职场英语：陌生电话

谢谢收听这个播客。

Thanks for listening to this podcast.

我们正在为你制作《职场英语》的新一期内容。

We're working on new episodes of Office English for you.

meanwhile，这里有一期去年的节目，帮你复习一下商务英语。

In the meantime, here's an episode from last year to help you revise your business English.

好好听。

Enjoy.

你在工作中有没有必要给不认识的人打电话或发邮件？

Do you ever have to call or email people you don't know at work?

这确实有点让人紧张，尤其是当你不知道对方有多忙的时候。

That can be a little bit daunting, especially when you don't know how busy they are.

我总是尽量保持积极，态度特别礼貌。

I always try and be quite positive and overly polite.

如果对方回得不耐烦，那也是他们的问题。

If they do respond in a way which is like, annoyed, then that's on them.

这不关我的事。

It's not on me.

我特别讨厌接电话，尤其是突然打来，还没准备，也不知道对方会说什么。

I really hate having phone calls, especially when it's out of the blue and you haven't prepared or you don't know what they're gonna say.

今天在《职场英语》节目中，我们聊聊在工作中如何与陌生人交流。

Today on Office English, we're talking about the language to use with strangers at work.

你好，欢迎收听《职场英语》。

Hello, and welcome to Office English.

在这个系列里，我们会讨论在英语工作环境中需要用到的词汇和表达。

In this series, we talk about the words and phrases you need to work well in English.

我是皮帕。

I'm Pippa.

我是菲尔。

And I'm Phil.

你可以在我们的网站 bbclearningenglish.com 上找到本期节目的文字稿，以及我们提到的所有表达。

You can find a transcript for this episode and all the language we discuss on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

我们在节目开始时听到了BBC学习英语团队的同事说，给不熟悉的人打电话或发邮件可能会很棘手。

We heard from BBC Learning English colleagues at start of the programme that calling or emailing people you don't know can be difficult.

你觉得呢，菲尔？

How do you find it, Phil?

是的。

Yeah.

确实挺难的，尤其是打电话，我觉得。

It can be difficult, especially phoning people, I think.

对。

Yeah.

我觉得打电话比发邮件难多了。

I think phoning is much more difficult than emailing.

如果我要给从来没联系过的人发邮件，我还挺应付得来的，因为可以提前准备，慢慢写好。

I'm okay if I email someone that I've never emailed before, because you can prepare and you can write it out nicely.

但一想到要跟人打电话，特别是想找对方帮忙的时候，我就特别紧张，因为这种事根本没法提前练习。

But I find the idea of speaking to someone on the phone, especially somebody that I want something from, really difficult because you can't really practise too much.

你不知道他们会怎么回应。

You don't know what they're going to say.

话虽如此，我实际去做的时候，通常都比想象中容易多了。

Having said that, when I do it, it's usually much easier than I ever thought it was going to be.

一般都没什么问题。

It's usually fine.

我们在这个节目里经常说，你可以留意身边同事的说话方式，从中学习得体的表达。

We often say on this programme that you should listen to people around you in your office to help you know what's the right way to speak.

但当你跟其他公司的陌生人，或者公司里从未见过面的人通话时，就很难找到参照了，因为你不清楚该怎么跟他们说话才合适。

And that's much harder when you're speaking to somebody from another business or somebody from your company that you've never met, because you don't have that model of what's the right way to speak with them.

今天，我们要聊聊‘陌生来电’这个概念。

Today, we're going to talk about the idea of cold calling.

就是你主动联系一个你不认识的人，试图与对方建立业务关系。

This is where you contact somebody you don't know in order to try and do business with them.

人们这么做，原因多种多样。

People do this for all sorts of reasons.

可能是为了推销产品，也可能是为了建立合作关系。

It might be to try and sell something, or it might be to develop a partnership.

对。

Yes.

在现代职场中，冷联系可能真的就是打个电话，也可能发封邮件。

And if you're cold calling in the modern workplace, that might literally mean to call them, or you might email them.

我们会分别聊聊这两种方式，以及如何保持礼貌和专业。

We'll talk about both and how to stay polite and professional.

好，我们先说说第一次联系某人的情况。

Okay, let's start with contacting someone for the first time.

Phil，有没有什么方法能让我们给对方留下好印象？

Are there some ways we can do this which will mean we give a good impression to the person we're calling, Phil?

我觉得打电话的话，得尽快把关键信息说清楚，毕竟你占用了对方的时间，他们通常也不会给你太多回应。

I think if you're calling someone, you need to get all the important information across fairly quickly, because you're taking some of their time and they're probably not going to give much up.

所以一定要确认你找对了人，如果没找对，就得想办法换一个。

So make sure that you've got the right person, and you might need to find a different person if you haven't.

先做个自我介绍。

Introduce yourself.

可以说：‘我是菲尔，我在BBC英语学习部工作。’

Say, I'm I'm Phil, I work at BBC Learning English.

问问对方现在有没有时间。

Check whether they've got time.

现在方便聊几句吗？

Is now a good moment to talk?

然后用一句话简明扼要地说明打电话的原因。

And then explain the reason why you're calling in a short sentence.

比如可以说：‘我打电话是想看看您有没有兴趣参与我们即将开展的一个项目。’

So you might say something like, I'm calling to see if you'd be interested in working with us on an upcoming project.

对。

Yes.

第一次发邮件时，类似的要点也适用。

And similar things apply if you're emailing somebody for the first time.

但我觉得你没必要太担心他们是不是有空，因为他们会在方便的时候打开邮件。

But I guess you don't have to worry so much about whether it's a good moment for them because they'll open their email when they're ready.

邮件毕竟不像电话那样即时。

It's not quite as instant as the phone call.

你要简洁地介绍自己和你的目的。

You want to introduce yourself and what you want quite succinctly.

别发一封特别长的邮件，人家根本没空看。

You want to not send them a really long email that they won't read.

但你得明确提出一个问题。

But you need to ask them a clear question.

你完全可以直接问：这个主意你感兴趣吗？

So you could just say, Is this something you'd be interested in?

要确保你的邮件里有让他们能回应的内容。

So make sure they've got something to respond to from your email.

等你清楚表达了需求之后，可以提议再安排一次电话跟进。

And then what you could do once you've clearly stated what it is that you want, is you could offer a follow-up call.

所以你可以说，如果感兴趣，我们可以安排一个简短的电话进一步聊聊。

So you could say something like, If so, perhaps we could book in a quick call to talk more.

这样你就能在电话里提供更多细节了。

And so you're then able to give them more detail on the phone.

好的，那么在这次初次联系中，你已经建立了第一层沟通。

Okay, so in that first call, you've made the first contact.

不过，这次联系能取得什么成果，很大程度上取决于对方公司的文化，以及两家公司以往的合作方式。

Now, what you can get from that first contact might depend a lot on the culture of the company that you're calling, how your companies work together.

这里面影响因素很多，所以你得想清楚，这次初次联系 realistically 能达成什么目标。

There's a lot of factors in it, so you might need to think about what are you realistically aiming to get in that first call.

没错。

Right.

希望我们已经成功地和对方建立了第一次联系。

So hopefully we've made a successful first contact with somebody.

那接下来，菲尔，我们该怎么进一步建立这段关系呢？

How might we build this relationship, Phil?

我们该怎么在这次通话或邮件的基础上继续推进呢？

How might we sort of build upon that first call or email?

这要看你希望对方为你做些什么。

Well, it will depend on what you want from the person you're contacting.

很多时候，你是想说服对方采取行动，或者购买某个产品。

Often, you're trying to convince them to do something or to buy something.

所以你可以试着了解他们对这件事的看法。

So you might wanna try and find out what they think about something.

你对这个怎么看？

What are your thoughts on this?

或者有没有什么障碍？

Or are there any sticking points?

我的意思是，有没有什么困难的地方需要我们一起解决？

Mean, is there anything that's difficult that you might need to work through?

你也可以问：要让这件事顺利进行，你需要什么？

You might want to ask, what do you need for this to work?

是的，我觉得这个主意不错。

Yeah, I think that's a good idea.

因为有时候你试图说服别人做某事，可能会显得有点强求。

Because sometimes if you're trying to persuade someone to do something, it can feel a bit pushy.

但如果你多问问他们需要了解你哪些信息？

But if you're asking them more about, what do they need to know from you?

他们对什么感兴趣？

What are they interested in?

这样就不是一味地推销，而是更侧重于了解他们的需求。

Then it's less about being pushy and kind of persuasive and more about getting a sense of what they want.

你也可以定期跟进一下。

You can also check-in regularly.

如果你打过电话或发过邮件之后就没下文了，那就得想办法让对话继续下去。

If you have a call or an email and then you don't hear from them, you want to kind of keep the conversation going.

所以你可以发封邮件问问：这件事现在进行到哪一步了？

So you could maybe send an email and say, where are we at with this?

就是问问，我们有没有取得什么进展？

Just means, you know, have we made any progress?

或者你可以问，情况有没有什么变化？

Or you could ask, do we have any movement?

意思是他们有没有改变主意，或者做出决定？

That means have they sort of changed their mind at all or come to any decision?

我发邮件时经常用的一句话是：跟进一下，看看你有没有时间考虑这件事。

Another phrase I'd use a lot in an email is saying, just following up to see if you'd had a chance to consider this.

这是在礼貌地提醒他们我们之前讨论的内容。

So it's just politely reminding them about what you've been discussing.

而且一定要记住，你最终想从这次沟通中得到什么。

And always keep in mind what you want to get from it.

所以只要有机会，就尽量把话题拉回到你最初联系时提到的那件事上。

So when you can, try to bring the conversation back to the thing you asked about when you first made contact.

所以语气完全可以很随意。

So it could be really informal.

也许你就可以直接问：我这么说，你信服了吗？

It could just be something like, so have I convinced you?

你的决定是什么？

What's the verdict?

也就是说，你到底怎么想？

Which basically means, what do you think?

是的，你也可以更正式一点。

Yeah, or you could be more formal.

如果你和对方关系比较正式，可以说：你愿意和我一起合作这件事吗？

So if you have a more formal relationship with this person, you could say something like, so would you like to work together on this?

有时候你和人聊了好久，这时候最好明确一个节点，争取得到一个明确的答复，而不是一直拖着聊下去。

Sometimes you can talk to people for a long, long time, and it's helpful to have a point at which you want to kind of get a yes or a no, and not talk to them forever.

但这取决于你所在的工作文化——是更注重长期建立关系，还是更倾向快速做决定。

But it will depend, as you say, on the kind of working culture, whether you work somewhere where it's important to build up a relationship over a long time, or whether you work somewhere where people like to make decisions a bit quicker.

我们谈到了电话和邮件，但这两者哪个更好呢？

We've talked about phone calls and emails, but is one better than the other?

我们再来听听BBC同事的看法。

Let's hear again from our BBC colleagues.

这可能会

That can be

让人有点压力，尤其是当你不清楚他们有多忙的时候。

a little bit daunting, especially when you don't know how busy they are.

如果提前约好了，我不介意打电话，而且我觉得自己已经做好了准备。

I don't mind a phone call if we've arranged it in advance, and I feel kind of prepared for what's gonna happen.

我可能会先写点笔记，列一些想问的问题。

And maybe write some notes, write some questions maybe that I would ask.

这样能让你感觉更有把握。

That helps you to feel prepared.

乔治，你之前提到不喜欢打电话，特别是没提前安排的电话，我们在节目一开始也聊过这个。

So George, you mentioned not liking talking on the phone, particularly if the call isn't planned, and we talked about that at the start of the programme.

菲尔，你觉得呢？

What do you think, Phil, though?

你觉得有时候还真得给某人打个电话吗？

Do you think sometimes you do just need to call somebody?

这当然要看具体情况。

Of course, it depends on the context.

很多人不太喜欢接到陌生来电。

A lot of people don't like cold calls.

如果你打到别人的私人手机上，他们可能根本不会接，或者没空跟你聊。

So if you call someone on their personal phone, they might just not pick up or they might not have time to talk to you.

可能那时候不太合适。

It might not be a good moment.

但如果你看到一家公司官网写着‘请致电我们’，那他们就是等着你打过来。

But if you're looking at a company and they've got a web page saying, please call us on, they're expecting you to call.

这种情况下，打电话反而是最快解决问题的办法。

It might actually be the best way to get something sorted quickly.

对，要是只发邮件，速度可能更慢，还可能被人忽略。

Yeah, and if you just send an email, that can be slower, and it could be ignored by somebody.

发邮件的话，你可不一定能马上跟他们说上话。

So you're not definitely going to speak to them if you send an email.

他们可能没完全明白你的意思，结果就忘了回你。

They might just not be sure about what you've said, and then they forget to reply.

所以你可以像我们之前说的，把邮件和电话结合起来用。

So you could try a combination of email and phone calls, as we mentioned earlier.

如果你先发封邮件，再约个电话，等他们接电话的时候，肯定是有空跟你聊的，心态也准备好了。

So people might respond well if you sort of email them, set up a phone call, and then when they're speaking to you on the phone, they've definitely got the time to speak, They're in the right frame of mind.

他们可能早就琢磨过你的想法了。

They've maybe thought about your idea in advance.

这样一来，问题也都想好了。

And so they're ready with their questions.

当然，这真的得看具体情况——你想从对方那里得到什么，对方是谁，以及解决你这事要花多长时间。

And yes, it does really depend on the context of what you want from someone, who they are, how long it will take to sort out what you need to organise.

有时候打个电话快得多，一通电话就把所有事都安排好了。

Sometimes a phone call is much quicker, and you can just organise everything in one conversation.

但有时候，建立关系需要多次发邮件、多次打电话。

But sometimes when you're building relationships, you need kind of multiple emails, multiple calls as well.

以上就是本期《职场英语》的全部内容。

That's it for this episode of Office English.

想了解更多职场英语技巧，请访问 bbclearningenglish.com，并给我们发送关于商务英语的问题。

For more tips for your English at work, visit bbclearningenglish.com and send us your questions about Business English.

你可以通过 learningenglishbbc dot co dot uk 给我们发邮件。

You can email us on learningenglishbbc dot co dot uk.

下一次，我们会聊聊工作中如何给予反馈。

Next time, we'll talk about giving feedback at work.

到时候见。

See you then.

再见。

Bye.

再见。

Bye.

在我们的网站上可以找到适合你英语水平的播客和视频。

Find podcasts and videos for your level of English on our website.

试试我们简单的系列，比如《从伦敦到爱丁堡挑战》和《轻松英语对话》。

Try our easy series like the London to Edinburgh Challenge and Easy English Conversations.

还可以找中等难度的节目，比如《与乔治亚学时态》和《一分钟英语》。

Find medium level programs like Tenses with Georgie and English in a Minute.

想挑战一下的话，试试《克服演讲焦虑》，提升你的口语能力。

And try something harder like Beating Speaking Anxiety to boost your speaking skills.

快去 bbclearningenglish.com 开始吧。

Head to bbclearningenglish.com to get started.