Page 132 - Perfect Phrases ESL Everyday Business

Lose the Bad Stress

Please send me an e-mail with the specifics.
I’d like to include your information, but my deadline is
tomorrow.
John, can you please help Mrs. Smith? She needs . . .

Monique will help you . . .
We need a team meeting to determine responsibility.

Culture Hints: Sometimes it is necessary to request a delay in
the completion of a project or the performance of one’s job. Addi-
tionally, sometimes people bite off more than they can chew.
Americans sometimes forget that you are often thinking in
your native language and may need additional time to translate
your thoughts. In a one-to-one conversation, you may be honest
and tell the other person. This can de-stress both of you. Instead
of your colleague, acquaintance, manager, or other person trying
to figure out—from your facial expressions—whether or not you
understand him or her, you will both be involved in an honest,
meaningful conversational situation. A phrase to use to approach
this situation could include: “I need a little more time to [under-
stand, process, think about] what you have said before [answer-
ing you, giving you my answer, replying to your question].”
There will always be pressures and stress in work and other
areas of your life. Don’t think that you are the only one deal-
ing with these issues. In the United States, stress reduction is a
major subject. More and more companies offer seminars to deal
with this. Those who have moved here from other countries have
an added layer of stress; living in a foreign country can be very
stressful. You may be happy in the United States but still miss
your family, your country, your language, and your customs.
This is called being homesick. Homesick is when you miss your

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