- •1. Look through the following text and be ready to discuss the key issues of it: Speaking on the phone
- •2. How well do you deal with the people on the phone? Answer the questions below for yourself, then compare your answers with your classmates:
- •3. Read and translate the text. Study the phrasal verbs in bold and give their Russian equivalents: Multi-word verbs
- •5. Do you remember how the alphabet letters should be pronounced? Study the alphabet chart and supply missing letters with the same sound as it:
- •6. Now practice pronouncing the following abbreviations. In each line, find the abbreviation that sounds different from the other three:
- •7. When spelling names or words over the telephone in English you may need the British telephone alphabet (list of easily distinguishable words, each representing a letter of the alphabet):
- •8. Spell the following names:
- •9. Practise spelling on the phone and phone number:
- •10. Exchange dictating phone numbers with your partner:
- •11. Study the following:
- •12. Fill in the blanks in the telephone talks using the phrases from the columns on the right:
- •Dialogue 2
- •Dialogue 3
- •Dialogue 4
- •Dialogue 5
- •13. Match the following sentences according to the meaning. In some cases there may be more than one match:
- •14. Work in pairs. A) Use the following flow chart to make dialogues that fit your own situations:
- •16. Practice making telephone talks. First, imagine and play the situation before, then the phone call according to the message:
- •17. Cultural issues. Look through the following text and be ready to discuss the key issues of it:
- •Bad line on behavior
- •22. Give Russian equivalents to the following phrases and put them under corresponding headings:
- •23. Give English equivalents for these telephone phrases:
- •24. Translate into English: Телефонный разговор
- •Телефонный этикет
- •25. Work in pairs. What would these people say in the following circumstances?
16. Practice making telephone talks. First, imagine and play the situation before, then the phone call according to the message:
17. Cultural issues. Look through the following text and be ready to discuss the key issues of it:
Do you like using the phone?
What makes you angry on the phone?
What are the special problems of telephone communication compared to face-to-face communication?
Bad line on behavior
WHAT DRIVES YOU to lose your temper on the telephone? Being kept waiting, being connected to voice mail or being passed on to someone else are all common flashpoints. But what infuriates people most of all is talking to someone who sounds inattentive, unconcerned or insincere, according to a survey published today.
The study by Reed Employment Services, a recruitment company, found that nearly two-thirds of people feel that ‘phone rage’ people losing their temper on the telephone – has become more common over the past five years. More than half the respondents, who were from 536 organizations, said that they themselves had lost their tempers on the phone this year.
The reasons for this are threefold, according to Reed. People are much more likely to express anger over the phone, rather than in writing or face-to-face. Moreover, telephone usage has been rising steeply over recent years. Increasing numbers of transactions take place entirely by phone, from arranging insurance to paying bills.
In addition, people’s expectations have risen. Nearly three-quarters of respondents to the Reed survey said they are more confident that their problems can be solved over the telephone than they were five years ago. Companies are taking steps to improve their staff’s telephone answering techniques. The survey found that 70 percent of organisations require their staff to answer the telephone with a formal company greeting. In 43 per cent of organisations, staff has to give their own names when they answer the telephone.
But a third of organisations do not give any training, or they train only their receptionists. That may not be enough, the report says. As companies move towards ‘remote working’, the need for the right tone of voice extends to every level of the organisation.
(From the Financial Times)
18. Find the answers to these questions in the article:
What do people find most annoying on the phone?
What three reasons for the rise in phone rage are given? Do you agree?
Are telephone techniques improving?
What do you think is meant by remote working
Writing
19. Write an argument essay on this topic:
What are the special problems of telephone communication compared face-to-face communication?
20. Write an opinion essay:
How to improve employees’ telephone skills.
Business Correspondence
21. Taking a message
While your boss, Mr Stein, was out, Ms Jasna Krizanec from Adria Food Zagreb (Tel: +3851456 9987) telephoned to invite him to a presentation of her company’s new range of fruit juices. She told you where and when the presentations will be. She will call again to fix a time. Complete the message form, and ask your boss when he could go.
TELEPHONE MESSAGE
For:
While you were out:
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms ______Company:_________
Tel: telephoned.
Message:___________
T ranslation Challenge