This document provides information and guidelines about proper telephone etiquette and skills. It includes questions about a person's phone usage. It then lists formal and informal phrases used in phone conversations in English. The document also provides role-playing scenarios to practice asking for a message to be left, making a dinner reservation, and scheduling a doctor's appointment over the phone. The goal is to help people improve their telephone communication skills.

1. By Karin Inge OSTERMANN

2. Let’s talk about your PHONE use
• How often do you use the phone?
• What type of phone do you use ?
(mobile / land-line /on-line )
• Who calls you the most?
• Who do you call the most?
• What functions do you perform on your phone?
• What is the average time spent on each call?
• How long do you spend on the phone daily?
• How long have you lasted without your phone?

3. Key words:
“It’s……… speaking”
“Hold the line, please”.
“I’ll call back”
“Can I leave / take a
message”
“I’ll put you through”

4. Formal:
Good morning. This is Sydney Transport.
May I help you?
Good afternoon. Hotel Hilton.
This is John Axe speaking.
Informal:
Hello. Smith residence.

5. Formal:
May I have your name, please?
May I ask who's calling, please?
Informal:
Who's calling, please?
Who's speaking, please?

6. Formal:
Who would you like to speak with?
Informal:
Who do you want to talk [speak] to?

7. Formal:
Could I ask what this is in connection with, please?
May I ask what this is about, please?
Informal:
Can you tell me
what’s it about?

8. Formal: …………………… speaking
Informal: It’s me.

9. • I'm driving at the moment.
• Can I call you back in …………. minutes?
• I can’t speak at the moment. Can I get back to
you later?

10. Asking the caller to wait
Formal:
Could you please
hold the line for a
moment?
Informal:
Hang on a second.

11. • Could you speak more slowly?
• Excuse me, would you mind repeating it,
please?
• Could you please spell that for me?

12. • You said …………………., didn't you?
• O.K. Let me read that back to you.
• Could you send me an email or a text
message confirming these details?

13. Formal:
I'm sorry, Mr. Axe is unavailable
at the moment. Would you like
to leave a message?
Informal: Sorry they’re not here,
Can I take a message?

14. • Who’s speaking? What’s your phone number?
• What’s the message?
• “please call/ will call back/ returned your
call”

15. Formal:
Thank you for your call.
(if they say “ Thank you for
your help”, you reply “You’re
welcome”)
Goodbye
Informal:
Thanks for calling. Bye

16. Telephone Skills
Role-plays: 1
• A: You are calling your friend Ken. You want to
invite him to a party this Friday.
• B: You answer the phone. The person on the
other end of the line wants to speak to Ken.
Offer to take a message – you need to ask for
their name, address, date and time.

17. Role play 2
• A: You want to reserve a table for five at a
restaurant called the Slanted Door. Call the
restaurant and make a reservation for 8:00
this Saturday.
• B: You work at a restaurant called the Slanted
Door. Answer the phone. (The restaurant is
completely booked for Friday and Saturday
nights this week.)

18. Role play 3
• A: You need to make a doctor's appointment
because you hurt your back while you were
cleaning the house. Call the doctor's office
and make the appointment.
• B: You work in a doctor's office answering the
phones.

19. “Happy phone calls!!”