Teaching telephone english important phrases

TEACHING TELEPHONE ENGLISH IMPORTANT PHRASES

Telephoning in English includes learning a number of special phrases, as well as focusing on listening skills. Some of the most important phrases include how to answer the phone, how to ask for others, how to connect, and how to take messages.

Introducing Yourself

Here are a few ways to informally introduce yourself on the telephone:
This is Ken.
Hello, Ken speaking
If you'd like to reply more formally, use your full name.
This is Jennifer Smith speaking.
Hello, Jennifer Smith speaking.
If you are answering for a business, just state the business name. In this case, it's common to ask how you can help:
Good morning, Thomson Company. How may I help you?
Plumbers Insurance. How can I be of service today?


British / American Difference
Hello, this is Ken
Brighton 0987654
The first example response is in American English and the second is in British English. As you can see there are differences in both forms. The telephone articles include both British and American English, as well as phrases that are common to both forms.
In American English, we answer the phone stating "This is ..." In British English, it's common to answer the phone by stating the telephone number. The phrase "This is ..." is used only on the telephone to substitute the phrase "My name is ..." which is not used to answer the telephone.
Asking Who Is on the Telephone
Sometimes, you'll need to find out who is calling. Ask them politely for this information:
Excuse me, who is this?
May (Can) I ask who is calling, please?
Asking for Someone
At other times, you'll need to speak to someone else. This is especially true when you telephone a business. Here are some examples:
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 Jack in? (informal idiom meaning: Is Jack in the office?
Connecting Someone
If you answer the phone, you might need to connect the caller to someone at your business. Here are some useful phrases:
I'll put you through (put through - phrasal verb meaning 'connect')
Can you hold the line? Can you hold on a moment?
When Someone Is Not Available
These phrases can be used to express that someone is not available to speak on the telephone.
I'm afraid ... is not available at the moment
The line is busy... (when the extension requested is being used)
Mr. Jackson isn't in... Mr. Jackson is out at the moment...
Taking a Message
If someone isn't available, you might want to take a message to help the caller.
Could (Can, May) I take a message?
Could (Can, May) I tell him who is calling?
Would you like to leave a message?
Continue practicing your skills by using the practical exercises below which include information on leaving messages on the telephone, how to ask native speakers to slow down, role plays on the telephone and more.
Practice With a Role Play
Begin by learning important telephone English with the dialogue below. Here is a short telephone conversation with some of the key phrases:
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?
Peter: Yes, Could you ask him to call me at ... I need to talk to him about the Nuovo line, it's urgent.
Frank: Could you repeat the number please?
Peter: Yes, that's ..., and this is Peter Jackson.
Frank: Thank you Mr. Jackson, I'll make sure Bob gets this asap.
Peter: Thanks, bye.
Frank: Bye.

As you can see, the language is rather informal and there are some important differences from face-to-face conversational English.

Use polite questions with ‘may’ and ‘could’
When you want to speak to a specific person, ask to speak to him or her with a polite question starting with ‘may’ or ‘could’. For example “May I speak to Rachel Smith, please?” sounds a lot better than “I want to speak to Rachel Smith”. Use polite questions when you are talking about the reason for your call, too. For example, if you are calling a hotel, you can say “Could I talk to someone about booking a room, please?”.

Holding and transferring

When people ask you to ‘hold’ during a call, they just mean ‘wait’. When they are ready to the connect you to the person you want to speak to, they will use the word ‘transfer’ or ‘put you through’ to talk about connecting your call to that person. For example “Please hold… Ok, I’ll put you through to Rachel Smith”.

Leaving a message

There are two ways to leave a message when someone is not available to speak: you can record a voicemail message or have someone write down a message. The technique is the same for both. Make sure to clearly state your name, the reason for your call and a number that you would like the person to call if you want them to call you back.Asking the speaker to slow down or repeat something

Even native speakers have to ask people to repeat thing sometimes – especially on the phone. If there is a bad line or the sound is not clear, it’s natural to ask the person on the other end to repeat what he or she has said. Don’t be afraid to ask people to slow down by saying, “Sorry, I’m having a little trouble hearing. Could you slow down a little?” or “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. Could you repeat it, please?”.

Write it down

When you’re nervous, it’s easy to forget what you wanted to say. Avoid this problem by making a note of the key points you wanted to cover in the telephone conversation. If there are any tricky words that you often forget, make a note of them so that you can feel confident about using them during the phonecall. Next to any questions in your notes, leave a space for an answer so you can make a note of it while you are speaking and don’t forget it later.
Remember, most telephone calls use fairly simple language because for more complex topics people generally prefer to have a meeting or put the information in an email. Start confidently, remember your common telephone phrases, have your notes ready and ask people to slow down / repeat if needed and you’ll never need to be afraid of using the phone in English again.