Wer in den Wald hineinruft, bekommt in der Regel ohnehin nicht viel zurück. Beim Kunden lohnt es sich schon, etwas genauer darauf zu achten, wie man es tut. Secretary Today hilft Ihnen mit dem „You Viewpoint”, den richtigen Ton zu finden.

Secretary Today steht für perfekte britische und amerikanische Korrespondenz, Gespräche, Telefonate, Geschäftsbesuche und sicheren Small Talk. Fordern Sie Ihren persönlichen Business English Trainer jetzt zum kostenlosen 30-Tage-Test an – klicken Sie hier!

Getting your message across clearly, politely and professionally, when writing English can be difficult. You might not have enough vocabulary, you might be unsure about your grammar, or you might not find the right tone. Of these three, the right tone is perhaps the most important.

Using the right tone means being concise, but not blunt. When we are not speaking in our native language, there is a real danger that we sound impolite. German native speakers, for instance, are often too direct when they write or speak English.

Use the “You Viewpoint”

For example, if you have not understood someone’s request, don’t write, “Your request was unclear” or “I don’t understand.” Instead of focussing on what you didn’t understand, focus on the benefit for the reader.

• I will be glad to help, but I need more information so that I can find the report you requested. Specifically, can you give me the report’s title, release date, or number?

Although this version is a bit longer, it is more tactful and will elicit a faster response.

Here is a more detailed look at the “You Viewpoint”

Imagine you receive a refund request from a customer who forgot to enclose the receipt.

Here are some examples of how you should not write and how you should write, putting your focus on the reader.

Bad: We need a sales receipt before we can process a refund.
Comment: You are emphasizing your own needs (We need).

Good: In order for you to receive your refund promptly, please mail or fax your receipt to us.
Comment: This puts the reader’s needs and interests foremost by using the words you and your rather than we, our, I or mine.

Übrigens: Mehr solcher themenbezogenen Beispielsätze finden Sie in jeder Ausgabe von Secretary Today. Denn Secretary Today steht für perfekte britische und amerikanische Korrespondenz, Gespräche, Telefonate, Geschäftsbesuche und sicheren Small Talk. Fordern Sie Ihren persönlichen Business English Trainer jetzt zum kostenlosen 30-Tage-Test an – klicken Sie hier!

By making this slight but significant change of focus, you are far more likely to get the response you want. So try it out next time you need something from a customer.

English – Deutsch
benefit: Vorteil
blunt:  direkt, unhöflich
concise: präzise
to elicit: hervorrufen
foremost: in den Vordergrund
refund: Rückerstattung
release date: Datum der Erstveröffentlichung