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Telephone English Tips
Do you want to improve your telephone English skills? Here are some useful tips:
• Listen to all AudioEnglish.org Telephone English resources.
• Repeat the phrases after the native speakers (repeat each phrase three times). This will improve your confidence when telephoning!
• Learn by heart the common phrases that are used on the telephone. This way, you'll know both what to expect and what to say on the phone.
• 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.
• Take the time to learn what to say when you don't hear something properly.
• Practise saying dates and numbers aloud.
• Memorize English Phonetic Spelling. Practise spelling your name, your e-mail address, your street address, your company's name and so on.
• Do the role-play exercises. Practice each role-play exercise three times. Practice, practice, practice. Practice makes perfect!
• Practise talking on the phone in English with a friend.
• Before you make a phone call, practise or write down what you are going to say and take a few deep breaths.
• After business hours, call an English company's answering machine and listen to recorded messages. Write down what you hear the first time, and then call back and check if your notes are accurate. This is just one of the many ways you can get free telephone English practice!
• On the telephone, speak slowly and clearly.
• If the other speaks too fast, ask him/her to slow down.
• Don't pretend to understand everything you hear over the telephone. If you didn't understand, ask the other person to repeat, and confirm information from time to time.
• Use formal language when you speak to someone on the phone in a business setting. Don't be too direct on the telephone.
• If the phone rings in English, don't be afraid to answer it! The fear of talking on the phone in English will disappear if you practise often.
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