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Telephone Guidelines

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If you are calling another person:

  • Have a plan in your head before you call. You don’t want to forget an important question.
  • Sound happy. The other person can’t see your face, so the only way they know that you are happy is through your tone. Make yourself fun to talk to and they’ll respond positively.
  • Introduce yourself when they answer. “Hi, this is Dave Henderson from Big Bank, I was hoping to speak with Bob Plunkett about some billing details.” This lets the person who answers the phone send your call to the best person without having to ask you many questions.
  • End the call yourself. You, the caller, have the responsibility of ending the call.

If you are answering the call:

  • Start by saying your name and your company’s name.This will let people know who they are speaking to, and will help to give a positive first impression.
  • Answer questions fully. Instead of saying “No, we don’t have that,” which sounds a bit rude, add helpful details that will let the caller choose their next action. Something like “I’m sorry, but we don’t have any right now. We are expecting some next week,though. Would you like me to put you on a waiting list?”
  • Be careful when taking messages. Repeat information back to the caller to check that you understand correctly – for example, “five” and “nine” can often sound the same – and write clearly so that people can read the message you take.
  • If you are transferring a call, tell the caller why you are doing it. Tell them who you are transferring them to, just in case they accidentally get disconnected. That way they can call back and ask for a specific person.

How long?

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In teaching writing,  I often am asked about the typical lengths of written pieces. “How long should my sentences be?” “How many words can I put in a presentation?” Here are a few of the most common details for easy reference.

Generally, people speak at a speed of about 200 words per minute. Most native speakers will read at a speed of about 500 words per minute. Most ESL students will read at the same speed they speak.

One page of text, single-spaced, in a 12-point font, is about 500 words. One page, written by hand, will be between 200 or 300 words.

Most paragraphs have between 50 and 200 words in them. Most paragraphs have less than nine lines.

A paragraph contains only one idea, but several pieces of supporting detail.

Most sentences will be short or medium-length. Long sentences are less common.

In Your Mind

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These nouns all relate to different kinds of thoughts. They are similar, but each one can be used in slightly different situations.

Knowledge – noncount – This is what you learn. Grammar, for example, or how to cook, or who is the most popular singer. “My friend has a strong knowledge of soccer. She can tell you every championship winner since 1893!”

Memory – noncount – This is the biological ability to store or recall information. “I have a good memory. I know what shirt I was wearing on May 23rd, 1999.”

Memory/memories – count – these are countable thoughts about events you took part in. “I have many memories of playing with my grandparents when I was a child.” They are usually positive, but are not always positive. “My memory of school is unpleasant. I hated class!” They sound quite specific or detailed.

Experience/experiences – count – These are countable thoughts, like memories, but they could be longer in duration, or perhaps more difficult. “I had good experiences on my trip to Canada.” They can also be negative. “My trip to the South Pole was a bad experience. Too cold!” These tend to describe longer events in less detail than memories does.

Experience – noncount – The memory or knowledge of doing work at a job. “I have a lot of experience with Photoshop. I have used it for years.”

Wish/wishes – count – Something you hope can come true in the future, but you don’t expect it to come true. “I wish I could win the lottery.”

Dream/dreams – count – the pictures while you sleep OR something you hope can come true in the future. “My dream last night was crazy. I was a horse inside a train!” With the second definition: “My dream is to learn English, so I came to Canada and started studying

Loose Loser Lost

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Here are some commonly-misused words. They look quite similar, but they are not the same.

loose – adjective. The opposite of tight. “My pants are loose because I have lost weight.”

lose – verb. You lose something when you no longer know where it is, or when you can’t use a skill any more. “Don’t lose your lottery ticket! You will need it if you win.” OR “If I don’t practice my English, I will lose my skills.”

loser – noun. The person who loses. Note that it is an insult. “James is the winner, and everyone else is a loser.”

loss – noun. The amount of money that you spent in order to gain a lesser amount; the opposite of profit. “We received $100, but we spent $130. Our loss for this deal is $30.”

lost – adjective. Use this to describe something that you lose. “I can’t find my glasses; they are lost.”

Business Culture: Interviews

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Some parts of Canadian business culture might seem a bit silly or strange to our foreign guests. In class, students often say that our emphasis on handshakes, formal interview clothing, or names are new to them.

Handshakes: Your gender doesn’t matter. Your social position doesn’t matter. In business, handshakes are a common way of greeting and showing respect. If you start them, you appear interested in getting to know the other person, or that you are polite. The easy way to remember: shake hands whenever you meet someone, when you make a deal or agreement, or just before you say goodbye.

Interview clothes: It’s better to look formal than it is to look casual. It’s better to look good than not good. Wearing formal clothes to an interview shows a prospective boss that you are serious about the interview, that you value the time, and that you understand Canadian business culture. You probably won’t wear a suit again for work, but as the saying goes,”Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” An easy rule: if you wear that clothing with your friends, it’s too casual for a job interview.

Names: Unless you hear otherwise, call people at your level or below by their first name. Anyone higher than you in the company is Mr. Familyname or Ms. Familyname. If they prefer something different, they will tell you. We don’t use titles related to work (“Engineer Smith,” “Teacher Dave”)in this fashion, unless you work for a professor (“Professor Hanson”) or a doctor “Dr. Hart-Ake.”) Please, never use titles with a first name. Mr. Dave doesn’t show respect; it sounds like you want to sell me something that I don’t want.

Exemplary Examples

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Just a couple of common mistakes from my writing course today:

Example is not spelled exemple

Exemplary is not spelled examplary

Research is non-count. If you want a count noun with a similar meaning, try using “studies” or “tests” instead. “I completed research for the scientist.” OR “I completed three studies for the scientist.”

Have something with – I’ll have a burger with fries, please. Not have something to.

A student told me of a quote in Russian that shows a good attitude to failure: “He who doesn’t take risks doesn’t drink champagne.” I know of a quote from sports that means the same thing: “You miss all of the shots you don’t take.”

These and those: “These” talks about things we have already discussed, or the first of two groups. “Those” talks about the second of two groups.  “These are good, but those are bad.”

Success Stories

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Today was a very good day. Two of my students told me about some exciting changes in their lives, both of which came about partly because of my class.

Congratulations to Henrique, who was just offered a new job with a prestigious organization! 

Congratulations to Tereza, who received a promotion to management at her job here in Vancouver! 

I’m really proud of both of you. Your hard work has led to some great new opportunities. Keep it up!

In Your Mind

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These nouns all relate to different kinds of thoughts. They are similar, but each one can be used in slightly different situations.

Knowledge – noncount – This is what you learn. Grammar, for example, or how to cook, or who is the most popular singer. “My friend has a lot of knowledge of soccer. She can tell you every championship winner since 1893!”

Memory – noncount – This is the biological ability to store or recall information. “I have a good memory. I know what shirt I was wearing on May 23rd, 1999.”

Memory/memories – count – these are countable thoughts about events you took part in. “I have many memories of playing with my grandparents when I was a child.” They are usually positive, but are not always positive. “My memory of school is unpleasant. I hated class!” They sound quite specific or detailed.

Experience/experiences – count – These are countable thoughts, like memories, but they could be longer in duration, or perhaps more difficult. “I had good experiences on my trip to Canada.” They can also be negative. “My trip to the South Pole was a bad experience. Too cold!” These tend to describe longer events in less detail than memories does.

Experience – noncount – The memory or knowledge of doing work at a job. “I have a lot of experience with Photoshop. I have used it for years.”

Wish/wishes – count – Something you hope can come true in the future, but you don’t expect it to come true. “I wish I could win the lottery.”

Dream/dreams – count – the pictures while you sleep OR something you hope can come true in the future. “My dream last night was crazy. I was a horse inside a train!” With the second definition: “My dream is to learn English, so I came to Canada and started studying.”

Who needs references?

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References Available Upon Request

The new trend is to eliminate this sentence. Hiring managers nowadays assume that everyone has references, so you don’t need to include a sentence saying that you have them available on your resumé. If you are applying at a very traditional company, though, you might want to use it. If so, put it at the bottom of the last page, center-justified.