Telephone English

Learning how to communicate well on the telephone is one of the top priorities for many students who need to use English at work. Learning the common phrases that are used on the telephone helps students know what to expect. However, what students often need most is practice, practice, and more practice. While helpful, practicing a role-play in the classroom is not always the best way to improve telephoning skills. Telephoning requires special skills as there are a number of difficulties that arise when telephoning that are specific to telephoning. The first and foremost difficulty is not being able to see the person you are communicating with. This lack of visual communication often makes students, who can communicate quite successfully in other situations, nervous and thereby hinders their communicative abilities. Add to this the typical hectic pace of business communication, and you have a particularly difficult situation.

This feature includes a number of ingredients to improve telephoning skills. Included you will find specific telephoning phrases, telephoning techniques to improve confidence when telephoning and telephoning practice exercises for use with your colleagues or in the classroom.

Follow the links to the following information and exercises:

• Telephone English: Dialogue and Appropriate Vocabulary
• Telephone English: Leaving a Message on an Answering Machine
• How to Telephone: Tips and Tricks to Make Sure a Native English Speaker Slows Down!
• Practical Exercises: Exercises to Improve Your Telephoning Skills
• Role Plays: Role Play Dialogue Cues to Practice Telephoning with Friends
• Teaching Telephone English: Lesson Plan

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