This is the business English podcast episode 407 how to respect schedules when you send emails at work Welcome to the business English podcast from all ears English get the English skills You need to achieve your dreams in global business for a presentation a meeting or your office party This is real business English with your favorite American hosts Lindsey and Aubrey coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, USA.
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Hey, Lindsey. How are you?
I'm doing well Aubrey.
How's everything going for you?
What's up? Excellent.
I have a question for you.
Would you be confident sending business emails in Spanish?
Business emails in Spanish?
Ooh, probably not. I really enjoy more speaking, just the fluency aspect, the connecting piece but I haven't really honed my business Spanish.
That's the thing. I'm the same.
I feel like I've gotten really conversational.
I can have these great conversations but if I think about sending an email, in both Spanish and French, which I'm quite fluent, I feel like I would need feedback from a native speaker or to put it through some kind of engine.
I just don't know if I could trust that I'm using the right phrases, the right tone, that I'm thinking of everything I should be thinking about.
It's definitely like a next level skill.
It really is next level and I saw an email from a student today actually who told me that she uses Grammarly for her business emails, and that's a good first step, but Grammarly can't fix some more fundamental issues that we see sometimes.
Some of these issues are tied in with culture too, right?
Exactly, right. There's a lot to think about when you're writing an email in a second language how formal or semi -formal or informal do you need to be, the closings and openings that are appropriate for the person, the situation, and then that native natural phrasing that sets the right tone, but there's even more to it about respecting schedules and time.
Yeah, I mean, I think one day there will probably be an AI tool that plugs into your browser and says, ooh, I notice you're emailing someone in the UK, uh, that, you know, they like to, like, they respect time in this way rather than this way in the US.
How about this? But we're not quite there yet, Aubrey, so...
I bet it will be here sooner than we think, right, those suggestions to make something more thoughtful or respectful.
And I'm going to appreciate because we've all done where we just are thinking from our worldview, our mindset, our time zone, and we don't always think about the person we're emailing.
Yes, I love it. So yeah, so thinking, what are some of the specific things that we see where our listeners can go wrong sometimes?
Right, exactly. So be sure to hit follow here on Business English.
We talk about emails, presentations, meetings, everything these skills that you need to be successful at work.
Yes, I love it. So yeah, as you said, don't forget to hit follow, that is the key.
now we do have an example of an email.
All right Aubrey shall we go ahead?
Yes, yeah we'll share this email and then we're going to provide three tips of how you could improve this email.
Okay here we go. Here's the email.
Hey Mark, I hope all is well with you.
Can we reschedule the meeting for Friday afternoon since I have a last minute meeting with a client at that time?
Around 10 am that morning would work for me.
Thanks, and signing it off as Louise.
Now, I would encourage our listeners does before we go into how we could improve or what some warning signs are here maybe think what do you see in this email that stands out that we should improve take a minute to think about it.
What is great, right?
Because this is a really great opener I hope all is well with you.
I love that not just diving right in with I need to reschedule.
This is very thoughtful to say something especially if you know them you have a relationship, this is a good start.
Yeah, I also think I would probably think twice about, Hey.
It depends on, now is this between colleagues?
I think it's close colleagues though, I guess the impression – like it would be you and I.
Yeah, okay. I would say, Hey Lindsay, right?
All the time. If it's a worker you know well you're emailing all the time.
And I got the impression that that's the type of informal email that is meant to be sent here.
Okay. And, yeah, so yeah, Hey works for that, but I agree, if it were someone you did not know well you didn't have that relationship then hey that he why hey mark would be too informal exactly so we have three key ways that we would troubleshoot this email Aubrey so what would be the first one yeah the first is it's so important to be very clear about time and details so I would rephrase this to be more clear since saying can we reschedule the meeting for Friday afternoon means that you want to schedule it to take place Friday afternoon.
So instead, you could write, can we reschedule our Friday afternoon meeting and then share the time?
So that phrasing, it's fascinating how it's a minor change, but it's implying.
This could create confusion about which meeting you're talking about.
Everyone you're emailing has a lot of meetings on their schedule.
Gotta be clear. Oh my gosh, yes.
And the key is, we don't wanna have to go back and forth multiple times.
Because we want that rescheduling to be done in one boom, one reply and that's it.
No one has time for that.
And then my ultimate, ultimate, ultimate pet peeve.
Pet peeve not pet peeve.
That's the one that gives you a pet peeve in your stomach. That's not a thing but that's funny.
That peeve is when people just say, hey, can you meet tomorrow at 8?
Because we, especially you and I Aubrey, we're on this weird time zone called Mountain time but no one knows what it is.
Exactly, right. Arizona doesn't do daylight savings time so I get these emails all the time, can you meet tomorrow at 8?
I'm like wait, 8 Pacific, 8 Mountain, 8 Central, GMT minus 5, I don't know.
It just shows, it's a major pet peeve for me because it shows a real lack of awareness, of empathy, of not thinking about the other person, right?
So I think if you are guilty of that out there you're not alone.
A lot of us we're just thinking about our own time zone.
Maybe we're thinking people know what time zone we're in, so it's assumed, but it isn't always.
Someone like me, my time zone is different half the year than the other half and it is confusing.
It's frustratingly confusing.
So, it's so helpful for me if someone sends a time with the EST, or especially if they send it in theirs and mine.
So, if they say like, 7 pm EST slash 5 pm PST, I appreciate it.
I mean, for me, Honestly, I take this to an extreme.
I try not to even, except for between you and me and between our colleagues.
When I set up business meetings, I try to not even use Mountain Time because it's so irrelevant.
Like it's my time. No one cares.
No one really cares.
I sometimes will use Pacific or Eastern and then I have to remember which one I'm talking about.
I go to that extreme because I don't, you know, it's just weird when people that, what is empty?
We do this for our students, right?
it will – say it in New York time, like at least that's a basis of reference or people who use CST. Something that isn't like a time zone specific to – imagine if I sent everything in just Arizona time and people are like, I don't know what Arizona time is right now.
They only way that you're off the hook for not doing this is if let's say you own a shoeshop downtown and you're looking to invite the banker down the street for lunch, right?
That's the only way.
You live in the same place and you both know that you live in the same place.
Then you don't need to send the time zone.
We're all working online now.
We're working across time zone, across continents, so always put the time zone.
Put multiple time zones.
Number two here is also vital.
You want to make sure that you're always showing colleagues respect and it is not respectful to assume they'll be free at one time later this week, right?
Your phrasing can imply that you think they're not busy, that they don't work hard, that they don't have a lot of meetings.
meetings, and so this phrasing needs to give them a chance to say no and offer a different time.
Yes exactly. I often say something like if these times don't work for you, please suggest another.
Right so it's multiple time and that leads into our third tip.
Maybe we'll go into that, offering multiple options.
Right? Exactly. So instead of just saying 10 a .m. that morning would work for me, You could say, you know, Friday morning at nine or 10 a .m. PST slash EST would be great if that works for you.
Alternatively, I could meet Thursday or Friday morning or Tuesday afternoon.
If that works better for you, let me know.
Such a difference. Huge difference, huge difference.
Always give people options and it makes me think of just yesterday I was responding to a poll in a WhatsApp group with other creators and the leader of the group is based in the UK and there was a poll which said, when do you want to meet next Wednesday morning, next Wednesday afternoon or next Friday morning?
And I'm thinking first of all, what time zone, like I assume.
Is it UK time or do we think this is what is it GMT, where it's the general, the you know, the universal, the standard universal time.
matter. Or, it was also too broad to say morning do you mean 9 a .m. or 10 a .m. It's frustrating because inevitably you will have to respond with some more specific times and then get back from them.
So this is about time -saving as well.
If you can send specific times, multiple options, then one email back from them choosing one of those, and you're done.
You don't want to set them up to have to have multiple back -and -forth emails.
We just don't have have time for that, at least not in the US.
We don't have time for it.
Exactly, anywhere, anywhere in the world, everyone's like, no, I also do not have time for that.
Let's get this done quickly.
Exactly, I love it.
So if we follow these three key points, be clear about time and details, show colleagues respect and offer multiple options, we're going to really be able to fix those emails.
Right? Love it. Absolutely.
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OK Aubrey, do we have a roleplay?
We do because calls often work similarly to emails, right?
So here, I have called you to reschedule a meeting, right?
And so you can see how this language would work in a back and forth.
You want to start us out?
But, and the difference is here, there's real repercussions.
If we don't do this right, we can feel it on the other end, right?
Yes, right. So, it's interesting because there's that.
We could clear it up more quickly.
A phone call's going to be fast, whereas emails, you're waiting to hear back.
But still, like you said, I could immediately feel like you're not respecting my schedule depending on how it goes.
Exactly. Alright, here we go.
So, hello. Hi, it's Aubrey.
How's your day going so far?
Great. What about you?
Not bad. Hey, I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, but I need to reschedule our Tuesday afternoon meeting.
Oh, gotcha. No worries.
Thanks. I could do Tuesday morning.
9 a .m. or I'm also free Wednesday afternoon from 2 to 4 or Thursday morning at 11.
Would any of those work for you?
I can meet Thursday at 9 a .m. if that's good.
Perfect. Thank you.
Thursday, 9 a .m. mountain.
So, that's 8 a .m. my time, yeah?
I'll see you then. Yes, sounds good, right?
That time zone. I just noticed you put the phone up to your head, but I didn't.
I hope you guys are watching on YouTube.
That's funny. Here I am, on the phone with Aubrey.
Yeah, so what did we do well here?
you at the end added the time zone, but maybe we're assuming we're in the same time zone here for sure, right?
Right, because when I was writing this role play, I think I was kind of assuming you and I would be in the same time zone, so we're just saying nine am, but really if it were you and I, we would say the time zone because you're in Mountain Island Pacific right now.
So you would've said, or I would've said I could do Tuesday morning, nine am PST, or Wednesday afternoon, I would've said the time zone every time so that you knew if I was talking about my time zone or yours.
Yeah, I love it, so good.
What else did we do well here?
Well, it's funny. I added to the role play what I hadn't written in, which what I had written was just I could do Tuesday morning or I'm free Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning, but after our conversation, I immediately realized I would give specific times so that you can then just choose one of them and we're done.
I love it, so good.
Amaury, what is the overall takeaway today?
I mean, why does this matter for our success at work?
Yes, imagine the way you phrase things could be unintentionally dismissive or disrespectful, accidentally sending this impression that you think they're going to be free, that they're not busy or not working hard. And especially if someone is in sales, for example, that is extremely rude and probably not true.
So we wanna be really careful that we're not implying something like that.
Exactly, and it could mean, to take this to an even higher level, it could mean whether you get a new account or an opportunity or not.
Let's say you made a connection with someone at a conference.
And then you're following up the next week, hoping to get on a call with that person, you know, being broad and open, following these rules, giving multiple times, time zones, make it as easy as you can.
Cause I'm going to tell you, honestly, as a business owner, for me, I'm so inundated, that if someone doesn't make it easy with like a sales situation, I don't need to meet with the person, but maybe I'm interested in their solution.
If they don't make it super easy for me, I'm just going to ignore the email.
You're out. Wow, this can have drastic consequences, right?
If you either assume that they're free or don't make it really easy, it's likely they just won't respond to the email or they might respond and be like, oh never mind, sorry, this is not going to happen.
Exactly. So imagine you put all that effort in to build the contact, to get the email, maybe you built the relationship at a conference and now you just have to take it home to get that meeting but just make it as easy as you can for the person to reply, right?
Yes. This is important.
This is high stakes potentially or even just to keep the connection of co -workers, clients, colleagues.
Both are pretty high stakes, right?
So be sure to use these tips.
It's important. A hundred percent.
I love it. Great episode today, Aubrey.
I'll see you back here very soon.
All right. Awesome.
See you next time, Lindsay.
Bye. Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high -achieving global professional.
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