Study the picture above, then read the short dialogue.
Aya, Brent, and Mos are having a sales managers' meeting.
Aya: Our sales people aren't meeting their targets. I think we should offer start offering higher commissions for-
Brent: What!? Are you crazy? That's a terrible idea. More training is what sales needs.
Mos: You don't know what you're talking about, Brent. Training seminars take too much time.
Aya: That's right. Higher commissions will make the sales team work harder. Also, training seminars are so boring.
Brent: Okay, let's go with higher commissions. But, I think you're both wrong.
Mos: Thank you, Brent, for your opinion.
Mos, Aya, and Brent managed to make a decision at the end of their discussion, but, the meeting didn't go very well. Why?
a) there was no chairperson to manage the meeting to keep it focused and civil (polite).
b) one speaker was interrupted and wasn't allowed to explain their idea.
c)the speakers all used direct and rude language to express their disagreement (see the words and phases in bold).
d) no one offered a counter-proposal.
The Language Of Disagreement
In today's post, we're going to look at polite ways to disagree and give opinions in business meetings and discussions.
There's nothing wrong with disagreeing with people's ideas and/or opinions. It's more important to first listen, then offer a different view politely without embarrassing or insulting the other person.
Let's look at the sales managers' meeting again, this time with polite, business English.
Mos: Okay, we're having this meeting to discuss how to improve sales. Aya, you may speak first.
What ideas do you have for boosting sales?
Aya: Our sales people aren't meeting their targets. I think we should offer start offering a higher
commission, say 8%, for meeting quotas. The sales team would be more motivated.
Brent: I understand what you're saying, Aya, but I don't know if higher commissions are a good
idea. Wouldn't that be too costly?
Mos: That's a good point, Brent, but training seminars take a lot of time. Perhaps, if highercommissions don't get results, we could consider more training for the sales team.
Aya: I agree. Brent makes a fair point about the cost, but the sales team would respond more positively to a bigger commission.
Brent: Well, I suppose higher commissions might work. How about raising the commissions from 5% to 6.5% instead of 8%, to keep costs down?
Mos: I have no problem with that. What do you think, Aya?
Aya: That's not a bad idea. We can motivate the sales team and keep costs under control.
Strategies
Brent didn't agree with his colleagues, Aya and Mos, but the meeting went very well.
In the second dialogue, Mos acted as chairperson for the meeting. Also, no one was interrupted while giving their opinions.
Next, all three made a positive comment about what the other person said before disagreeing.
I understand what you're saying, Aya, but ....
That's a good point, Brent, but...
(Brent) makes a fair point about (the cost) but...
Then, the expressed their opinion/disagreement with softer language.
I don't know if ( higher commissions are a good idea)
You can also use phrases like:
I don't think (higher commission would be a good idea).
I'm not sure if/that (higher commissions are a good idea).
Also, disagreement can be expressed a challenging question.
Wouldn't (that be too costly)?
Don't you think (that would be too costly)?
Are you sure (that wouldn't be too costly)?
Both Mos and Brent made non-committal statements where they didn't reject or accept the other's opinion. This is a good way to keep the meeting positive and friendly.
I suppose (that higher commissions) might/could (work).
Perhaps if (higher commissions don't work), we could/might consider/think about/look at (more training for the sales team).
Finally, the last technique used was making a counter-proposal in the form of a question.
Remember, Brent was concerned about costs; that's why he suggested more training. The idea for training was rejected, but his worries about costs were accepted.
How about (raising the commissions from 5% to 6.5%) instead of (8%, to keep costs down)?
Why don't we (raise commission from 5% to 6.5% to keep costs down)?
Couldn't we (raise commission from 5% to 6.5%) instead of (8%)?
Would you be willing to (raise commissions from 5% to 6.5%) instead of (8% to keep costs down)?
This called finding a middle ground.
Brent wanted 0% commission increase; Aya suggested 8%. Brent and Aya agreed on 6.5%
0% ------6.5%-----8%
This is also a common strategy for business negotiations.
So, remember, when disagreeing in a business situation:
- make positive comments about other opinions
- use softer language
- use questions to express disagreement
- make counter-proposals
- find a middle ground
No comments:
Post a Comment