Reading – Using indirect phrases
As with a personal relationship, it is common to disagree or have conflicts with your business partner or colleague. On the telephone, since you cannot see each other, words have an even greater impact. In this section, you will learn more polite phrases to make or reject suggestions and can help create a good working atmosphere.
When making suggestions, instead of imposing your ideas with phrases like “I think the best way is to…” or “We have to/must do it this way” for example. We could use the following phrases instead:
I’ve a suggestion, how about we…
It’s just an idea but how about…
One possibility would be to…
Perhaps we should…
Shall we try…
What if we…
How about …
Maybe we can…
I recommend..
Why don’t we do….
I would suggest that we…
To reject the suggestions, instead of saying “No, that’s a bad idea” or “I don’t agree”, for example. We could say:
To be honest,…
Do you think so?
I’m not really sure about that.
That’s an interesting idea, shall we discuss it at another time?
This can be used if the suggestion has nothing to do with the topic you are discussing.
Frankly speaking…/ to be frank
eg: That’s a good idea, but frankly speaking I don’t think it will work.
Good suggestion, but I see one or two problems with that, to be frank.
Or we could use this technique to disagree:
You: So you are saying that red is the best colour?
Your colleague: Yes.
You: Personally I prefer blue.
You will also learn more about direct and indirect communication, and the cultures that use them, in “Further Tips and Recommendations”.
Next, we will have a little quiz to check that you have understood.