Avoid weak words and phrases on the phone
Egal in welcher Branche Sie arbeiten, es ist wichig, dass Sie einen guten Eindruck für Ihre Firma hinterlassen. Hierbei ist es nützlich, die richtigen Worte zu finden. Lesen Sie hier, wie Sie schwache Worte erkennen und vermeiden.
No matter what kind of business you are in, whether you sell office supplies, provide health care or deal on the stock exchange, you have to sound confident about your company and what you are doing. You can do this by using confident words and avoiding weak ones. Look at these two statements. Which one sounds more effective to you?
1 I think you might like the conference organisation I found on the internet.
2 You’re really going to like the conference organisation I found on the internet.
The difference in wording is subtle, but the message it communicates to your customer is profound. Sentence no. 1 contains a weak word. It is the word “think”. “Think” is not per se a weak word. There are times when you need to use it – when you are really thinking about something. But in our example, itmakes you sound unsure or insecure about what you’re saying.
Why do people use weak words?
People often use weak words because they think they sound less combative. But in reality they sound indifferent and ineffective. Going back to our two sentences, the second one is a statement coming from someone who really believes in what he or she is saying.
How to avoid weak words
Start paying attention to the way you speak, watching out for weak words. You will probably find yourself using them more often than you realised. Once you have identified them, begin to construct more confident sentences.
Typical weak words and phrases are think, just, I was wondering.
Here are some examples of sentences with weak words and better alternatives.
Don’t say
I was just calling to tell you about the travel arrangements for the sales conference.
Say
I’m calling to tell you about the travel arrangements for the conference.
Don’t say
I was wondering if you could give me some information about rental cars.
Say
Could you give me some information about rental cars?
You can probably think of many more weak words. Watch out for them and stop using them on the phone.
Wie Sie schwache Worte am Telefon vermeiden können, haben Sie nun gelernt. Prüfen Sie mit dieser Aufgabe, ob Sie dies beherrschen.
Find strong alternatives for these weak sounding sentences
1 I was just calling to check if the corrections have arrived yet.
2 I think you might like the new design.
3 I was just wondering if you could give me a hand here?
4 We might be able to help you get your magazine on time from now on.
5 I’m trying to get the goods to you as soon as possible.
Weitere Tipps zum Thema 'Schwache Wörter am Telefon vermeiden' finden Sie in Secretary Today
Answers:
1. I’m calling to ask if you got my corrections yet.
2. I’m sure you are going to like the new design.
3. Could you give me a hand here?
4. I’m sure we can help you get your magazine on time.
5. I’ll get the goods to you by tomorrow / next week / 9 o’clock.