English idioms: to wing it (to improvise)

Podcast: Download

Transcript

Hi and welcome to 2-minute English, brought to you by Better At English dot com. Today’s phrase is

to wing it


I didn’t have time to prepare this speech, so I’ll have to wing it.


She didn’t spend much time getting ready for the meeting; she just kind ofwinged it


I don’t have time to study for the test tomorrow, so I’ll be winging it

to wing it

Meaning

To wing it is an idiom that means to improvise, to do something without proper preparation or time to rehearse. People often talk about winging it when they have to do something difficult that they didn’t have time to prepare — like a make speech or give a presentation. They might say something like "Sorry if I seem a bit disorganized, I’m totally winging it." You tell people that you’re winging it, that you’re improvising, so that they won’t expect too much from you, or so that they will be more forgiving if you make a mistake.

I have a little note about pronunciation for you. In rapid native-speaker speech, the final g on the i-n-g tends to disappear. So it sounds like

I’m wingin’ it
I’m wingin’ it
I’m wingin’ it here

Rather than I’m wingING it. Do you hear the difference?

WingING
Wingin’


Authentic example

In today’s authentic example we’ll hear a bit of Seth Godin’s presentation at the GEL 2006 conference.


And I want to…talk about what I think seven of those reasons might be. But first I gotta take a minute…I gotta explain…I’ve never given this presentation before, not one word of it, not one picture, and I may never give it again. But I’m winging it so we’ll see what happens…But…what does it mean to be broken?

If you are an upper-intermediate or advanced learner, I highly recommend you watch the full presentation on Google video. It’s really funny, entertaining and full of useful vocabulary.

Thanks for tuning in to 2-minute English. We’ll see you next time!

Look up to wing it in the dictionary.

See examples of how to wing it is used.

Ref: http://www.betteratenglish.com/english-idioms-to-wing-it-to-improvise

How To Make An Effective Debt Collection Phone Call (some rough idea)

The telephone is your most powerful tool when chasing debtors for payment but it’s not an easy or pleasant task. It’s human nature to feel uncomfortable about asking for money even if it is rightly owed to you.

This advice from professional nationwide debt collection agency P&J Debt Services will help you conduct a credit control call with confidence and without breaking relationships in the process.

Most importantly, be prepared before you dial.

Don’t make your phone call until you have all the details in front of you. Make sure you know the amount owed and the products or services sold; the date of the sale; details of any query resolution; your payment terms with that customer, their payment history, purchase order numbers and contact names. If you can’t answer these simple questions you will lose the upper hand in the call.


Know the standard debtor excuses


Expect some story telling, emotional responses, excuses and even lies. There are many stalling tactics routinely used by businesses and individuals so have a standardised response to those beforehand. You can read more about the most commonly used debtor excuses here.


You have one aim: Get a commitment


Head into your phone call with a single aim – to get your contact to confirm and agree a specific date by which they will pay you. The more focused you are on achieving that goal, the easier the call.


Maintain the right tone of voice


Adopt the right tone. It’s no good starting the phone call aggressively as this will only make the conversation difficult – and may even result in the caller not taking the call or hanging up. Be assertive, confident, friendly and professional. It’s good to remember that the ideal outcome from the call is to get a promise of payment without destroying your relationship with what could be a profitable customer. They may have a genuine reason for late payment so be positive when you make the call.


Listen and take notes


You need to gain as much information from your debtor as possible. Most will try to get you off the phone as soon as possible so try to gather the detail you need early on. Ask open questions and don’t underestimate the power of silence if your contact becomes emotional. Keep focused on your goal of the call and keep reiterating your questions, followed by silence, to encourage your debtor to speak.


Empathise but keep your goal in mind


Empathise but keep focused on your aim: to get a specific payment date. For genuine hardship cases you can ask debtors to complete a financial statement and work out a mutually acceptable arrangement to repay by instalments. If you have a savvy debtor, getting this payment date commitment may prove difficult. If that’s the case, make sure you get the customer to commit to something else such as a specific call back date. This is particularly helpful if the debtor stalls by claiming they need a copy of the invoice first.


Get names and dates

In the case of commercial debt, make sure you get names! If you can’t speak to the person responsible for making payments, make sure you get names of the people responsible for different stages of the payment process right up to the Financial Director. Find out when those people will be available and ask for direct phone numbers and emails.


Summarise and agree the details


At the end of your call, summarise the actions that have been mutually agreed and reiterate your payment terms and the action that will be taken should those commitments not be met.


Other tips:


Chase up the highest amount invoices first.



Regularly perform credit check on existing and new customers.

Ref: http://www.pjcds.co.uk
http://www.cpaireland.ie/