᭤ We miss you! Hurry back! ᭤ Hope you feel better soon. Cheering someone up Sometimes we know someone is just down and needs cheering up. A little card with a message could mean a lot. Here are some expressions you can use. ᭤ Cheer up ᭤ Thinking of you! ᭤ May things get better soon. ᭤ Sending sunny thoughts to brighten your day. ᭤ Hope this brightens your day! ᭤ I hope these ruin a perfectly bad day! (only suitable for someone who enjoys being miserable and who has a dry sense of humour) Sympathy cards When someone has died, it can be particularly difficult to find the words to add to a sympathy card or note to attach with flowers. We are often at a loss for words and it’s normal not to know what to say. Your support is important though, so you need to try to express your feelings and those of colleagues. The two principle situations that can arise are: a colleague has died, or a family member or close friend of a colleague has died. You will need to know if the person you’re writing to and the deceased are of any particular religion before you write your message. Task 5 Put a tick next to the phrases which may be particularly suitable for a religious family. ᭤ Our sympathies for your loss. ᭤ You and your family are in our prayers. ᭤ Martha will be sadly missed. ᭤ Alex touched our lives and will be missed. ᭤ You are in our thoughts and prayers. ᭤ You are in our hearts during this difficult time. ᭤ Rachel’s memory will live on forever. ᭤ We are so sorry for your loss. ᭤ James will live in our hearts forever. ᭤ We share your sorrow. ᭤ Thinking of you in these difficult times. Writing cards – useful phrases for various occasions 135 New baby cards Turning to happier occasions, you may need to send a card to a colleague or spouse of a colleague who has just had a baby. Messages to new mothers and fathers tend to fall into two categories: joyous and humorous. Task 6 Use a preposition to fill in the gaps in these messages. Joyous 1 Congratulations the birth your first baby girl! 2 We share the celebration of the birth your baby boy. 3 Congratulations you and Mike, and enjoy the years together. 4 Another miracle this world. Welcome! Humorous 5 Don’t worry, you’ll get used sleepless nights! And he’s worth it! 6 All good things come little bundles. Congratulations! 7 And then there were three. We’re all looking forward seeing the little one Friday. 8 A big welcome the new addition your family! Congratulations There are many other occasions when you may wish to send a card congratulating a colleague on something, e.g., passing an exam. Remember the language structure after congratulations is to someone on something. Congratulations on passing your accountancy exams. If you’d like to be less formal, the following phrases might be suitable: ᭤ This calls for a celebration. ᭤ Congratulations – you did it! ᭤ I knew you’d pass – honest! ᭤ *Will you still talk to us now that you’re DOCTOR Fewtrell? *Remember that humour does not always cross cultures. 136 Conference invitations and requests for abstracts Work anniversaries When someone has been working in a company for a significant number of years, 10, 20, 30 etc, there is usually a ceremony to mark the occasion. Task 7 Tick the messages which you would have to use with caution, e.g., if you don’t know the person very well. ᭤ Congratulations on this great achievement. All the best. ᭤ How can someone who looks 40 have worked somewhere for 30 years? ᭤ Wow! That’s really something! ᭤ 20 years – you mad fool! ᭤ Congratulations! And here’s to the next 10. ᭤ Congrats! Do you get a medal? ᭤ Congratulations on a memorable 15 years. Retirement cards Sometimes it’s easy to know what to put for the first line of a message, but then you feel you should follow it up with something more personal. And that can be tricky. Task 8 Add another more personal line to these messages. 1. Congratulations on your retirement. 2. So, you’re retired? Just think of all the things you can do with all that free time! 3. Happy retirement! We’re going to miss you. 4. Best wishes on your retirement. Do you like this one? The beginning of Do-as-U-like days! New job cards It’s inevitable that colleagues will come and go, so cards and gifts for people leaving to go to a new job are quite common. This can be a tricky situation too as you don’t want the message on the card to suggest anything negative about the present company. So cards with main messages like The Great Escape might not be suitable. Writing cards – useful phrases for various occasions 137 ᭤ You landed your dream job! ᭤ Rich ‘n Famous ᭤ Sailing in new waters ᭤ Your big break Also don’t forget that messages that rhyme can be seen as rather cheesy, e.g., Best wishes as you begin your new job. As each new gate opens and pathways unfold May you find the best of all things That a lifetime can hold. Thank-you cards/notes There are times when you want to say thank you to someone in the company. This might be someone who is in a superior position to you or someone who is in a lower grade post. Task 9 Match the beginnings and endings of these messages. There are two possible endings for 1 and 6. 1. Your advice and motivation A. encouragement and support. 2. Thank you for entrusting me B. are really appreciated today and all the year. 3. Thank you for your C. have been invaluable. Thank you. 4. Thanks for being on D. great work! 5. Keep up the E. with the Spylaw contract. All I have to do now is live up to your expecta - tions! 6. Your hard work and dedication F. my team. Good job! 138 Conference invitations and requests for abstracts 16 Influencing strategies and tactics There are many occasions when we want to influence people so that they accept our point of view, pursue a course of action or simply give their consent or support for something. The article that follows outlines the most common influencing strategies and tactics. Task 1 Find words or expressions in the article below which mean: a. carefully/sensibly b. getting someone to agree to participate c. be careful of d. menacing e. bullying f. deceiving g. horrible h. complains i. does nothing j. has the courage to do something How to influence people and win friends Influencing has two sides – the positive and the negative. Always try to use the former and use the latter judiciously. Most jobs require you to influence others at some point or another. This could range from getting someone on board for a project, persuading someone to see things the way you see them, or even asking your boss for a rise or promotion. First and foremost, to be a good influencer you need excellent interpersonal and communication skills – you need to know which strategy will work with whom. Researchers in the field have identified six common influencing strategies and their accompanying tactics. . deceased are of any particular religion before you write your message. Task 5 Put a tick next to the phrases which may be particularly suitable for a religious family. ᭤ Our sympathies for your loss. ᭤ You. live on forever. ᭤ We are so sorry for your loss. ᭤ James will live in our hearts forever. ᭤ We share your sorrow. ᭤ Thinking of you in these difficult times. Writing cards – useful phrases for various. retirement. Do you like this one? The beginning of Do-as-U-like days! New job cards It’s inevitable that colleagues will come and go, so cards and gifts for people leaving to go to a new job are quite