Business_Spotlight_-_Nr.2_2020

BUSINESS SKILLS 2/2020 Business Spotlight 47

agitated

[(ÄdZIteItId]

, aufgeregt, unruhig

appeal to sth.

[E(pi:&l tu]

, sich auf etw. berufen

approach [E(prEUtS]

, Vorgehensweise

assertive [E(s§:tIv]

, selbstbewusst,

durchsetzungsstark

briefly [(bri:fli]

, kurz

connection

[kE(nekS&n]

, hier: Anschlussflug

do the trick

[)du: DE (trIk] ifml.

, seinen Zweck erfüllen

embarrassed

[Im(bÄrEst]

, verlegen, beschämt

in moderation

[In )mQdE(reIS&n]

, in Maßen

keep an eye on sb.

[)ki:p En (aI Qn]

, jmdn. im Auge behalten

physical restraints:

put sb. in ~

[)fIzIk&l ri(streInts]

, jmdn. fesseln

reassuring

[)ri:E(SO:rIN]

, beruhigend

row [raU]

, Auseinandersetzung

rude [ru:d]

, unhöflich, unverschämt

set clear boundaries

[set )klIE (baUndEriz]

, klare Grenzen setzen

tension [(tenS&n]

, Anspannung

tone sth. down

[)tEUn (daUn]

, etw. abschwächen,

mäßigen

uneasy: be ~ [Vn(i:zi]

, sich unwohl fühlen

Taylor: How do you deal with someone
who is drinking heavily on a flight?
Seesom: The first step is to slow down
the service to them. If they continue
drinking heavily, we might have to inter­
vene and tell them politely that we serve
alcohol only in moderation and that the
system will not allow me to serve them
any more.

Taylor: That sounds similar to some­
thing I teach when talking
about dealing with diffi­
cult people. I say that you
should try to appeal to a
higher, neutral authority
to avoid a row. In business,
you could refer to compa­
ny policy or to a rule book.
Seesom: If someone be­
comes aggressive, I try to reply in a very
calm, polite way.

Taylor: That sounds like the right ap­
proach. In addition, if you repeat what an
aggressive person has said, this may cause
them to tone down their remarks.
Seesom: How do you do that?

Taylor: I would say, “So, what you are say­
ing is...” and then repeat word for word
their aggressive sentence in a calm tone
of voice.
Seesom: That’s a good idea. I also find it
helps to speak quietly to a noisy person.

Taylor: I agree. If you speak more quiet­
ly than normal, a noisy person will often
stop talking and start paying attention to
what you are saying. And if someone says
something rude to me, I say the following:
“I’m not sure what you meant by that re­
mark. Could you explain it to me, please?”
This is like holding a mirror up to the rude
behaviour, and it usually makes the per­
son a bit embarrassed when they have to
explain the words they have used. Often,
they then modify their language.
Seesom: In extreme cases, if a passenger
becomes very aggressive and unruly, the
crew may have to put them in physical
restraints and have them arrested upon
landing! But this happens very rarely.

Taylor: I’m glad to hear it. Happily, it nev­

er happens on my seminars!

Seesom: We also use the calm, polite

approach when people complain about

something. Maybe the flight has been de­

layed, and they will miss their connection.

Then we listen carefully to the complaint,

say how sorry we are and try to offer help.

Taylor: I do that as well when I teach. Lis­

ten with empathy. Sympathize with their

situation. Don’t be defen­

sive or try to justify what

has gone wrong. Agree on

what needs to be done.

Then do it.

Seesom: That’s right. In

the case of a missed con­

nection, we can often no­

tify our destination and

get the passenger rebooked on to a later

flight.

Taylor: You mentioned that you have to

deal with people who are nervous about

flying. What do you do about them?

Seesom: People who are afraid or ner­

vous about flying will often tell us when

they board the aircraft. This information

is given to the whole cabin crew so that

everyone can keep an eye on the nervous

passenger.

Taylor: What do you do if they become

very agitated?

Seesom: Talk to them. Again, you need

to be calm and reassuring. You tell them

what’s happening in the airplane and

what the different sounds mean. If they

become extremely upset, we might ask

the captain or co­pilot to come and speak

to them. This usually does the trick — at

least for a while.

Taylor: People are uneasy when faced

with the unknown. In my business, some

people come on a language seminar and

feel nervous about practising their Eng­

lish. I try to lower their nervous tension

by giving them information about what

they can expect during the seminar before

they arrive. And I try to speak to each per­

son briefly before we start in order to get

➻

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Taylor about your current work challenges? If so,

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In each issue, we will choose one reader who will

talk to Ken, and the dialogue will be published in

Business Spotlight.

“ It is like holding

a mirror up

to the rude

behaviour”

a feeling for who might be nervous. Then

I spend a little time reassuring them.

Seesom: I might also mention one other

aspect of this. As a flight attendant, my

primary responsibility is safety. So, some­

times, I have to be firm and assertive in

my approach to people. I have to set clear

boundaries to ensure the flight is safe for

everyone.

Taylor: Assertive, polite, calm, reassuring,

helpful, patient, empathetic, focused, re­

spectful...

Seesom: I try to be all those things!