英語を理解し話すことは、オーストラリアでの生活を向上させるのにとても役立ちます。ポッドキャスト、では、日々のさまざまなシチュエーションで使えるとっさの英語や表現を、あらゆる例を取り入れて簡単に説明します。
学習ノート
職場で追加の仕事を断るときのさまざまな言い回し：
相手が誰であっても「ノー」と言うのは難しいものですが、相手が上司である場合はなおさらです。そのため、怒りっぽくなったり、冷たく聞こえたりすることなく、丁寧かつ明確に断ることができるようになることが重要です。
効果的な方法はまず、本当はノーと言いたくないという意思表示をすることです。次に、相手に悪い知らせを予感させるために日常的に使われる、「フィラー」と呼ばれる音や言葉を使います。例えば：
- Oh, er, well,
そして、「スウィートナー」と呼ばれる何かポジティブなことを伝え、後から来る悪い知らせを飲み込みやすくするようなことを言うと有効的です。例えば、感謝の気持ちを示す：
- Thanks for considering me for such a crucial project.
- I’m really flattered that you thought of me….
- I appreciate the confidence you have in me ….
- Well, I am delighted that you think so highly of me….
また本来であれば受けたい仕事であるということを伝える/追加する：
- It sounds like something I would normally love to do…
そうして初めて、悪い知らせを伝え、ノーと言う。「But」から始めることで、仕事を引き受けることが望ましくないことを伝える：
- But given my current workload, I worry I might not be able to give it the attention it deserves.
また、自分だけのためではなく、職場全体のことを考えていることを示すために、次のような理由を挙げることも有効的です：
- but given my current workload, I really don’t think that I would be able to give it the attention it deserves.
- but I really am working at full capacity at the moment. I'm concerned that if I overcommit it will affect the quality of my work.
- While I appreciate the confidence you have in me, I'm currently at full capacity.
- I'm concerned about overcommitting and I wouldn’t want it to affect the quality of my work.
- I really think that I shouldn’t take on any more at the moment. I don’t want my other work to suffer.
口語的な言い回し:
If you rub up somebody the wrong way ー 相手をイライラさせたり、動揺させたりすること。
you make them feel annoyed or upset, even if you didn't mean to.
To go the extra mile ー 一般的に要求される以上に努力し、頑張るという意味。
ボキャブラリー:
Workload ー 個人やグループが一定期間内に割り当てられた、あるいは行う必要のある仕事の量。
Concern ー 懸念
Overcommit ー 自分の担当範囲を超えたり、実際に管理できる以上の仕事に同意すること
スクリプト:
(注：これは一字一句書き起こしたものではありません）
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
Hi, my name is Josipa. Recently, an old colleague got in touch, which made me think about the time we worked together. At my old job, my boss often asked me to do more work than I could really handle, like she asked me to take on and finish big projects in timelines that were way too tight.
And that got me thinking about the times when we find it hard to say 'No!' to our bosses.
So, this episode is for those of us who try so hard to do well and meet the expectations that others have of us that we sometimes take on too much.
Let’s learn from Allan, whose boss, Claire, expects him to always go the extra mile. This means she always wants him to work even harder and put in more effort than is typically required.
Claire
Allan, there's a new project coming up that involves international collaboration. I thought you'd be the ideal person to lead it.
Allan
Oh, er, well. Thanks for considering me for such a crucial project. I’m really flattered that you thought of me. It sounds like something I would normally love to do, but given my current workload, I really don’t think that I would be able to give it the attention it deserves.
Claire
I understand your concerns, Allan, but I have been impressed by your ability to manage your projects effectively, so I really think you could do it.
Allan
Well, I am delighted that you think so highly of me, and I appreciate the confidence you have in me, but I really am working at full capacity at the moment. I'm concerned that if I overcommit it will affect the quality of my work.
Good on you, Allan. This dialogue is a great example of how to say no to your boss without rubbing her up the wrong way.
By the way, if you rub up somebody the wrong way, you make them feel annoyed or upset, even if you didn't mean to.
Let’s look into it more closely. Allan first said,
Allan
Oh, er, well. Thanks for considering me for such a crucial project. I’m really flattered that you thought of me. It sounds like something I would normally love to do, but given my current workload, I really don’t think that I would be able to give it the attention it deserves.
First of all, Allan thanks Claire for thinking of him as a good choice for a very important project. In this way he is saying something positive before he actually refuses. This is something we often do when we want to soften the impact of something that we know someone will not like.
So, Allan already has a lot of work that he has to finish by a certain time ‘his current workload’ – so he is worried that he would not be able to spend enough time and effort on this new project to do a good job, that is to 'give it the attention it deserves’.
In simple terms, Allan is saying thank you for the opportunity to work on the project, but he is afraid that he is too busy to take on more work and wants to make sure every project is done well.
By focussing on his desire to make sure that the work is done well, rather than on the fact that he is too busy, he is showing that he really cares about his work. He is not refusing just because he is lazy!
Let’s continue,
Claire
I understand your concerns, Allan, but I have been impressed by your ability to manage your projects effectively, so I really think you could do it.
Allan
Well, I am delighted that you think so highly of me, and I appreciate the confidence you have in me, but I really am working at full capacity at the moment. I'm concerned that if I overcommit it will affect the quality of my work.
I have to say that I’m impressed by polite and professional way Allan expressed his concern about taking on more work than one can handle.
By the way, a concern is another word for worry. Let’s listen move by move to how Allan replies to Claire, who really does want him to take on the project.
Well, I am delighted that you think so highly of me.Allan
First, he again says how pleased he is that Claire has thought of asking him to take on the project.
…and I appreciate the confidence you have in me,Allan
…and Allan thanks her for showing such confidence she in him. If you appreciate something, you are grateful for it. Allan appreciates Claire’s confidence in him, which means he is grateful for the trust that she has in him.
but I really am working at full capacity at the moment.Allan
Allan is at full capacity, which means that he is so busy that he cannot take on more work. He then says why this might be bad for the whole workplace:
I'm concerned that if I overcommit it will affect the quality of my work.Allan
And only now does he say again that he does not think he should do it.
Allan is basically saying that if he ‘overcommits’, that is agreed to do more work than he can handle, then all of his work would suffer affect the quality of his work.
In other words, taking on the projects would be bad because all of his work would be of a lower quality.
If something affects the quality of your work, it means it changes how well you do your job, usually making it worse.
There are a lot of different ways to professionally say that more tasks could lower your work quality.
For example, Allan could have also said,
I really think that I shouldn’t take on any more at the moment. I don’t want my other work to suffer.Allan
Notice how Allan uses the phrase ‘really think’ to show that this is a well thought out response. And then shows how responsible he is by saying that he does not want to do work that is of a poor quality.
A big thank you to our educational consultant, Professor Lynda Yates, and our guest Ravi Moerman.
Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire.
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