3 Telephoning

1 Phone your company’s bank. Ask if you can make an appointment to speak to someone on Friday

✁
morning.
..................................................................................................................................

2 Phone ‘The Paper House’. Order 2000 packs of A4 paper, code WE234.
✁
..................................................................................................................................

3 Phone your credit card company. Ask how you can cancel your card.
✁
..................................................................................................................................

4 Phone your company’s computer department. Ask them why there is no internet connection today.
✁
..................................................................................................................................

5 Phone ‘Racer Cars’ showroom. Ask if you can arrange a test drive of the new XVXX sports car.
✁
..................................................................................................................................

6 Phone your local ‘Binko’ supermarket. Explain that you think you lost your purse at the shop today.
✁
..................................................................................................................................
7 Phone the ABH Electronics superstore. Explain that the DVD system you bought today doesn’t

✁ work.
..................................................................................................................................
8 Phone the OfficeMaker stationery company. Complain that your order for printer supplies is 5 days

✁ overdue.
..................................................................................................................................

9 Phone your mobile phone company. Complain that you haven’t been able to make any calls today.
✁
..................................................................................................................................

10 Phone your travel agent. Arrange a flight to Ireland and a hotel in Dublin, Ireland for Saturday night.
✁
..................................................................................................................................
11 Phone your machine-parts supplier. Order the following replacement parts: (1) 7000 of part no.

✁
XT560, (2) 3500 of part no. RRFIE34, (3) 200 of part no. LRJG2D.
..................................................................................................................................
12 Phone the local bookshop ‘Wordworld’. Ask if they have a copy of ‘Making Better Phonecalls’ by

✁
Marion Mathers. If it’s in stock, order 20 copies.
..................................................................................................................................

13 Phone your company’s stationery supplier. Order 160 large files – code AIE330.
✁
..................................................................................................................................
14 Phone your marketing department and try to arrange a meeting for this afternoon.
✁
..................................................................................................................................
15 Phone your catering suppliers. Order 2000 sets of disposable cutlery, code PO97GJ.

Photocopiable Learning Teaching Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2011. This page may be photocopied for use in class.

Intermediate Teachers Notes.indd 6 11/16/10 1:04 PM

 3 Telephoning
Activity
Pairwork. Roleplays.

Focus
Telephoning.

Preparation
Photocopy one worksheet for every 15 students. Cut them
up into separate role cards.

Procedure
• Explain that students will do a number of very short
roleplay phone calls. Hand out the cards and take one for
yourself. Ask all students to take a piece of paper and a
pen, stand up and find a partner.
• In each pair there are two roleplays. One student should
first ‘phone’ their partner, following instructions on their
card. If the speaker makes an ‘order’ during the phone
call, the listener must write down the details. When the
conversation has finished, their partner then phones them,
following instructions on their role card. It may help to
demonstrate the activity first by doing it with a student
partner. NB: The person receiving the call must improvise.
• When pairs have finished their roleplays, each student
swaps their role card with their partner’s. They now find a
new partner and do a new roleplay using their new cards.
• The roleplays can continue for as long as you want. When
each pair finishes, they change cards and move on (so
students will receive a number of different problems to
deal with). If students receive a card they have already
had, they should repeat the roleplay with their new
partner (and try to do it better than before!).

Intermediate Teachers Notes.indd 7 11/16/10 1:04 PM