ENGLISH AT WORK 57Foto: Gert Krautbauer
approach [E(prEUtS]
, Methode, Ansatz
articulate [A:(tIkjuleIt]
, hier: aussprechen
authority [O:(TQrEti]
, hier: Experte, Expertin
board: take sth. on ~
[bO:d]
, etw. annehmen
contrary: be ~ to sth.
[(kQntrEri]
, zu etw. in Widerspruch
stehen
differ on sth. [(dIfEr Qn]
, über etw. verschiede-
ner Meinung sein
emphasis [(emfEsIs]
, Betonung, Nachdruck
key message
[(ki: )mesIdZ]
, Ke r n a u s s a g e
prescriptive
[pri(skrIptIv]
, vorschreibend
stress [stres]
, Betonung, Nachdruck
tempted: be ~ to do sth.
[(temptId]
, versucht sein, etw.
zu tunENGLISH AT WORK
Dear Ken
Communication expert KEN TAYLOR answers your
questions about business English. In this issue, he looks
at the use of commas and has advice on how to make
your presentations sound more dynamic.MEDIUM AUDIO PLUS13/2019 SpotlightDear Ken
When I give presentations in English, I sometimes get the
feedback that I sound a bit boring. An English colleague
told me I need to speak with more emphasis and stress.
This is easier said than done. Do you have any tips for me?
Regards
Claudia S.Dear Claudia
Many competent speakers of English as a second language
fail to make a good international impression. Even though
they have a good use of vocabulary, and what they say is
grammatically correct, their speech often sounds monot-
onous and boring.
If we speak in a monotone, it’s hard for listeners to work
out the key messages. As a result, they might be tempted
to switch off.
Here are some ideas on how to var y your voice:
⋅ You can raise or lower your voice to add dramatic
effect.
⋅ You can vary your speed when speaking. Slowing
down can give emphasis to what you are saying,
whilst speeding up can make your message sound
more dynamic or urgent.
⋅ You can pause before a key message to give it greater
emphasis. A short pause may also indicate that you
are changing the subject, or you can simply use pauses
for dramatic effect.
⋅ Yo u c a n m a k e s u r e t o articulate keywords clearly. This
prevents you from “swallowing” the words, which
makes it difficult for the listener to hear what you are
saying.
⋅ Yo u c a n s t r e s s t h e k e y w o r d o r k e y p h r a s e i n a
sentence to make it easy for your listeners to take on
board your main ideas.
When practising your next presentation, try out these
ideas and see how it feels. I’m sure the result will be better.
Kind regards
KenDear Ken
I have noticed that you don’t put
commas following the opening and
closing formulas in your e-mails.
This is contrary to the information
I found in the textbook Complete
First from Cambridge University
Press. What is correct?
I would be very grateful for an an-
swer.
Sincerely
Jürgen W.Dear Jürgen
In US English, commas are always
used when opening and closing
e-mails.
In British English, however, author-
ities differ on the need for commas
in this context.
Some more traditional authorities
say that the commas are necessary,
while others who are less prescrip-
tive in their approach to punctua-
tion say they are not.
Personally, I think that this use of
commas is simply a convention
and that commas are not necessary
when opening or closing modern
correspondence. However, there
are plenty of people who would
disagree with me.
There is nothing wrong with put-
ting commas after your openings
and closings if you wish to do so.
But in my opinion, there is nothing
wrong with leaving them out either.
Best wishes
KenSend your questions
about business English
by e-mail with “Dear
Ken” in the subject line
to: language@
spotlight-verlag.de
Each month, I answer
two questions Spotlight
readers have sent in.
If one of them is your
question, you’ll receive
a copy of my book: Dear
Ken... 101 answers to
your questions about
business English. So
don’t forget to add your
postal address.KEN TAYLOR
is a communication
consultant and
author of 50 Ways
to Improve Your
Business English
(Lulu Publishing).
Contact:
[email protected]