Just to let you know I am moving back to Australia this week and I haven’t had time to write and post a business writing tip. They will resume soon đ
Happy writing
Just to let you know I am moving back to Australia this week and I haven’t had time to write and post a business writing tip. They will resume soon đ
Happy writing
Phrasal verbs are a useful aspect of English which help us with the register of our writing. If we are writing something very formal, for example a report, we probably wouldnât use them. But if we want to write an email to a long-standing customer who we have known for some years, the verbs we would usually use when we write at work might seem too formal. We might accidentally offend our client who could be wondering, âWhy are they being so distant with me?â Phrasal verbs work perfectly in this kind of situation.
First, a definition. Michael McCarthy and Felicity OâDell give the following definition in English Phrasal Verbs in Use: Advanced.
âPhrasal verbs are verbs that consist of a verb and a particle (a preposition or adverb) or a verb and two particles (an adverb and a preposition, as in get on with or look forward to).â
Maybe this made everything clear to you, or maybe it didnât. It doesnât really matter. What does matter is that you know that you can make your writing less formal by using phrasal verbs.
Hereâs a list of some phrasal verbs that are useful in business English.
Phrasal Verb | Definition | Example |
To ask around | To ask many people the same question | Could you ask around the office and see if thereâs someone available to work this weekend? |
To back someone up | To support | Thanks for backing me up when I presented the proposal. |
To not care for | To not like | I donât care for the proposed office layout. Letâs see if thereâs a better way. |
To chip in | To help | If everyone chips in, itâll only take about half an hour. |
To cut back on | To consume less, to reduce | It looks as though weâre heading for an overspend. We need to cut back on some of our expenses. |
To do something over | To do again | I thought my report was safe, but my computer crashed and the hard drive is fried. I need to do it over. |
To drop by | To visit without an appointment | Iâll be over your side of town tomorrow afternoon. Is it okay if I drop by? |
To drop someone/something off | To take something/someone somewhere | My carâs broken down. Can you drop me off at the station after work? |
Iâll give you some more examples in my next post.
Happy writing.
About the photo: This photo is a detail on the interior walls of the Czech National Technical Library.
If youâre involved in any kind of project (a piece of work with a defined beginning and end) you may need to provide progress reports. These update people on what is happening with your project. You may prepare them for your supervisor, or for a client, and they can be written reports, letters or presentations.  In this post we’re looking at written reports. Basically, your report will summarise what has been achieved, what is currently being done and what is planned for the next time period. Depending on who you are writing it for, you can use either formal (e.g. for a client) or informal (e.g. for your team) language.
A progress report informs stakeholders about:
A progress report can:
Content
Project Background
The amount of detail you provide here will depend on the size of the project and how often you are reporting. This section can include any, or all, of the following:
Achievements since last report
What have you completed since the last report? Link this to the tasks listed in the project schedule.
Problems
Mention any issues that have arisen since the last report. These might be problems that you can solve yourself, problems that you need technical expertise to solve, or even problems that your client needs to help with.
What next?
This is an update against the project plan, highlighting what activities you will be undertaking next. Once youâve started a project you will have a better idea of scheduling and cost considerations, so relate this section back to your original proposal and highlight where you are against the original plan.
Assessment of achievements against schedule and budget
If this is a report for a client, this will often be the bottom line for them. Of course some projects are complex and the scope changes during the life of the project, but in other cases, failure to meet objectives on time and on budget can result in sanctions. Highlight any expected variations in this section
Alternative ways to structure your report
By task:
Task 1:
Task 2:
By progress
Work Completed
Current Work
Planned Work
Happy writing.
In my last post, which many people seemed to find useful, we looked at some sticky situations where people often find it hard to say ânoâ. As promised, here are some more.
Situation 4: A colleague or friend asks you for money that you donât want to give
Letâs face itâpeople ask you for money, a lot. It might be a fundraiser for a school, or a medical research charity; it might be for sponsoring an orphan, or for sheltering the homeless. Most times you are asked for money itâs for a good cause, but itâs not possible to support everything. And there are times when you have your own, legitimate uses for your money.
The problem: A friend wants you to buy chocolates to support their sonâs fundraising for an animal rescue charity. You often donate money to good causes, but just last month you donated for her daughterâs school, and the month before that it was for the sonâs swimming squad. Itâs all just become rather too much, and youâre trying to save for a holiday.
What to write: This is an ideal opportunity to highlight how much you give to good causes. Put the blame on another good cause.
Situation 5: Your boss wants you to take on an extra task, and you donât feel you have the time
Saying ânoâ to your boss can be difficult, but there are times when itâs necessary. Iâm not talking about a boss asking you to do something that is your responsibility anyway. Here Iâm talking about those times when the boss wants you to do something extra. Often you will want to say âyesâ to these opportunities, but there will be times when you just have too much on your plate and you canât take on the extra load.
The problem: Your boss asks you to collate the sales figures for the department for the quarter. You are already working on some new promotional campaigns, and youâve recently volunteered to join the companyâs CSR committee. Your really donât have the time, or the inclination, to take on what is essentially a routine task thatâs not going to build your skills.
What to write:
Situation 6: Thereâs a vendor you really donât want to work with
Sometimes in business we meet people that we donât enjoy working with. They may be too pushy, or they may be providing a product or service you donât need.
The situation: In your last job you organised staff training and an annoying stress management trainer used to cause you more stress with their constant follow-up phone calls and emails than they would ever be able to manage away. His programmes were expensiveâway beyond the organisationâs budgetâand, after attending a taster session, you were not convinced that they were value for money. Youâve moved to a different company and heâs found your new details. He wants you to set up a sales meeting for him with your new companyâs training department.
What to write:
Situation 7: An event you donât want to attend
There may be a hundred reasons why you donât want to attend a social event. If youâre an introvert, you probably find such events tiring. Or you may have recently stopped drinking and the last thing you want to do is be in a place where youâll be tempted. If you go, you may resist the temptation, but is it really fun to be out with a group of people that you know will be drinking heavily? Maybe you have a prior family commitment. Or you may just not want to go!
The situation: Itâs your colleagueâs birthday and everyone is going for drinks after work. They then plan to head to a cheap restaurant for dinner followed by a bit of a bar crawl for the rest of the evening. You want to maintain a good relationship with your colleague though.
What to write: This is a tricky one … you donât want to lie, but most people donât accept the âI really donât want toâ line … so you may need to be a little creative.
Happy writing.