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Paul Sparks, Online Business English Lesson Plans, Lesson Material and Ideas for
Grade 2 English Conversation Lessons at Xiangtan Normal University...
Lesson 23 -
Telephone English
LESSON
OBJECTIVES:
The
purpose of this lesson is introduce the students to English phrases and
sayings when using the telephone.
Telephone
English
There
are a number of phrases and idioms that are only used when telephoning.
Here is an example phone call:
Secretary:
Hello, Xiangtan Normal University, how can I help you?
Caller:
This is Paul Sparks. Can I speak to Mr Xiang?
Secretary:
Certainly, hold on a minute, I'll put you through...
Mr
Xiang's office: Mr Xiang's office, how can I help?
Caller:
This is Paul Sparks calling, is Mr Xiang in?
Mr
Xiang's office: I'm afraid he's out at the moment. Can I take a message?
Caller:
Yes, Could you ask him to call me. I need to talk to him, it's urgent.
Mr
Xiang's office: Does Mr Xiang have your number?
Caller:
Yes.
Mr
Xiang's office: Thank you Mr Sparks, I'll make sure Mr Xiang gets this
asap.
Caller:
Thanks, bye.
Mr
Xiang's office: Bye.
As
you can see, the language is rather informal and there are some important
differences to everyday English. See below for key language and phrases
used in telephone English:
Introducing
yourself -"This is Paul" or "Paul speaking"
Asking
who is on the telephone - "Excuse me, who is this?" or "Can I ask who is
calling, please?"
Asking
for Someone - "Can I have extension 321?" or "Could I speak to...?" (Can
I - more informal / May I - more formal)
Connecting
Someone - "I'll put you through" (put through - phrasal verb meaning 'connect')
or "Can you hold the line?"
How
to reply when someone is not available - "I'm afraid he is not available
at the moment" or "He isn't in at the moment" Taking a Message -
"Can I take a message?" or "Could I tell him who is calling?" or "Would
you like to leave a message?"
Exercises
for Practicing Speaking on the Telephone
Real
life situations - Businesses are always interested in telling you about
their products. Find a product you are interested in and research it over
the telephone. You can ...
-
call
a store to find out the prices and specifications.
-
ring
the company representative to find out details on how the product works.
-
telephone
a consumer agency to find out if the product has any defects.
-
call
customer service to find out about replacement parts, etc.
Leaving
a Message
Sometimes,
there may not be anyone to answer the telephone and you will need to leave
a message. Follow this outline to make sure that the person who should
receive your message has all the information he/she needs.
Introduction
- "Hello, this is Paul." OR "Hello, My name is Paul."
State
the time of day and your reason for calling - "It's ten in the morning.
I'm calling to let you know that ....."
Make
a request - "Could you ring me back?"
Leave
your telephone number - "My number is ...." OR "You can reach me at ...."
Finish
- "Thanks a lot, bye." OR "I'll talk to you later, bye."
Here's
an example of message
Telephone:
(Ring... Ring...) Hello, this is Paul. I'm afraid I'm not in at the moment.
Please leave a message after the beep..... (beep)
Mr
Xiang: Hello Paul, this is Mr Xiang. It's about noon and I'm calling to
see if you are busy this afternoon. Could you call me back? You can reach
me at 123-45467 until five this afternoon. I'll talk to you later, bye.
As
you can see, leaving a message is pretty simple. You only need to make
sure that you have stated all the most important information: Your Name,
The Time, The Reason for Calling, Your Telephone Number
Role
Playing using the Telephone
Requesting
Travel Information
Student
A:
Choose
a city in your country. You are going to travel to this city for a business
meeting over the next weekend. Telephone a travel agency and reserve the
following:
Round-trip
flight
Hotel
room for two nights
Restaurant
recommendation
Prices
and departure times
Student
B:
You
work in a travel agency. Listen to student A and offer him/her the following
solutions:
Round-trip
flight: Air JW $450 Coach, $790 First Class
Hotel
room for two nights: Hotel City $120 a night in the downtown area, Hotel
Relax $110 a night near the airport
Restaurant
Recommendation: Chez Marceau - downtown - average price $70 a person
Product
Information
Student
A:
You
need to purchase six new computers for your office. Call JA's Computer
World and ask for the following information:
Current
special offers on computers
Computer
configuration (RAM, Hard Drive, CPU)
Guarantee
Possibility
of discount for an order of six computers
Student
B:
You
work in at JA's Computer World answer student A's questions using the following
information:
Two
special offers: Multimedia Monster - with latest Pentium CPU, 256 RAM,
40 GB Hard Drive, Monitor included - $2,500 AND Office Taskmaster - cheaper
CPU, 64 RAM, 10 GB Hard Drive, Monitor not included - $1,200
1
Year guaranty on all computers
Discount
of 5% for orders of more than five computers
Leaving
a Message
Student
A:
You
want to speak to Ms Braun about your account with her company, W&W.
If Ms Braun isn't in the office, leave the following information:
Your
name
Telephone
number: 347-8910 (or use your own)
Calling
about changing conditions of your contract with W&W
You
can be reached until 5 o'clock at the above number. If Ms Braun calls after
5 o'clock, she should call 458-2416
Student
B:
You
are a receptionist at W&W. Student A would like to speak to Ms Braun,
but she is out of the office. Take a message and make sure you get the
following information:
Name
and telephone number - ask student A to spell the surname
Message
student A would like to leave for Ms Braun
How
late Ms Braun can call student A at the given telephone number
Selling
Your Product
Student
A:
You
are a salesperson for Red Inc. You are telephoning a client who you think
might be interested in buying your new line of office supplies. Discuss
the following information with your client:
New
line of office supplies including: copy-paper, pens, stationary, mouse-pads
and white boards
You
know the customer hasn't ordered any new products during this past year
Special
discount of 15% for orders placed before next Monday
Any
order placed before Monday will not only receive the discount, but also
have its company logo printed on the products at no extra charge
Student
B:
You
work in an office and receive a telephone call from your local office supplier.
As a matter fact, you need some new office supplies so you are definitely
interested in what the salesperson has to offer. Talk about the following:
New
pens, stationary and white boards
Do
they have any special offers
You
would like to place an order for 200 packages of copy paper immediately
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