English is a widely used language in today’s globalized world and it is used to communicate in different areas of life including work, travel, or personal communication. One area where English fluency is particularly important is on the telephone. Effective communication is key to getting your message across on the telephone. There are many transactions happening over the telephone including making business calls, booking travel arrangements, or just catching up with friends or family members.
However, despite English being used all over the globe, there are still those who are not native English speakers. With that, communicating on the phone can be challenging for them, especially when they are talking with people who have a different accent and communication style. This is why this article should come in handy as it offers some useful strategies for improving telephone English skills. This should help you learn how to be more confident and communicate effectively over the telephone using the English language.
Do not be afraid to ask the other person to talk more slowly if needed.
There are times when a person is unable to clearly understand the other person the line. This may be because the person may be speaking too fast and the one listening is still new to the English language. With that, to better understand what the other person is saying, one should politely ask them to talk slower if needed. One can say, “Can you slow down please?” if one wants them to talk slower. They could also use the phrase, “Could you speak up please?” if they cannot clearly hear what the other person is saying. If one is unsure of what the other person just said, they could use the phrase, “Could you repeat that please?”
Prepare for the call.
People who are about to be engaged in a call can prepare for it. One can plan for this, especially if they know what they will be talking about. Cue cards can help them get their message across, and trying to learn some of the basic sentences used would also be a big help. A person can also choose to not just write these sentences or phrases down, but also practice saying them out loud.
Listen well.
One thing that most people do not realize is that communication means not just sending the message but also receiving messages. This is also true with telephone conversations. One should be prepared not just how to talk but also be prepared to listen and listen well.
Smile.
Yes, that is right. Smile during a telephone call. This helps you get the message across and much better. While some may say that the other person on the end does not see a smile, they can actually hear it. It makes a person sound more positive and more polite, which helps make the conversation better.
These tips can help a person converse better using the English language during a telephone call. Putting these into practice can go a long way. Getting formal courses on the English language from Golders Green College would also be a big help.
