I don’t want to sugar coat it – telephone calls in English can be quite scary! Especially, when you’re connecting with someone over the phone professionally like attending interviews, scheduling client meetings, or interacting with your boss!
You might already be nervous thinking of the right way to speak English. The telephone just adds to the pressure – with no face-to-face conversations happening, you cannot rely on the body language of the other person to pick up subtle clues. You don’t want your nervousness to come across as rude and impolite.
And, then there’s the added stress about using the right phrases. You cannot make the blunder of using informal language in professional conversations. Worry not! I’ve got your back. In this post, I help you learn how to use the right English phrases and sound like a fluent native speaker in your phone conversations.
You can use these phrases in your day-to-day conversations as well. So, I highly recommend that you memorize and practise them to speak better English over the phone.
When you do not know who is calling, you can use these phrases to begin the conversation.
If you know who is calling, you can begin the conversation by greeting the person. The greeting you use depends on your relationship with the caller. If it’s your friend or colleague, you can use an informal greeting. On the other hand, if it’s a boss, interviewer or an acquaintance, go with formal conversational phrases.
If you are calling on behalf of a business or company, you need to introduce yourself before you begin the conversation.
During the conversation, you might have to put the caller on hold for a few minutes, while you pull up the required details. Here are a few phrases you can use in this situation:
Business English speaking tip: If you’re feeling nervous about the call, you can use these phrases to calm yourself and collect your thoughts before getting back to the conversation. These phrases buy you a few minutes to prepare yourself.
This scenario is more common in business conversations, especially when you’re working in the front office or reception. The caller might ask you to connect the call to another person in the office. You can use the following phrases to let the caller know what you’re doing:
If the person that the caller wants to connect with is unavailable, you can volunteer to take a message.
Sometimes the connection might be spotty, or you might be in a noisy environment making it difficult for you to grasp what the other person is saying. In such situations, you might have to ask the caller to repeat what they just said. Here’s how you can do it politely.
Sometimes the person you want to talk with might not be available. During this scenario, you can send a message or leave a voicemail asking the person to get back to you later. Here are a few phrases to use:
Ending a phone conversation is like closing a face-to-face conversation. You’ve got to make an impact and close with an appropriate greeting. Here are a few phrases to help you:
While telephone conversations might feel scary, there’s nothing to be intimidated. Most phone conversations use simple language, as more complex discussions are held via video calls or at face-to-face meetings. So, instead of getting stressed, practise these phrases, prepare notes for the call, and you’ll master the art of phone conversations quickly!
And remember the more you practise the more fluent you become. Enrol in a 1 to 1 English speaking course online and get conversing fluently and confidently like a native in a few months!
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