CATEGORY: BUSINESS

GROUP: 2. TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATION

Topic: 1. Phone Conversations 1
Introduction:
Phone calls are an essential part of day-to-day business life. At work, you need to
make calls, receive calls, leave messages, and other tasks.

Dialogue:
The following short dialogues provide examples of the different kinds of phone calls
someone might make at a business.

Phone call: General

(phone rings)
Nancy: 1Tech Laboratories. This is Nancy speaking.
Bob: Nancy, hi. This is Bob from Grand Technical Products. Im calling in regards to
the microscope order we placed a few days ago.
Nancy: OK. Let me look that up for you. Do you have an order number?
Bob: Yes. Its 151-58-9984.
Nancy: All right. I see you placed an order for 100 of the basic microscope kits.
Bob: Thats right. But, weve gotten some new requests for those and I was wondering
if we could add 100 more to the order?
Nancy: Lets see. The order hasnt shipped out yet, so that should be OK. Ill add 100
more to the invoice.

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Bob: Great. Thank you.

Nancy: Sure. Youre new total will be $4322. Since youve ordered 200 now, youve
actually saved 10% on the individual price by ordering in bulk.
Bob: Oh, thats good news.
Nancy: You should receive those in about 15 days.
Bob: Thanks, Nancy.
Nancy: Youre welcome. Good-bye.

Phone call: Leaving a Message

(phone rings)
Answering machine: Hi. Youve reached Patrice William at Walter Financial Group. Im
either away from my desk or on another line at the moment. Please leave your
name, number, and a message and Ill return your call as soon as possible.
Thank you.
Larry: Hi Patrice. This is Larry from Conway Advertising. Im missing a few pages of
the fax you sent yesterday. Could you call me back when you get a chance? My
number is 850-698-5544. Thanks.

(phone rings)
Answering machine: Hi. Youve reached the desk of Larry Conway. Please leave a
message and Ill get back to you as soon as I can.
Patrice: Hey Larry. This is Patrice from Walter Financial Group returning your call. Im
sorry the fax didnt go through. Ill be in the office today until 4:30. Feel free to
try me on my cell after that. The number is 850-164-8852. Give me a ring
anytime. Bye.

Phone call: Wrong Number

Copyright 2007 English 1 on 1 Corp. All rights reserved. No reproduction without expressed written permission of English 1 on 1.

(phone rings)
Receptionist: Lewis & Associates. Can I help you?
Kim: Hi. Can I speak with Ken Rogers, please?
Receptionist: Who are you trying to reach?
Kim: Ken Rogers.
Receptionist: Im sorry. You have the wrong number.
Kim: Is this 252-6634?
Receptionist: No, its 252-6635.
Kim: Oh, my apologies. I must have misdialed.
Receptionist: No problem.

Phone call: Appointment

(phone rings)
Receptionist: Suzanne Jenkins office.
Carol: Hi. Could I speak to Ms. Jenkin please?
Receptionist: May I ask what your call is regarding?
Carol: I need to make an appointment with her.
Receptionist: OK. I keep her calendar. I can do that for you.
Carol: Oh, all right. Id like to meet with her next week about a project Im working on
for her.
Receptionist: Shes free on Monday at 10 a.m. Does that work for you?
Carol: Sure. Thats fine. My name is Carol Whitley.
Receptionist: And your phone number?

Copyright 2007 English 1 on 1 Corp. All rights reserved. No reproduction without expressed written permission of English 1 on 1.

Carol: Its 652-854-6210

Receptionist: OK. Ive got you down for 10 a.m. on Monday the 23rd.
Carol: Thank you.
Receptionist: Bye.

Vocabulary:
in regards: about
placed: made
invoice: a list of items to be shipped, including price and description
in bulk: in large quantities
line: phone line
a ring: a call
misdialed: dialed incorrectly
down: scheduled

Discussion Questions:
1. Do you prefer to use phones or email to do business? Why?
-I like to use both. Email is quick and convenient and you can clearly write
everything you want the other person to know. Sometimes though, I like to reach
someone on the phone so I can talk about something and see how they feel at
the time of our conversation.
2. Have you ever dialed a wrong number? What happened?
-Sure, Ive dialed a wrong number lots of times. I feel kind of silly and surprised
when it happens. Usually, people are nice and just let you know youve got the
wrong number.
3. What information should you leave in a message on the phone?
-When leaving a message you should leave your name, phone number, when
you called, and why youre calling on the machine. This gives the person youre
calling all the info they need.
4. Is talking on the phone hard in a second language? Why?
-Yes. I think its very hard. Its much harder to communicate in a second
language when you cant see the person and see their expressions and gestures.
The phone line often makes it more difficult to hear the speaker as well.
5. What would you do if you left someone a message and they didnt call you back?
-If a long time had passed and someone didnt call me back I would probably call
them again. Id leave a second message if they didnt answer. I would want to

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check that they did receive my first message and remind them in case they forgot
I had called.
6. Do you like talking on the phone? Why or why not?
-Not really. I prefer to talk to someone in person. If its something quick, then the
phone is fine. But, if I want to have a long conversation with someone I prefer in
person. Its easier to talk and understand each other that way.
7. Do you schedule your own calendar at work or does someone do it for you?
-I do both. Occasionally, I schedule my own appointments with colleagues.
However, I meet a lot with students because I work at a university. The students
must contact our receptionist and she makes my appointments for me.
8. Have you ever had a conference call at work?
-Yes, I have. Often at work we needed to have a meeting or conversation with
people who did not work in our city. To communicate with many people at once
who didnt work together, we used a conference call.
9. Is it common to get a company cell phone in your country?
-I dont think so. I never got one. I guess some big companies provide company
cell phones for employees who need to talk with clients during non-business
hours.
10. Do you use a hands free headset at work? What are the advantages of these?
-No, I never did. I think hands free headsets are very useful though. They are
very comfortable for people who spend a lot of time on the phone. And they free
up your hands so you can do other tasks while talking on the phone.

Copyright 2007 English 1 on 1 Corp. All rights reserved. No reproduction without expressed written permission of English 1 on 1.