From: Boris Liberman
Having returned from the trip to USA, my boss pointed out that I spoke
rather harsh language. Here is an example.
I would say something like "I suggest that we do so and so" and
according to my boss "I suggest" was interpreted specifically as an
order, not as a suggestion or as an indication of one option among
several possible courses of action. My boss indicated that wording it
something like "Perhaps we could proceed like so or so" would have
been interpreted properly.
Few questions:
1. Is indeed this is the case? To the point, my trip was to Maryland
not far from Washington, DC, if that matters.
2. Is there any place where I could read about common phrases so that
I would at least word things in exact way in which I want myself to be
understood. As you realize, it is rather frustrating to say something
and be understood very differently than originally intended...
Your trip was more or less to the southern US, where I grew up.
If you said "I suggest" to me, I would take it to mean just that -
you're making a suggestion.
UNLESS you were my BOSS saying "I suggest" ... then, I would interpret
it as an order.
But, if you're just one of the team that has several options available,
"I suggest" would indicate a preference for one option over the others.
It's still not an order unless the "suggestion" is coming from the boss.
The "Perhaps we could proceed like so and so" is more language suitable
for seeking compromise when team members have differing preferences.
Team member A wants option #1; team member B wants option #2 and both
are kind of stubborn about their choice, so Team member C says "Perhaps
we could proceed like so and so" to offer a compromise that might bring
both parties closer together.
There used to be a cliché here in the U.S. that went something like
"What you are understanding is not necessarily what I'm saying."
It's frequently difficult to clearly communicate what you really mean
even when there is no cultural differences in the way words are perceived.
--
PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
PDML@pdml.net
http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow
the directions.
