I. What you would say in these situations

Example: You are the manager. The phone rings and you pick it up. The caller asks “Is that the manager?” What do you say?

a. Your female colleague is off work as she has just had a baby. What do you say to the caller who wants to speak to her?

b. You are in a meeting and you receive a call on your mobile phone. You cannot speak. What do you say?

c. Leave a message on your colleague’s voicemail. Say that you called and ask him or her to call back when she or he gets the message.

d. You don’t catch the caller’s name. Ask him to spell it.

e. A colleague phones to let you know her hotel number but you can’t hear her very well. You are not sure whether it is fifteen or fifty. What do you say?

II. Practice telephone conversations with your partner:

a.You telephone and ask to speak to John. He is out.

You do not want to leave a message but will call back later.

b. You telephone your partner. Your partner answers the phone. You want to know if he is doing anything on Saturday morning because you would like him to come swimming with you. Say when and where to meet.

c. A client calls your office and asks to speak to one of your colleagues. Your colleague is not in the office.

d. You are late for a meeting with a client. The client is waiting for you in your office.

Lesson 2. Making telephone calls