對於職場上的英文口說應用,專業外師的一對一課程無疑是效果最顯著的訓練方式。在學員實際使用上,如何將工作中的需求準確地透過一對一外師的教練指導來解決?本文將以學員上課案例來分析一對一外師課程對於真實工作情境的幫助。

案例背景
一名從事銀行業的學員(Bonnie)須與客戶見面並共進晚餐,這是他們第一次見面。此時,Bonnie預約並進行了外師的私人課堂,期望外師能幫助她在展現專業的同時,讓外國客戶感受到合宜的跨文化交流,進而建立信任與夥伴關係。

下方將部分節錄外師在課後給Bonnie的回饋與建議,說明教練指導如何強化跨文化溝通。


 1. 如何在坐下前就拉近距離

 "Potential topics to discuss:
-How he got to the restaurant
-If he’s been out of town or done anything interesting in London lately
-His plans for the week

Greetings
- It’s nice to finally meet you (in person)
- It's nice to put a face to the name
- Shall we go in? "


2. 介紹同仁以及餐桌上的互動

  "Introductions: This is my colleague, ... | Have you met ...? | You may have exchanged emails with ...In the restaurant:
- What dishes would you recommend? | Is there anything you'd recommend ... |Does anything look good? | Have you ever eaten here before? | "


3. 進入商務會談正題

  "Business: I think things are going to go well for this company ... | What do you think about this trend, do you think it will continue...? | I heard during the presentation that this department was doing well. I was so happy to hear that.|”

4. 提案

“Offering an Opportunity:
-Since you're a cherished customer, we can offer you a better interest rate ... Can we ‘put you down for’ a deposit for the summer?
-I look forward to talking with you about it. |I'd be happy to provide information about the rates that we have.
Note: 'Put you down for' is usually for collecting money for a charitable cause, so I would check with your colleagues if you think you'd like to use that for asking for the investment or if you'd like to use a slightly stronger phrase. “


5. 談話間的自然進退
“Fillers: That sounds interesting ... what do you like about it? | What's that like? That's interesting. Umhum. Gotcha. *That's so + adjective “

6. 收尾
“Finishing the Conversation: It was good to meet you today. | It was great meeting you. | I enjoyed hearing about ... / our conversation | I'm glad you were able to meet us today. Let's keep in touch (about …). | What are you doing after this/the rest of the day?
     A common conversation pattern: Speak about an experience with ‘have done’ (present perfect) and then provide more information. “

從此案例可以看出「學習跨文化溝通」與「學習英文」兩者本質上的區別。一對一的外師教練指導能為真實情境設計專屬的「素材包」,學員能將可能發生的情況提出,與專業外師一一對過,除了提升字彙庫以外,最重要的是反覆演練帶來的自信。