How to Master Telephone Skills in English in 20 Hours of Study

Making a telephone call in a foreign language can be scary for any of us. We don't have any visual context to guide us, and we rely totally on our language skills -or that of the other person. Does the thought of making a call in English leave you sweating nervously?

Well, you are not alone, so don't worry! There's lots you can do to help get your message across clearly and minimize the possibility of misunderstanding. What's more, you can master telephone skills in English in as little as 20 academic hours! That's just ten lessons!

Read on for a few top tips to get you started.

1. Use your voice to maximum effect

Always remember when speaking on the telephone, you are your voice! Don't talk too fast and try to pronounce your words clearly. Don't worry about your accent; it's part of your identity, but enunciate your vowels and try to speak in a positive and friendly voice.

2. Plan your call

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! You should always plan your call in advance and think about what you hope to achieve. Plan the phrases you need to use in advance and try to anticipate the other person's answers. Most of your conversation will consist of standard telephone phrases we use again and again, from your greeting to stating the purpose of your call, to asking to speak to someone (We'll have a closer look at some phrases below).

3. Key phrases

You can use key phrases at just about every stage of your telephone call, from start to finish. Knowing these phrases will make things much easier for you and will give your language better structure and meaning. Here are a few examples:

a) Asking to speak to someone

Could/can I speak to…?

Could/Can you put me through to…?

I'd like to speak to….

b) Stating the reason for your call

It's a good idea to always state the subject of your call. Let the listener know why you are calling, and it will be easier for you to get to the right person or place.

I'm calling about/regarding…

It's about…

c) Leaving/Taking messages

Taking and leaving messages is a skill that involves careful listening and dictating or note-taking, so you need to do this with care.

Could/Can you tell him/her that Mr. Smith called?

Could/Can you ask him/her to call me back?

d) Asking for clarification

Could/Can you speak more slowly?

Could/Can you speak up a bit, please?

Could/Can you repeat that please?

4. Practice, practice, practice!

As we say in English, 'practice makes perfect,' so try and practice or rehearse calls before you make them. You can go over the phrases you need before you start a call and anticipate responses, or even better, you can find someone to train your skills with (ideally, this would be a professional business English teacher).

There are far too many telephone situations to cover everything here (such as voicemail messages and teleconferences), and there are many more phrases to learn, but these tips should get you started. There is a lot of material out there on the internet, so start googling, do some research, and you can brush up on your telephone skills for free. Alternatively, find yourself a professional school and teacher to help you out, it's possible to learn most telephone skills in as little as 20 hours of study.

For more information on Telephone courses in English, contact Anthony Kent directly (director@bblc.ru)