TELEPHONE ENGLISH | How To Sound Professional On The Phone | Business English Lesson

Hello everyone and welcome to English like a native with me, Anna English

In today's lesson we're going to be learning all about...

Excuse me, sorry

Hello

That's right, we're doing a lesson all about

Telephone English

Talking on the phone can be very stressful, and I'm going to let you into a little secret

I used to have a fear of answering the phone

and even now I get very nervous when I have to speak to someone on the telephone

And it's made even worse when English is not your first language

The reason they're talking on the telephone is so stressful is because you're removing

important communication elements such as body language and lip-reading

All you have to rely on is your ear and your voice

But in many jobs talking on the phone is a necessity and you require those skills

So, let's talk about telephone business English

And if after this video you feel you need a more comprehensive guide

than I do have an ebook available on my website as well

and that is available via the link in the description box below

So firstly let's look at answering the phone

You cannot simply in a work environment answer the phone by saying hello

Because the person on the other end will think that perhaps they've dialed the wrong number

So there are a few different ways in which you might answer the phone in a work environment

But here are a few options. You could answer simply by saying the company name

Jitterbug Limited

Or you could answer by saying the company name and then your own name

Hello, jitterbug limited, Anna's speaking

Or you could answer by saying the company name, your own name and then how may I help you

Hello, jitterbug limited, Anna's speaking how may I help?

If you're the person making the call then always start off by saying hello

And then it's always good to introduce yourself now you can choose whether you want to just introduce your name

or you could and it's probably better to introduce your name and where you are calling from?

Whether you are a customer, or if you're calling from another company

It's always good to let them know who they're dealing with in the very early stages

And always try to be clear and precise when giving this information

But don't be surprised if you're asked to repeat this information later in the call

So here are some examples

Hello, this is Anna. I'm just calling because...

Hello, this is Anna speaking. I'm just calling because...

Hello, this is Anna speaking calling from the post office. I'm just calling because...

Some people feel it is more professional to introduce yourself with your full name

However this is a little old-fashioned

But it does depend on the industry in which you work for example if you work for a law firm

then that definitely needs a more formal approach

So in a law firm you would use your full name.

However in a trendy up-to-date design company then it would be a little bit old-fashioned

to be using your full name on the phone

I'm much better to go for the friendly approach of just saying hello, my name's Anna

If I'm making the call and there's someone I specifically want to speak to

or there's a certain Department I want to be put through to

Then I'm going to first speak to the receptionist and ask them to connect me to the right person

Some of the phrases I might use are

Hello, could I speak to Mr. X please

Hello, is it Mr. X in today?

Oh Hello, can you put me through to Mr. X please?

Hello, can I have extension 123 please?

Oh. If you've been given a special extension number to reach a certain person

then you'll either be asked to dial the extension number in

or you'll be asked by a receptionist what extension you want

and then you just quote the extension number for them to put you through

Thank you

But if you don't know exactly who it is you need to speak to

You just know you need to speak to the marketing manager or the editor or

somebody in the finance department for example, then you'd simply say

May I speak to someone in the finance department, please?

Can you put me through to the finance department, please?

Hello is it possible to speak to the finance manager, please?

If the person you want to speak to is not available

Then you will probably be given the option to leave a message

Now the information that you'll be expected to leave in a message is as follows

Your name, the company you're calling from, a brief description as to why you're calling

A call to action. So tell them that you would like them to call you back or

Let them know that you will be calling this afternoon

and they should expect your call or ask them to drop you an email perhaps

And then finally a contact telephone number or email address

This is really important. If they don't know how to contact you

then they won't be able to get back in touch with you

Hello, it's Anna here from English like a native. I just wanted to confirm

What time you'd like your lesson tomorrow?

If you could drop me an email to confirm what time is suitable for you then that would be fantastic

My email address is [email protected]

Alright, I will look forward to hearing from you. Bye

Whether you are making the call or receiving the call, if you have any trouble understanding what the other person is saying

Then don't panic. You could say one of the following lines

I'm sorry could you repeat that please?

Would you mind spelling that out for me?

Would you mind speaking slowly for me, please?

I'm afraid. This is a very bad line. Could you speak up?

Now I'm going to give you eight of the most common telephone phrasal verbs

Number one hold on

If you're being asked to hold on then it means wait for a moment, don't do anything

Don't end the call don't go away from the phone. Just wait, hold on

Number two hang on

Hang on is exactly the same as hold on. It's just slightly less formal. Hang on a second

Number three

Put through. To be put through or to put somebody through means that you are going to connect to the call

Hang on a moment. I'll put you through

Number four

Get through. If you get through it means you have been successfully connected

If you can't get through it means you've tried to call but you can't connect with anyone

Perhaps nobody is answering the phone or perhaps the phone line is busy

I just can't get through

Number five hang up

If you hang up then you end the call so I could say

He just hung up on me I can't believe it

or I might say wait don't hang up. I think he's just walked in the office now. I'll put you through

Number six Call back

If you call someone back, It means that you are returning their call so you might ask for a call back

Hello. Could you call me back in five minutes? I'm very busy right now

Number seven. Pick up

To pick up means to answer the call. So if the phone is ringing. I might say to you. Could you pick that up?

Could you pick up the phone?

Did you pick up the call?

And finally number eight get off

If you get off then you get off the call, you get off the phone, you end the conversation

So I must get off the phone. I'm so sorry. I've got to get off now. Bye

And on that note I too must get off but before I leave, don't forget to give this video a thumb up if you enjoyed it

If you do want a more comprehensive guide to business telephone English then do remember

There's a link to the e-book down in the description box below

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Have a wonderful day, take care and goodbye