VIP 2hrs Class Notes (Tibo)[S+W]

working on business emails and how to write a farewell letter.

Bring a few emails
Self introduction in different settings

write (present/infinitive) / wrote (past simple)/ written (past particle)

Recently i have read a book named zero to one, written by the co-founder of paypal, and one of the investors of facebook, Peter Theil.
Points of views:
This content was based on notes of a class taught by Peter in the university.Basically he gave 14 tips for the startups and for anyone who wants to create something new.The most impressive chapter is the one talking about the relationship between fortune and success.From Peter’s perspective,no successs comes form accident, and every significant company was built within a long term plan.
Examples:He took Apple as an example, to persuade the reader that long-term design is more important than good chance. To persuade the reader that it is long term design rather than good chance that matters/makes or breaks companies. ,When Apple launched the first iPod, every one thought it was just a fancy looking macintosh device, and wouldn’t make any difference to the rest of the world. However, the iPod was just a test or a prototype  for a generation of portable post-PC devices.  Others who didn’t know the plan that Apple made, they felt it was useless for Apple to develop such an untrendy device. If we look at all the devices that Apple has launched, you will finally realize they are actually connecting the dots backwards and on the track of achieving the plan.One of the harvests we can see from apple following the plan is the continuous increase of the stock price.Success always comes from a long range plan.
Conclusion:
Catching the trend can be easy, such as the milk tea retail stores in Chinese market, but others’ success was created from years of hard work, and copying their models makes nothing new, but takes the world from 1 to n. If we want to make some creations we need to think in a long run not just being copycats.

Vocabulary

Identity verification / checking someones identity
There is an identity verification checkpoint at the gate.

delicate / gentle
Be delicate when you open the package. It is fragile.

to pitch / to sell with words
You will have 30 mins to pitch your idea

tongue twister / a game about pronouncing similar words quickly

dedicate
This song is dedicated to my mother.
John is dedicated to his work.

prototype / first version of a product.
This is a first prototype, it is not functional yet.

Stereotype / oversimplified image of something
The stereotype of a 屌丝 is someone who plays games non stop and doesn’t often shower.
This idea is based on stereotypes , we should think more carefully about it.

to quote references/sources
I have to quote references in my thesis.

to commit suicide / to kill oneself
John decided to commit suicide/kill himself after losing his job.

suicidal / related to suicide
I have some suicidal thoughts recently.
John is suicidal. He needs to be careful.

topless / not wearing a top.
For some reason it is ok for men to be topless but it isn’t for women.

to spread / to extend
The fire spreads to the nearby apartment.

to reignited / to light again
I am trying to reignite the fire after the rain.

to ignite / to light

purposely/ on purpose
He purposely lit the fire.

landlord / the one who owns the house
I pay my rent to my landlord every 3 months.

go viral / to be shared a lot online
His picture went viral on twitter.

to squat  / to sit bending
Squat toilets are popular in China.

hygienic / clean
Squat toilets tend to be more hygienic.

sense of aesthetic / sense of beauty
Tom has a great sense of aesthetic.

ironic / play on contradictions
It is ironic that he never smocked but died of lung cancer.

modest / not showing pride
Tom is very modest, he never boasts.

plagiarism
The software checks for plagiarism.

to plagiarize

public announcement
The company made/issued/released a public announcement.

to be proud

pride

to fail (not succeed)

Grammar

if you don’t wear glasses on your credit card’s picture (general statement / talking about your current picture) -> present tense
If you didn’t wear glasses for your credit card’s picture  (talking about past event) -> past tense

pre (before)
Prenup (Prenuptial agreement) (before the wedding agreement)
Jennifer wanted to sign a prenup with John before they got married.

post (after)
We live in a post-pc world (we don’t use PCs that much anymore)

Pronunciation

field

fail

felt (feel)

fell (fall)

Grammar

Email Structure:

• greeting
• a compliment or pleasantry
• the reason for your email
• a call to action (with deadline)
• a closing message
• signature

Greetings:
Dear ___ (more formal)
To ___
eg. To the Sales team
For all, For the ____ department
_____ (dont need any other text) – (if you’re the boss)
eg. Sales team,
To whom it may concern (don’t know the name of the people – formal) – good for job application email
Dear Sir/Madam (dont know name of person)
Dear (company name)

Openings:
this email is in relation to… (topic) (general)
eg. this email is in relation to today’s morning briefing
eg2. this email is in relation to the updating/running of the report
this email is about (topic)
please see below for… (topic)
As per my previous email,… (topic). (repeat information in last email)
eg. As per my previous email, I need you to update this report…
As you may be aware… (topic) (giving them information which they might know)
eg. As you may be aware, if you don’t ….
Please be advised that… (topic)
eg. Please be advised that from next week the report will be available
As per our call/discussion (topic)  (talked to them before about this)
eg. As per our discussion, you guys must finish tomorrow
As we talked about…
Thank you for your reply/email
Thank you for letting me know
Thanks…

Extras:
Please note
eg. please note, we will delay the meeting to tomorrow
Note that… (information)
Important: (information)
FYI (for your information) (information)
FYR (for your reference)

Attached
Please see attached for…(document name/description) /  / Attached is …. / …. is attached / ……, as attached
Please find attached …..
eg. The report has been updated to reflect these changes, as attached.

Attachment
Please see the attachment, which is a report regarding ….
The attachment is a report regarding….
Please see the attachment in this email.
Please refer to… (the above/below / the attachment) – please look at/pay attention to
eg. Please refer to the below schedule for this week…
eg2. Please refer to the attachment for further details..
Here are some key points for your reference (list of information)

Closing:
Thank you in advance for your quick response / for responding ASAP.
I look forward to working with you / meeting you
I look forward to hearing from you / your reply / your response / your email
Let me know if you have any questions / concerns / problems / issues / comments
Please contact me if you have any questions / Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions / Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions
Thank you for your help.
Please keep me in copy (CC) / copied / in the loop.
Please email NAME (copied) to follow this up / reply to NAME to discuss this further
eg. Please reply to the customer directly, but keep me in copy.
I’ll give you a call in a moment to discuss.

Signs off: (Signature)
Regards (formal) , Warm Regards, Kind Regards, Best Regards,
Sincerely (formal / emotional) , Yours Sincerely
Thanks, Cheers (casual)  =  thank you and goodbye
Best , Best Wishes, All the best

Vocab:
Copy (CC), BCC
“Email chain” / thread – many emails on the same subject.
Reply, respond, ‘get back to me’ (casual)
ASAP, COB (close of business) / EOB (end of business) / EOD (end of day) – by 5:00pm.
eg. please reply to me by COB today = please reply before you go home tonight.
Due Date / Deadline – the final day to do something. eg. The deadline for this project is Friday = the last day is friday.
Schedule (n)- plan, timeline /  Schedule (v) – to make a plan
eg. lets schedule a meeting next week
Spreadsheet (.xls / excel), PPT (Powerpoint / Presentation), Document (MSWord), File
Attach / Attachment
Highlight – to make clear.
eg. i highlighted the details of the problem during our conversation
eg2. the customers email highlighted some big problems
Don’t know gender – his/her, their,
Information = info