Unit 1. TELEPHONING

1.1. Telephone English – Basics

1.1.1. Work in small groups. Discuss these questions.

1)Do you use the phone a lot? If yes, which three people do you phone or text the most?

2)Do you ever need to speak English on the phone? If yes, who to?

1.1.2. Read the text and say what two main recommendations it contains.

Basic Telephone Skills

Having telephone conversations in a second language can be very stressful. If you don’t know what to say, it is very common to feel nervous in any conversation. This is true even when speaking in your native tongue. One of the main reasons people get nervous is because they aren’t prepared and know they might make mistakes during the conversation.

To improve confidence on the phone you must learn what to say. The first thing you should do to improve your telephone communication ability is to start out small by learning vocabulary and phrases. There are a number of phrases and idioms that are only used when telephoning.

Another thing to think about when talking on the telephone is formality. It's important to use the right level of formality – if you are too formal, people might find it difficult to feel comfortable when they talk to you. On the other hand, if you are too informal, people might think you are rude!

Generally speaking, if you are talking to someone in a business context, you should use could, can, may or would when you make a request: 'Could I speak to Jason Roberts, please?' 'Can I take a message?' 'Would next Wednesday be okay?' You should also use please and thank you or thanks very much whenever you ask for, or receive, help or information.

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It's important to show politeness by using words like would, could, please, thank you etc. But it's also okay to use some of the features of informal/spoken English - short forms, phrasal verbs and words like okay and bye – in other words – everyday English! So phrases like ‘I'm off to a conference...’, ‘no problem, bye!’ and ‘hang on a moment and I'll put you through’ are perfectly acceptable, as long as the overall tone of the conversation is polite.

And, last but not least, – it's better to ask for help or clarification when you're having a telephone conversation, than to pretend you understand something that you didn't. It's perfectly acceptable to use phrases like 'Could you repeat that, please?' 'Could you speak a little more slowly, please?' and 'Would you mind spelling that for me please?' Using phrases like these will help make sure that you have a successful phone call, and may save you from lots of problems later on. You could always say that ‘the line's very bad today’ if you can't hear very well. And it's also a good idea to practise words, phrases and vocabulary before you make the call!

1.1.3. Answer the questions to the text.

1)Why can speaking on the telephone in a second language be very stressful?

2)What is the first thing to learn for successful telephoning?

3)Why is the level of formality important?

4)How is it possible to stay polite in an informal conversation?

5)What should you do if you do not understand something?

1.1.4. Read the telephone conversations, define the style.

1)
OPERATOR	Hello, Frank and Brothers. How can I help you?
PETER	This is Peter Jackson. Can I have extension 3421?
OPERATOR	Certainly, hold on a minute, I'll put you through...
FRANK	Bob Peterson's office, Frank speaking.
PETER	This is Peter Jackson calling, is Bob in?
FRANK	I'm afraid he's out at the moment. Can I take a message?
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PETER	Yes. Could you ask him to call me at 687 6234. I need to talk to him
	about the Nuovo line, it's urgent.
FRANK	Could you repeat the number please?
PETER	Yes, that's 687 6234, and this is Peter Jackson.
FRANK	Thank you Mr Jackson, I'll make sure Bob gets this asap1.
PETER	Thanks, bye.
FRANK	Bye.
2)
OPERATOR	Hello, TVS Computers. Samantha speaking. How can I help you?
JACK	Good morning. Could I speak to your marketing department, please?
OPERATOR	Certainly. Who's calling?
JACK	This is Jack Lytton.
OPERATOR	[pause] I'm afraid the line's busy at the moment. Will you hold?
JACK	Yes, please.
OPERATOR	[pause] OK. It's ringing for you now.
JACK	Thank you.
RAMON	Ramon Figueras
JACK	Ramon? Jack Lytton here – from UCLA.
RAMON	Jack! Hi, how are you? Are you in Spain?
JACK	No, but I'll get around to it sooner or later, don't you worry, The
	reason I'm calling is I keep picking up rumours about Tortuga, How
	are things over there in Madrid?
RAMON	Well – it's what in your marketing seminars you used to call 'a very
	interesting situation’.
JACK	Oh boy! As bad as that, is it?
RAMON	No, it's not all bad. In fact I did this fantastic deal last time I was in
	California I must tell you about some time. So, anyway, I'm planning
	to go to Bangkok in about three weeks to start investigating the market

1 asap – as soon as possible.

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	for the Dolphin Commando merchandise in Asia.
JACK	Good thinking. I have one or two contacts in Bangkok you might find
	useful by the way – I’ll dig out their address for you.
RAMON	Thanks, I'd really appreciate it if you could do that. Well, it's been,
	good talking to you, Jack. I'll speak to you again soon.
JACK	Surely. Take care now. Goodbye!
RAMON	Bye!

1.1.5. Fill in the chart with the expressions from the dialogues.

Introducing yourself

Asking who is on the telephone

Asking for

Someone

Connecting

Someone

How to reply when someone is not available

Taking a Message

Finishing a conversation

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1.1.6. Wordwork

a) Fill in the gaps with these words.

a) called b) meeting c) off d) line e) leave f) message |

1)I'm afraid he's taken the afternoon …………

2)Can I take a …………….?

3)Shall I tell him you ……………..?

4)Hold the ………….., please. I'll put you through.

5)I'm sorry, he's in a ……………...

6)Would you like to ………….. a message?

b)Match sentences 1-6 in a) to headings i-iii.

i.asking someone to wait

ii.saying someone isn't available

iii.offering to take a message

1.1.7.Match these headings to the sentences from the phone conversations.

a)saying where people can contact you

b)leaving a message

c)asking to speak to someone

1)…………………..

Can I speak to Peter Parker, please?

Is Peter there, please?

Could I speak to Jim Moore, please? 2)…………………..

Could you ask him/her to phone me tomorrow? Can you ask him/her to call me back? Just tell him/her Peter Parker called.

3)………………......

He/She can ring me at the office. He/She can get me on my mobile. He/She can call me at home this evening.

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1.1.8. Work in pairs. Follow the instructions in the cards (see Attachment).

Write a phone conversation between A and B. A is phoning a friend at work. B is a receptionist at the friend's workplace. Use the expressions from the lesson and additional vocabulary in the chart below. Practise the conversation in pairs until you can remember it. Role-play the conversation for other students.

Answering the	Hello? (informal)
phone	Thank you for calling Boyz Autobody. Jody speaking. How can I
	help you?
	Doctor's office.
Introducing	Hey George. It's Lisa calling. (informal)
yourself	Hello, this is Julie Madison calling.
	Hi, it's Gerry from the dentist's office here.
	This is she.*
	Speaking.*
	*The person answering says this if the caller does not recognize
	their voice.
Asking to	Is Fred in? (informal)
speak with	Is Jackson there, please? (informal)
someone	Can I talk to your sister? (informal)
	May I speak with Mr. Green, please?
	Would the doctor be in/available?
Connecting	Just a sec. I'll get him. (informal)
someone	Hang on one second. (informal)
	Please hold and I'll put you through to his office.
	One moment please.
	All of our operators are busy at this time. Please hold for the next
	available person.
Making special	Could you please repeat that?
requests	Would you mind spelling that for me?
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	Could you speak up a little please?
	Can you speak a little slower please. My English isn't very strong.
	Can you call me back? I think we have a bad connection.
	Can you please hold for a minute? I have another call.
Taking a	Sammy's not in. Who's this? (informal)
message for	I'm sorry, Lisa's not here at the moment. Can I ask who's calling?
someone	I'm afraid he's stepped out. Would you like to leave a message?
	He's on lunch right now. Who's calling please?
	He's busy right now. Can you call again later?
	I'll let him know you called.
	I'll make sure she gets the message.
Leaving a	Yes, can you tell him his wife called, please.
message with	No, that's okay, I'll call back later.
someone	Yes, it's James from CompInc here. When do you expect her back
	in the office?
	Thanks, could you ask him to call Brian when he gets in?
	Do you have a pen handy. I don't think he has my number.
	Thanks. My number is 222-3456, extension 12.
Confirming	Okay, I've got it all down.
information	Let me repeat that just to make sure.
	Did you say 555 Charles St.?
	You said your name was John, right?
	I'll make sure he gets the message.
Finishing a	Well, I guess I better get going. Talk to you soon.
conversation	Thanks for calling. Bye for now.
	I have to let you go now.
	I have another call coming through. I better run.
	I'm afraid that's my other line.
	I'll talk to you again soon. Bye.
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