Confident Business English
191. How To Ask A Colleague To Do a Task: Effective Phrases For Delegating
Oct 11, 2023
Learn effective phrases and strategies for politely delegating tasks to colleagues, especially when working with different cultures. Explore the importance of using a universal business language and choosing the right words to ensure your requests are polite and well-received.
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Quick takeaways
- Direct approaches like imperative sentences or the verb 'need' can be effective for delegating tasks, while indirect approaches such as polite questions and softeners can navigate politeness and diplomacy.
- Using a universal business language with a core set of phrases and questions can make communication more automatic and efficient, allowing you to focus on other tasks and reducing the need to constantly worry about being overly formal or informal.
Deep dives
Direct approaches for asking colleagues to do tasks
When asking colleagues to do tasks, you can use direct approaches such as imperative sentences or the verb 'need'. Imperative sentences involve using a command, like 'send me the document', but may be softened with a name and 'please'. Using 'need' adds urgency, like 'I really need you to update this before the meeting.' While direct approaches may not be the most common, they can be effective depending on the situation.
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