QUESTION

What is the meaning of the word ‘bespoke’ and how does one use it in a sentence?

ANSWER

There are three meanings to the word.

As a verb, ‘bespoke’ can be the past tense or past participle of the ‘bespeak’, which can mean ‘to ask for in advance’, ‘to reserve beforehand’, or ‘to show’.

E.g. ‘I bespoke their patience before my speech’, ‘I bespoke two seats’, or ‘His actions bespoke a patient attitude’.

As an adjective, ‘bespoke’ can either refer to clothes that are custom-made or to the making and selling of such clothes.

E.g. ‘this is a bespoke suit’.

As an adjective, ‘bespoke’ also means ‘spoken for’ in the sense of being engaged to be married.

Source: Edited from “English As It is Broken” on STOMP. Visit www.stomp.com.sg for more

Source: Edited from the english@work e-newsletter by 938LIVE. Subscribe to the english@work newsletter.

Here are some tips for effective note taking:

1. There are times when a tape recorder is a valuable tool, for example if you’re going to need a transcript of the interview, but you should always back it up with handwritten notes. Tape recorders can and do fail. A set of clear, organised notes won’t let you down.

2. A notebook ruled in columns means you need less time to move from the end of a line to the beginning of the next. The right kind of pen won’t smudge, and will allow you to write faster. Different coloured inks can help distinguish between speakers.

3. Learn shorthand or speedwriting, or invent your own system. Identify the words you use most and abbreviate them. Use a consistent system of symbols to identify important stuff, great quotes, things that need clarifying etc.

4. Use the same notebook for your initial research, your interview notes and any further information you may need. Staple business cards into your notebook.

5. Make sure you have the correct spelling of names and places. Double-check phone numbers and dates of birth. This can be a good way to start an interview, and ensures that you have all the information you need about the interviewee right from the start.

6. Draw a plan of the room or scene. Be observant, and note down what you can see. What is revealed about the interviewee’s lifestyle or personality? These details will add colour to your story.

7. Don’t try to write everything down. Distinguish between what can be paraphrased, and what you will want to quote. Make sure you’re really aware of what the person is saying. Don’t write down points that are irrelevant to your story.

8. If the person is speaking too quickly, ask them to slow down or repeat what they’ve said. Give yourself time to digest what’s been said by asking an unimportant question. Make sure that you control the pace of the interview.

9. They are your record of what was said. Long after the story is published, they may still be important. Take legal advice on how long to keep them.

Source: Edited from the Learn English Professionals by British Council.

An extension of the “Communicate Confidently” articles featured in 938LIVE’s English@Work e-newsletter, this radio programme provides valuable tips on a host of topics for executives, businessmen and managers.

Some of the topics covered so far include: ‘Thinking on Your Feet’, ‘How to Write Concisely’, ‘Communicate to Avert Conflict’ and ‘Writing to Persuade’.

Programme Schedule

• Saturdays: 3.15 pm, 6.15 pm, 10.15 pm & 2.15 am.
• Sundays: 6.15 am, 1.15 pm, 3.15 pm, 10.15 pm and 1.15 am.

LISTEN to Communicate Confidently.

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Communciate Confidently is produced by the Division of Communications & Media Management, Temasek Polytechnic for MediaCorp Radio 938LIVE in support of the Speak Good English Movement.

QUESTION

Is there a plural for the word ‘graffiti’? How do I correctly refer to multiple cases of ‘graffiti’?

ANSWER

Actually, ‘graffiti’ is the plural form of the word. The singular is ‘graffito’.
You could say ‘There is a lot of graffiti in the area’ or just use ‘multiple cases of graffiti’ as per your question.

Source: Edited from “English As It is Broken” on STOMP. Visit www.stomp.com.sg for more

Source: Edited from the english@work e-newsletter by 938LIVE. Subscribe to the english@work newsletter.

To put it more clearly: any kind of management is people management. If you are the CEO of a multinational company, or a middle manager in a small enterprise, or a member of a local co-operative, or even if you work freelance, you will be dealing with people – people who work for you, or who work with you, or who are your clients and customers. Even the most dedicated accountant who sits in front of a computer screen all day staring at numbers on an excel spreadsheet has some kind of contact with people, or is aware that the numbers he or she is looking at can affect other peoples’ lives.

Being a good manager means having many skills, but one thing common to all good managers is that they know how to work with people. A manager who thinks only of profit and productivity without taking into account how his or her team work together will only be successful in the short run, if at all. Good management is the ability to get the best out of any team you are working with, making sure team members are working to the best of their ability.

People management means putting the people in the organisation first, and can range from a complete strategic rethink to simply changing the ways you organise the office furniture. One example of good people management is the company who decided to stop giving bonuses to a few high-flying members of staff in order to give everyone in the company the opportunity of owning shares in it. Another, simpler, example is the manager who decided to turn his desk around and leave his office door open – so that he would not be sitting with his back to anyone, and people would feel more comfortable approaching him without having to knock on his door.

This is similar to the ideas behind common performance management, yet in an organisation which uses performance management a series of line managers are responsible for people below them in the organisational hierarchy. Even if there is genuine 360 degree feedback between line managers and their managees, a weakness in performance management is that it still sees people in terms of their job descriptions and professional roles.

People management is not a management method, but more a set of principles. It is about recognising the fact that employees are human beings, looking carefully at what motivates them and how they can be motivated, looking about the dynamics of any group or team they work in and how they can be made better (whether through team building activities or simple discussion), and looking at what other factors outside the organisation may be affecting their performance at work.

This may seem basic, or even obvious, but in the complex, stressful world of modern business, it is sometimes easy to forget the most basic things. People management is a way of taking time to stop, and remember how important the people you work with are.

Source: Edited from the Learn English Professionals by British Council.

QUESTION

1. Bill was bullied by his classmate;
2. Bill was being bullied by his classmate.

ANSWER

Yes there is.

1. describes the event of Bill being bullied in the past as being completed.
2. describes the event as it is being carried out in the past.

To make things clearer, imagine that your two examples are responses to questions. For 1. the question would be ‘What happened?’ For 2. the question would be ‘What was happening?’

With 2, there usually is a related event that is happening at the same time that is being referred to. Or else, there isn’t any need to specify that the event is being carried out. So you might say something like ‘Bill was being bullied by his classmate when the teacher walked in’.

Source: Edited from “English As It is Broken” on STOMP. Visit www.stomp.com.sg for more

• Tips on speaking emphatically
• How to pronounce certain words with missing letters
• When to use “was” or “were”
• The origin of the word “Anorexia”
• Book reviews and more!

READ English@Work (ISSUE #171).

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English@Work e-newsletter is published by MediaCorp Radio 938LIVE in support of the Speak Good English Movement.

Source: Edited from the english@work e-newsletter by 938LIVE. Subscribe to the english@work newsletter.