TELEPHONING

(2)
Today’s main topics

Taking and Leaving

Messages Making and Changing Arrangements

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Asking for and giving

Repetition
Asking for and Giving Repetition
◦ If you ask for repetition, use these simple phrases below:
1. Excuse me? (said like a question)
2. Pardon me? (rising intonation)
3. What did you say (your name was)?
4. Did you say . . . ?
5. Can you repeat that?
6. Could you say that again please?
7. What was that again?
8. Sorry, I didn’t catch that
9. Could you speak up please?
10. Could you speak a little louder?
Asking for and Giving Repetition
1. Another way to be sure you’ve understood what the other person is saying is to repeat what you heard using your own words.
2. Restating the other person’s idea is a great way to show that you were listening carefully.
3. It also helps the other person find a way to simplify or clarify what he or she said if you’ve misheard or misunderstood a key
point.
4. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes the person speaking needs to rethink what he said and say it again more clearly!
◦ Let me see if I understood correctly.
• Can I just check what I got from that?
• I’d just like to confirm that I got that right.
• My impression of what you said was…  Is that what you meant?
• So what you are saying is… Does that sound right?
• You mean that we should (do X action and Y action). Is that right?
• Do I understand you to mean…
Leaving Messages
1. Introduction: Hello my name is…., Hello, I am…,
2. State the time and the reason for your calling: It's ten in the morning. I'm phoning
(calling, ringing) to find out if ... / to see if ... / to let you know that ... / to tell you
that ...
3. Make a request: Could you call (ring, telephone) me back? / Would you mind ... ?
4. Leave your telephone number: My number is... / You can reach me at .... / Call me at
...
5. Finish: Thanks a lot, bye. / I'll talk to you later, bye.

Message Example 1
•Telephone: (Ring... Ring... Ring...) Hello, this is Tom. I'm
afraid I'm not in at the moment. Please leave a message after
the beep... (beep)
•Ken: Hello Tom, this is Ken. It's about noon and I'm calling
to see if you would like to go to the Mets game on Friday.
Could you call me back? You can reach me at 367-8925 until
five this afternoon. I'll talk to you later, bye.
Taking Messages

1. Make a good first impression: Chris Matthew’s office, this is Sam, how can I help
you? Use a friendly tone, but keep it professional. Too much small talk wastes
everyone’s time. For example, "Chris is unavailable right now. But if you briefly tell
me the purpose of the call, I can give him a message."

2. Take an Accurate Message: You can start by asking for the person's name, their call
back number, and the name of the business. Once you have all that information, ask
for the specific message.  Say something like, "If you'd like Chris to call you back,
you'll need to provide a brief message." 
3. Common Phone Message Pitfalls
• “He’s already got my number.”  Respond by saying “I’d like to write it down for him because sometimes
he doesn't have access to his contact info and this makes it much more efficient for him.”  It turns out that
when you make a request and you include the word "because" you are more likely to get compliance with the
request. 

• “He knows what this is about.”  If the person responds to your request for a message by saying, "He knows
what this is about." Then I suggest asking one more time. “The reason I ask is because Chris asked me to
include a short purpose for every call so he can efficiently respond to your message. Would you help Chris
by leaving a very brief message?” Then pause.  And wait. Pausing should cause the other person to speak.  In
addition, again, you've used the magic word "because" and you've also used one more powerful trigger: you
asked for the callers help.  It's unlikely you will still get resistance from a legitimate caller. If you still get
resistance even after this second request, you can say the following, "Of course, I'll pass your information
along. Oh, and just to let you know, without a message, he may not call you back." 

• “This is a private matter.”  Occasionally, there are messages that can’t be left with someone else. In this
case, you should say, "If this is a private matter, you may want to use the alternative contact information he
provided you or perhaps just leave a very, very brief, message with me that only he would understand."
Making Arrangements
Here are some typical questions used for making arrangements:
• Are you free next Tuesday afternoon?
• What time would you like to meet?
• When would be convenient for you?
• Could you please let me know?

Expressions of time
◦ Use on with days: Could we meet on Monday?
◦ Use in with months, years and other expressions: I'm going to visit my grandparents in October.
◦ Use at with times and other expressions: Could you please call me at 3pm?
◦ Use next to refer to future times: I hope we can meet again next week.
◦ Use when to start a future time clause: Let's meet again when it is convenient.
Changing Arrangements
Here is how to make changes to an arrangement you have already made.
• You know we had agreed to meet on the 15th? Well, I’m really sorry. I can’t make it after all. Some urgent
business has come up. Can we fix another date?
• Some urgent business has suddenly cropped up and I won’t be able to meet you tomorrow. Can we fix another
time?
◦ Can we reschedule?
ASSIGNMENT
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Click icon to add picture

Your assignment
is:
1. Make a written conversation
about taking a message, leaving a
message, making arrangements,
and changing arrangements.
2. Use a proper grammar and put
some pictures or illustrasions
3. DO NOT CHEAT ON THE
INTERNET unless you are
planning to fail in this
coursework
4. Submit on e-learning by next
week on pdf form