Business English Vocabulary · Lesson 4

Sound Persuasive When Proposing Change

From overhauling a system to winning over the sceptics: the phrases senior professionals use to propose change, handle resistance and bring people on board – clear, precise and easy for everyone to understand.

ARead: why people resist change

Read the text. Pay attention to the phrases in bold – you will need them in exercise B.

Why change meets resistance

Every organisation needs to change from time to time. Sometimes the change is huge: a company may decide to overhaul its entire IT system, replacing almost everything. At other times, the problem is smaller, and it is enough to alter one part of a process, or simply to refine it with a few small improvements.

Whatever the size of the change, you will almost certainly get some pushback at first. People rarely say yes immediately: some will question your idea, and others will openly argue against it.

Why? Many people cling to the old way of doing things simply because it is familiar. Even when a system is slow and frustrating, they hold on to it tightly, because at least they know how it works.

Others are not really against the change – they are just indifferent. They are not particularly for it or against it, and they won’t help you unless you give them a reason to. More difficult are colleagues who are dismissive: they reject your idea quickly, without really considering it, sometimes with just a shrug or a joke.

And then there is the stubborn manager, who refuses to change his mind whatever evidence you show him.

The good news is that resistance is completely normal. The question is not how to avoid it, but how to deal with it.

BKey words from the text

Based on the context of the text, choose the phrase that matches each definition. Then complete the example sentence. You may need to change the form of the phrase.

Not interested; not particularly for or against something

“Most of the staff seem completely to the new logo.”
To change a system or a process completely, to make it work better

“The government plans to the entire tax system.”
Refusing to change your opinion or behaviour, even when you should

“Our CEO can be very – once she has decided, nothing will change her mind.”
To meet objections or resistance from people when you suggest something

“We from the sales team when we suggested the new targets.”
To change one part of something

“We’ve the schedule slightly, so the meeting now starts at 10.”
Showing that you think something is not worth considering

“He was very of my idea – he didn’t even read the proposal.”
To refuse to give up something, such as an old idea or an old way of doing things

“Some managers still the idea that everyone must work in the office.”

CRead: pitching the change

Now read the meeting. The phrases in bold are for exercise D. The underlined phrases are useful meeting phrases for exercise E.

Selling online: a proposal to the board

A family-owned furniture manufacturer has always sold its products through distributors. Anna, the Head of Sales, is proposing to the board that the company starts selling directly to customers online.

AnnaHead of SalesThank you for your time. Before I wrote this proposal, I spoke to all twelve of our distributors to gauge their reaction – I wanted to judge how they would really feel about it. Most of them were relaxed. And the main benefit is simple: if we do this, we can reach customers in markets where we have no distributors at all.

PeterChairmanI’ll be honest, Anna – I wasn’t at all sure about this when I read your report.

AnnaI understand. It might be worth looking at what our competitors have done. Three of them started selling online last year, and their sales have grown by 20%.

PeterHmm. I’m not completely convinced, but I’m more receptive to the idea than I was this morning. I’m willing to listen.

LukasFinance DirectorAnd the cost?

AnnaAbout €400,000 in the first year. But it will pay off in the long run, because our margin on direct sales is twice as high.

LukasOK, you’ve almost won me over. Those numbers are hard to argue with.

AnnaAnd timing matters. We have to move now. We can’t afford to miss the boat on this, or we risk falling behind.

PeterWell, it seems you’ve brought the whole board round to your way of thinking. Let’s do it.

AnnaThank you. I’m confident that once the sales team see the first results, they’ll embrace the change.

Bold = key words (exercise D)Underlined = meeting phrases (exercise E)

DKey words from the meeting

Based on the meeting, choose the phrase that matches each definition. Then complete the example sentence. You may need to change the form of the phrase.

EWhat would you say?

You are presenting a proposal for change. Which phrase would you use in each situation?

FSay it better

Each sentence below is correct, but it sounds simple. Rewrite it using a phrase from this lesson, then compare your version with the model answer.

“We need to change our IT system completely.”

Use: overhaul

Show model answer
“We need to overhaul our IT system.”
“Some people don’t want to stop using the old system.”

Use: cling to

Show model answer
“Some people are still clinging to the old system.”
“At first, a lot of people didn’t like our idea.”

Use: pushback

Show model answer
“At first, we got quite a lot of pushback.”
“She persuaded the board to support her plan.”

Use: win over

Show model answer
“She won the board over.” or “She won over the board.”
“Let’s find out what the staff think before we decide.”

Use: gauge

Show model answer
“Let’s gauge the staff’s reaction before we decide.”
“The team has accepted the new process happily.”

Use: embrace

Show model answer
“The team has really embraced the new process.”

GKey words in a new context

Complete the email with the phrases from the box. You may need to change the form of some of the words.

Word box

overhaul
alter
gauge
receptive
get some pushback
cling to
indifferent
dismissive
stubborn
bring round
win over
embrace

From: Laura Kent, HR DirectorTo: All team leadersSubject: Introducing the new hybrid working policy

Dear team leaders,

As you know, we are about to our working policy completely: from January, most roles will be hybrid, with two office days a week. For some teams, we will only need to the schedule slightly; for others, it will be a big change.

Before we made the decision, we ran a staff survey to how people felt. Most staff were very to the idea, but please expect to in your teams, especially at first.

Some colleagues will the old routine, simply because it is familiar. Others will be : they won’t mind either way, so they may need a little encouragement. And a few may be of the whole idea before they have even tried it.

If someone is being particularly , please don’t argue. Listen to their concerns, explain the reasons for the change, and give them time. In our experience, most people can be once they see how it works in practice.

Our pilot team in Brno is a good example. Six months ago, the team leader was against hybrid working, but the results within a few weeks. Today, her whole team has the new way of working.

Thank you for your support.
Laura

Use it well

Three things professionals often mix up when they propose change.

Overhaul, alter or refine?

Overhaul – change it completely.

Alter – change one part of it.

Refine – make small improvements (see Lesson 7).

We overhauled the system, altered the process and refined the training.

Win over and bring round

With a pronoun, put it in the middle:

We won them over. It took time to bring her round.

Add to + an idea with bring round: bring someone round to your point of view.

Pushback and prepositions

Pushback is a noun: you get, receive or face pushback. The verb is push back on something (Lesson 3).

Watch the prepositions:

indifferent to · dismissive of · receptive to

Glossary

All the phrases from this lesson.

Change and resistance

to overhaulto change a system or a process completely
to alterto change one part of something
to get some pushbackto meet objections or resistance from people
to cling toto refuse to give up an old idea or way of doing things
indifferent (to)not interested; not particularly for or against something
dismissive (of)showing that you think something is not worth considering
stubbornrefusing to change your opinion or behaviour

Bringing people on board

to gaugeto judge or measure how people feel about something
receptive (to)willing to listen to new ideas and consider them
to win overto persuade someone to support you or your idea
to bring round (to)to persuade someone, often gradually, to change their opinion
to embraceto accept a change willingly and with enthusiasm

Meeting phrases

If we do this, we can…explaining the main benefit of your proposal
It might be worth -ing…gently suggesting that people consider something
It will pay off in the long run because…explaining that a cost will be worth it later
We have to move now.stressing that the decision cannot wait
We can’t afford to miss the boat on this, or we risk falling behind.warning that you could lose an opportunity