because she

will travel.”

Employee: “That’s not my job. / That’s not my

responsibility. / Am I going to get paid

more?”

*What would you say if your boss requested you do

something beyond your scope of work?

Manager: “I’m going to need you to help take over

Vy’s territory for this quarter because she

will travel.”

Employee: “I’ll be glad to help. My current tasks

include A,B & C. Which one of these

shall I place on hold while I work on

this new assignment?”

This clearly communicates teamwork and helpfulness, while reminding your

boss of your current work load and the need to set realistic expectations.

Med Rep: “I think you’re going to be really happy

with our results this quarter.”

Instead of “think”, what word(s) can we use to sound

more confident / sure about our statement.

Med Rep: “I know/believe/am confident you’re going

to be really happy with our results this

quarter.”

Communicating to The Boss

The Situation

You would like your boss’ input / approval on a project you

completed.

How can you ask for your boss’ opinion?

- I just finished by (project), and I’d really like your input.

When do you have time to review it?

- I completed my (project). Would you like to review it before

I submit it to (another person/department)?”

- Would you mind scanning over my (project)?

- Would you mind quickly checking over my project?

* By offering the opportunity for your boss to provide their input, they feel valued by you.

You are simply overloaded with work and you need some

additional support.

How would you ask your boss for some “extra hands” ?

The Situation

- “Hi ________, my team is working at maximum capacity to

complete (their target/this project/arrangement). In order to

stick to the deadline, I will need some additional support. Can

you assign someone to help us out?”

- “This target / project is much more difficult than we anticipated

due to…… We’re going to need some extra help to complete

it on time/ achieve our goal. Do you have anyone available

to help us?”

• By first explaining your hard work and effort, and mentioning that in order to succeed,

you need support – your boss may be more willing to assign help.

The Situation

You are frustrated / annoyed with some aspect of your job

(a particular employee, customer, company, department.) You’re

in a situation when you must let your boss know.

How can you calmly express your frustration?

- “I’m having some difficulties with _________ and I’m trying to

deal with them to the best of my abilities. I recommend that

we ………”

- “I’ve been trying to deal with ___________. The biggest issue

I’m having is ___________. Do you have any suggestions

about how to resolve this issue?”

• Being honest but respectful about your frustrations is work-appropriate; recommending

actions/ solutions is best and will show your boss your problem solving abilities.

Your boss has been dealing with some personal stress, and as a

result – they are overloaded with work duties.

When you see your boss, she/he looks exhausted.

What can you say in this situation?

The Situation

- “What can I do to help?” (very willing to offer help)

- “Is there something I can do to help?” (passively offering help)

- “Can I get you anything? (a coffee, snack, etc.) (politely offering help without getting too involved)

* it’s a relief to them when you offer to lend a hand or just acknowledge they’re

going through a hard time. In addition, you prove that you are a team player.

* “How can I help you?” – is usually said by service people (waiters, receptionists, etc)

The Situation

Several teams are traveling to a conference. Your boss needs

one person to be lead point-of-contact (POC). This person will

be responsible for handling any issues that may arise during the

trip.

What can you say if you want to take on a responsibility?

- “I’ll take the lead on that.” (strong, confident)

- “I’d like to do that.” (willing)

- “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take on this role.”

- “If no one else volunteers, I can do it.” (hesitant, but willing)

By offering to take the lead for something, you show initiative and confidence. In

addition, you take some of the pressure off your boss to find/ask people to take on

this responsibility.

Your boss asks you to allow an intern to job shadow you

for two full months. You will need to need to explain

every aspect of your work and responsibilities to them.

What would you say to your boss?

- “No problem.” / “Not a problem.”

- “Of course. That sounds interesting.”

- “Sure. When will they begin?”

*Bosses usually dread assigning more work when they know you are already busy.

When you respond to a new task or request with a positive attitude, you ease your

boss’s concerns.

The situation

You have a work problem that you need to let your boss know

about.

What’s the best way to bring a problem to your boss?

- Here’s the problem, and this is how we can solve it.

- “There’s a problem, and these are some option to solve it.”

- “There’s been an issue with _________; I’ve thought about

some solutions…”

- “I need your help to solve a problem.” (if you cannot solve it alone)

*When you present solutions on your own before presenting a problem to your boss,

you save your supervisor time while proving your initiative and problem-solving

abilities.

The Situation

Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and you just made one

at work. Even though you resolved it, so you still need to let

your boss know about it.

How would you tell your boss about a mistake you made?

- “I made a mistake, but this is how I resolved it…

- “I just thought you should know that earlier this week, I

mistakenly…. (lost a contract, forgot to do something…);

however, I already resolved it by....”

- “It’s no longer an issue, but last week, I mistakenly…… and I

quickly took action to resolve it.”

* Being accountable for your mistakes proves that you are mature and honest.

When you go a step further to say how you rectified the mistake and how you will

prevent it going forward, you prove that you care about the quality of your work.

The Situation

You boss requests information / data / a document from

you. It will take some of your time to get it.

How would you respond to your boss?

- “I’ll get that to you by…… (3pm today, tomorrow morning, etc.)

- “I’ll send it to you by email as soon as I’m in front on my

computer.”

- “I’ll need a few days to collect some information. I’ll put it in

your mailbox by Friday.”

- “I’ll call you as soon as I know, which should be by this afternoon”

By providing your boss with an exact time when you will complete a task, you allow

him or her to plan more easily and provide status updates to their own supervisor.

Communicating to The Team

The Situation

You need to ask a team member about the status

of their work / a situation.

How can you ask for a status update?

- “What’s the status of…?”

- “How far along are you with …?”

- “Are you nearly finished with…?”

- “When can you send/give me ….?”

- “I’d like you to email me a status report by 1pm today.”

The Situation

One of your team members has an inconsiderate / unprofessional

habit that you’d like them to not do.

(ex: interrupting others, playing with phone in meetings, wrinkled

clothes)

What’s the best way to bring up changing behavior/habit?

- “Hi ______. In our weekly meetings, I notice that you often

(interrupt). I do value your contributions, but I think it would

be nice if you let other’s contribute their ideas too before you

speak. Do you think you can do that from now on?”

“Hi _____. I’d like to talk to you about something that I’ve noticed.

You often come to meetings in casual clothing. While I want you

to feel comfortable, please remember that you represent our

company still, and you need to dress appropriately. I’d like to see

a bigger effort from you.”

• With any sensitive topic, be sure to praise / understand the other person’s side, but

state your expectations clearly.

The Situation

The end of the quarter is approaching, and now is the time you

must put some pressure on your team to achieve their target.

How can you remind your team of this deadline?

- “Our deadline is fast approaching. Please work efficiently and

start wrapping up things (meetings, sales, etc.).”

- “As you know, we’ve got two weeks left to meet our target. I’m

always available if you need help with anything. Please let me

know as soon as possible about any issues.”

“It’s time to really put 110% effort into your work. Our deadline is

coming in just a month.”

The Situation

You have some outstanding team members. They

are working hard, making progress and showing great

potential. You also have a few that need some

encouragement.

How can you express this?

- “Thao, I think you’re doing a great job and I really appreciate

your efforts this quarter.”

- “I know this is a challenging quarter for you, but I see you’re

working a lot to manage everything. I know you can achieve

your target if you keep up the hard work.”

- “I’m mostly pleased with your performance, but I know you can

be doing better. You have the skills and the opportunity in

your territories. I hope to see more effort in the coming weeks.”

The Situation

You have a team member who is under-performing OR

breaking policy/rules.

How do you reprimand an employee for unprofessional actions?

- “Your behavior is unacceptable and this needs to change now.

this is your first warning. I don’t want to have this same

meeting twice.”

- “This is your 3rd warning. If I have to warn you again, I will be

forced to take more serious action. Is that understood?

- “What’s going on with you?”

- “You should have told me about ______. That was very

irresponsible of you. Is this going to continue to be a

problem in the future?”

Say THIS: Not THAT

And… But..

Examples:

“I see your point, but I think we should take a different approach.”

“I see your point, and I think we should take a different approach.”

“She’s a very talented employee, but she’s 22.”

“She’s a very talented employee, and she’s 22.”

“But” is dismissive, when we say “And” – it means that we’ve considered their input – and

we disagree/have a different opinion. It can also be the difference between a positive

and negative

When Disagreeing… / Stating a negative/positive

Say THIS: Not THAT

We, Us, the Team Me, Myself, I

When discussing collaboration

Examples:

“My team is