Telephoning
Introducing yourself
This is _________(your
name).
_________(your name)
speaking
Asking who is on the telephone
Excuse me, who is this?
Can I ask who is calling,
please?
Asking for Someone
Can I have extension 321? (extensions
are internal numbers at a company)
Could I speak to...? (Can I - more
informal / May I - more formal)
Is NAME in? (informal idiom
meaning: Is NAME in the office?
How to reply when someone is not available
I'm afraid Mr /Mrs/Miss (last name) is not
available at the moment
the line is busy... (when the extension
requested is being used)
Mr /Mrs/Miss (last name) isn’t in....................
Mr /Mrs/Miss (last name) is out at the
moment...
Taking a Message
Could (Can, May) I take
a message?
Could (Can, May) I tell
him who is calling?
Would you like to leave
a message?
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 Ken. OR Hello, My name is Ken
Beare (more formal).
State the time of day and your reason for
calling
It's ten in the morning. I'm
phoning (calling, ringing) to
find out if ... / to see if ... / to let
you know that ... / to tell you
that ...
Make a request
Could you call (ring, telephone)
me back? / Would you
mind ... ?
Leave your telephone number
My number is .... / You can reach me at .... /
Call me at ...
Finish
Thanks a lot, bye.
I'll talk to you later, bye
Here's an example of message
Telephone: (Ring... Ring... Ring...) Hello, this
is Tom. I'm afraid I'm not in at the moment.
Please leave a message after the beep.....
(beep)
YOU: Hello Tom, this is Ken. It's about noon
and I'm calling to see if you would like to go to
the Mets game on Friday. Could you call me
back? You can reach me at 367-8925 until five
this afternoon. I'll talk to you later, bye.
Conclusion
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
Tips for Getting People to Slow
Down!!
One of the biggest problems is speed.
Native speakers, especially business
people, tend to speak very quickly on
the telephone. Here are some practical
tips to get native speakers of English to
slow down!
Immediately ask the person to speak slowly.
When taking note of a name or important
information, repeat each piece of
information as the person speaks.
Do not say you have understood if you have
not. Ask the person to repeat until you have
understood.
If the person does not slow down
begin speaking your own language!
A sentence or two of another language spoken
quickly will remind the person that they are
fortunate because THEY do not need to speak a
different language to communicate. Used
carefully, this exercise in humbling the other
speaker can be very effective. Just be sure to use
it with colleagues and not with a boss :-)!