If we use qualifiers to decrease the quality of a word, they make great ‘softeners’. Words used to soften the tone of our content or convey politeness when we speak.
再比如其他一些让邮件变得有礼貌的修饰词:a little, a bit, a little bit, slight, slightly, small, one or two.
下次,如果要向老板汇报不好的消息,可以用这些词试试看哦,比如:
We are having problems with the new product.
We are having one or two problems with the new product.
这个新产品有点小问题。
We will run over budget.
We might run slightly over budget.
我们稍微有点超预算了。
The marketing campaign is behind schedule.
The marketing campaign is a little bit behind schedule.
市场活动有点落后于计划了。
2 、化用问句,语气polite指数爆表
另一种让邮件看起来很有礼貌,诚意十足的办法就是运用问句,特别是当你想要提出某个意见的时候。
比如,你希望别人重新设计下公司logo,如果你像下面这样平铺直叙地讲,多半别人会觉得你有点霸道,也许心里面还有OS:凭什么你说要重新设计就设计,比如这样:We should redesign the company logo!
如果给上司邮件中用上面这个句子,简直就是作死的节奏。所以,聪明人该怎么说呢?
办法就是用问句,以非直接的方式提出你的建议,比如:
Shouldn’t we redesign the company logo?
一般来说,还可以用couldn't, wouldn't引导的句子表达个人意见,比如:
普通表达:
We must hire a new advertising agency.
高级表达:
Couldn’t we hire a new advertising agency?
Wouldn’t it be better to hire a new advertising agency?
3 、活用过去进行时,你的邮件气质up, up
过去进行时也是写邮件时候的大利器,用的好,可以让邮件上一个档次,比如:
I hope we can sign the contract today.
I was hoping that we could sign the contract today.
我希望今天咱们能把合约签了。
I think we need to hire more employees.
I was thinking we need to hire more employees.
我在想我们需要多招一些员工。
I aim to finish this project by the end of the month.
I was aiming to finish this project by the end of the month.
我打算再本月底完成这个项目。
过去进行时到底有啥厉害之处,国外专家这么说:
Using the past continuous makes the sentence sound more hypothetical and tentative, and therefore less direct and is a great technique for injecting diplomacy and politeness into your English.
4、 善用被动态,避免说别人坏话
被动句式也是转换生硬语气的很好的办法,比如,如果邮件里出现下面这样的句子,收件人估计不会很高兴吧!
You have broken my computer!
你弄坏了我的电脑。
This active voice sentence is brutally direct and if your aim is to avoid confrontation then you might consider using the passive voice to lessen the emotional impact of the sentence:
My computer has been broken!
我的电脑坏了。
再比如下面这两个句式,去除主语之后能够避免谈论到底谁要为行为负责,让句式非常商务范。
You said you were going to sign the deal today.
It was understood that you were going to sign the deal today.
据说,你今天要去签合约。
You agreed to lower your fees.
It was agreed that you were going to lower your fees.