- Speak slowly and clearly
Listening to someone speaking in a second language
over the telephone can be very challenging because
you cannot see the person you are trying to hear.
However, it may be even more difficult for the
person you are talking with to understand you. You
may not realize that your pronunciation isn't clear
because your teacher and fellow students know and
understand you. Pay special attention to your weak
areas (such as "r's" and "l's" or "b's" and "v's")
when you are on the phone. If you are nervous about
using the phone in English, you may notice yourself
speaking very quickly. Practise or write down what
you are going to say and take a few deep breaths
before you make a phone call.
- Make sure you understand the other speaker
Don't pretend to understand everything you hear over
the telephone. Even native speakers ask each other
to repeat and confirm information from time to time.
This is especially important if you are taking a
message for someone else. Learn the appropriate
expressions that English speakers use when they
don't hear something properly. Don't be afraid to
remind the person to slow down more than once. Keep
your telephone in an area that is away from other
noise distractions such as a radio or television.
- Practise with a friend
Ask another student to practise talking on the phone
with you. You might choose one night a week and take
turns phoning each other at a certain time. Try to
talk for at least fifteen minutes. You can talk
socially, or role play different scenarios in a
business environment. If you don't have access to a
telephone, you can practise by setting two chairs up
back to back. The most important thing about
practising telephone English is that you aren't able
to see each other's mouths. It is amazing how much
people lip-read without realizing.
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- Use businesses and recordings
There are many ways to get free telephone English
practice. After business hours, you can call and
listen to recorded messages. Write down what you
hear the first time, and then call back and check if
your notes are accurate. Use the phone in your
everyday life. Call for a pizza delivery instead of
going out to eat. Call a salon to book a hair
appointment. You can even phone the movie theatre to
ask for the listings instead of using the newspaper.
Some large cities have free recordings you can call
for information such as your daily horoscope or the
weather. (Make sure that you aren't going to get
charged for these numbers first.) Some products have
free phone numbers on the packaging that you can
call for information. Think of a question you might
want to ask and call the free number! For example,
call the number on the back of the cereal box and
ask for coupons. You will have to give your name and
address. Make sure you have a pen handy so that you
can repeat the information and check your
comprehension.
- Learn telephone etiquette (manners)
The way that you speak to your best friend on the
phone is very different to the way you should speak
to someone in a business setting. Many ESL speakers
make the mistake of being too direct on the
telephone. It is possible that the person on the
other line will think that you are being rude on
purpose if you don't use formal language in certain
situations. Sometimes just one word such as "could"
or "may" is necessary in order to sound polite. You
should use the same modals you would use in a formal
"face-to-face" situation. Take the time to learn how
to answer the phone and say goodbye in a polite
manner, as well as all the various ways one can
start and end a conversation casually.
- Practise dates and numbers
It only
takes a short time to memorize
English Phonetic Spelling, but it is something
that you will be able to use in any country. You
should also practise saying dates and numbers aloud.
You and a friend can write out a list of dates and
numbers and take turns reading them over the phone
to each other. Record what you hear. Swap papers the
next day and check your answers. Click
here
to learn more about numbers.
Practice 1: Making an
Appointment >> |