As a consultant I tend to present options and then suggest the one I personally feel is best.
I make it a rule never to say things more than twice, because the client is 'always right'. If I have an idea I express it once. If I feel strongly about, I express it a second time. A third time invariably will make me look like the kind of person I am. An overbearing opinionated pedantic prima donna (so I don't do that). After that if the client has me do things the wrong way, I'm a hero for getting the job done on time, the first time. When they realize there's a problem and I then suggest the fix, I'm a hero for getting the job done right, the second time. I was a hero twice and got paid twice. Tom C. On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 12:28 PM, steve harley <p...@paper-ape.com> wrote: > On 2010-02-01 08:10 , Morris Galloway wrote: >> >> "I suggest" versus "Perhaps we could proceed...." >> One American's analysis. >> >> Among general professionals in the central U.S. >> >> If Boris Liberman is in upper management speaking to those in middle >> management, then "I suggest" would have 10% more of the Imperative. >> Among peers it would be perceived as an option awaiting the opportunity >> for other options to be presented. >> If used by middle management to upper management it might be considered >> brash or bold. > > good points, and in addition to regional and status variations, i think your > words' reception will vary within different corporate cultures and when > written versus spoken in person versus telephoned ... > > in my own small, informal workplace, and as a consultant, i use "i suggest" > to signal: "please take my idea seriously, but i won't be disappointed if > another idea is selected"; i use less direct language like "perhaps it > would" when being more polite (generally with people i know less well), or > to signal tentativeness; but such polite forms can also indicate frustration > -- meanings can shift within the context of tone and rapport, which i'd > expect to be even more important when people know English is not someone's > first language > > i tend to look at etymology when pondering such questions -- i see that the > Latin roots of 'suggest' mean "bring from below"; in my eyes, this makes > 'suggest' a good, humble term > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
