Acknowledgements and Confirmations- The basics

“Life is not so short but that there is always time for courtesy.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Letters of acknowledgement and letters of confirmation are similar.  The letter of acknowledgment says, “I received your letter (email, telephone call, gift, materials).”

The letter of confirmations says, “I received your letter (email, message, contract)  and we agree about the matter.”  This letter can serve as an informal contract.

Public Speaking- The Power in Pauses

You know that pauses are great for giving people time to process your information.  Pauses are also a perfect strategy for catching audience interest. But that is not all.  Instead of getting flustered with the unexpected, either from you or your surroundings, here are several other clever uses for your pausing:

• When you want to create audience interest
  • “Maybe you are trying to figure out if this will affect you. [Pause] It will. [Pause] With force. [Pause]  Right in the wallet.”
• When you need to take a brief break
  • To sip some water
  • To adjust your papers
  • To take a breath
• When emotion overcomes you and you need to collect yourself
  • When your smooth delivery goes awry due to emotions when reminiscing, such as at a memorial. Simply stop talking – pausing until you can continue.
• When an interruption distracts the audience’s attention – or your concentration
  • Surprised by unexpected interruption? Rather than look flustered, simply pause – and give yourself time to organize your thoughts.

Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos  for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercise.

Check out our new advanced weekly speech tip program, our new subscription called ClearTalk Weekly, www.subscription.cleartalkmastery.com

Acceptances: Paragraphs

Here are some well composed paragraphs of acceptances.

I will be delighted to have dinner with you on Friday, the fourteenth of April, at seven o’clock.  Thanks so much for asking me.  I can hardly wait to see you and Rueben again.

Thanks for telling me how much the children at the Thomasville Afterschool Program liked my storytelling the other afternoon.  I’m happy to accept your invitation to become a regular volunteer and tell stories every other Thursday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.  Do you have a computer projector so I could do visuals with some of the stories?

I’m looking forward to your graduation and the reception afterwards.  Thanks for including me.

Your bid of $7,560 to wallpaper our reception area has been accepted.  Please read the accompanying contract and call with any questions.   We were impressed with the attention to detail in your proposal and bid, and we are looking forward to your work.

Public Speaking:  The Silence is the Gold—Where to Pause

Have you noticed that the best presenters use pauses when they talk?  You know it sounds and feels good.  Where are they pausing?  Here are three examples:

• After introductory phrases or clauses
  • “By the time we finish with this endless series of meetings [Pause] we may have a brand new set of problems.”
  • “Even though the corporate meeting went well, [Pause], middle management people still feel uneasy.”

• Before conjunctions [but, or, and, because, etc]
  • “We strongly argued for revising the plan [Pause], but they didn’t take our advice.”
  • “We must include this expense in the budget this year [Pause] or encounter serious consequences next. ”

• When doing a long list of items
  • “We’ll need to contact the vendors [Pause], double-check our contracts [Pause], verify all details [Pause], confirm the agenda [Pause], and allow time to make adjustments.”

Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos  for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercise.

Check out our new advanced weekly speech tip program, our new subscription called ClearTalk Weekly, www.subscription.cleartalkmastery.com

Acceptances: Choice and Excellent Sentences

Here are some sentences putting together communication advice for a variety of acceptances:

After reviewing your application, we are pleased to be able to offer you the funding requested.

I accept with pleasure the position of senior business analyst.

I am happy to be able to do this.

I appreciate very much (and accept) your generous apology.

I’ll be happy to meet with you in your office August 11 at 9:30 am MDT to plan this year’s All-City Bike Race.

In a word, absolutely!

In response to your letter asking for support of the Trident Children’s Center, I’m enclosing a check for $500.

Thank you for inviting me to speak at the Holistic Meditation Center next month.

We accept your kind invitation with great pleasure.

We are happy to accept your estimate for refinishing our Queen Anne bedroom suite.

We are pleased to grant you the six-week extension you requested to complete your work.

We are pleased to tell you that your application for admission to the Johnsonian School has been approved.

We look forward to working with you.