7 Speaking Skills

Table of Contents
Unit Objectives
Introduction
Learning Outcomes
7.1 Interactive Communication
Self-Assessment Questions
7.2 Face-to-FaceIntroduction
7.2.1 Introducing Self
7.2.2 Meeting People, Exchanging Conversation and Saying Goodbye
7.2.3. Introducing People with Others

7.3 Telephonic Introduction

7.3.1 Picking and Answering a Telephone Call
7.3.2 Dealing with a Wrong Number
7.3.3 Asking for Someone
7.3.4 Taking and Leaving Messages
7.3.5 Enquiring for Someone on the Telephone
7.3.6 Making an Emergency Call for Help

7.4 Summary
7.5 Key Words
 Speaking Skills

UNIT OBJECTIVES
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Learn the concept of interactive communication and how to handle the face-to-
face introduction
 Discuss the ways to pick and answer the telephone at the time of telephonic
introduction
 Explain how to deal with the wrong number
 Make an enquiry for something on the telephone
 Discuss how to make an emergency call for help

INTRODUCTION
In the previous unit, you studied business meetings and ways of providing
information regarding meetings. In addition, the previous unit briefed about
drafting an e-mail and a notice. At last, the unit also discussed the essentials while
conducting meetings.

DPU
In business or any other profession, everyone wants to confidently express
themselves to others in English. For instance, a person from England visits your
office. You want to be able to assertively introduce yourself to him and exchange
more than just your name. You want to understand what he is saying and respond
appropriately. Similarly, when you are answering a telephone, you want to
comfortably talk to the other person on the line in English.

Such interactive communication is difficult to master. You need to practice a lot–

alone and with others in real life – to be a fluent speaker in the English language.
Therefore, it is important to know the concept of interactive communication so
that effective transfer of information takes place with no misunderstanding and
confusion.

The opening section of this unit gives an overview of the concept of interactive
communication and face-to-face introduction. The unit will help you understand
thewaystopickandanswerthetelephoneatthetimeofthetelephonicintroduction. The
latter section of the unit explains the ways to make an enquiry for something on
the telephone. At the end of the unit, how to make an emergency call for help is
discussed.
 Speaking Skills

Important
Information
7.1 INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION Due to variety
of skill in a
Interactive communication is defined as communication that enables a person to person,
start and participate effectively and easily in a discussion towards a successful interactive
outcome. This ability enables that person to develop a relationship and effectively communication
communicate with other people through conversation. To develop this ability, a is consideredan
intangible ability
person needs to have a wide variety of skills, such as: whichisdifficult
tomeasure.
 Suggesting something to others
Therefore, you
 Asking a question can develop
and improve
 Listening and linking the information provided this ability only
through continuous
 Collaborating and negotiating an outcome practice.

Your ability to converse fluently in English is the key to your future employability and
social life opportunities. So, start by practising face-to-face introduction and telephonic QuickTIP
introduction. Try imitating the
rhythms and
Gradually, improve your ability by collaborating with your friends and co-workers. intonations in
Some suggestions to improve this ability are: English.

 FindapartnerwithwhomyoucanpractiseyourEnglishspeakingskills:Partner
canbeafriend,familymember,neighbour,andanyonewithwhomyoucanspeak in
English. You can even join a volunteer organisation to practise your language
skills.Therearealsoprivatetutorsavailable,aswellasonlinetutorsonSkypewith
whom you can improve your English-speakingability.
 Improve your listening ability: Listening is critical for becoming a good linguist.
It helps you to understand the true meaning and feeling of the other person’s
spokenwords.Toimproveyourlisteningability,youcanendyoursentenceswith a
question to turn the conversation back to the other person. For instance, you are
talking to someone about a subject. He asks you a question. You answer the
questionandthensay,“Whatdoyouthink?”Thiswillhelpyoumaintaintheflow of
communication.
 Recordyourdiscussionpractice:PractisespeakinginEnglishaloneorwithothers and
record your practice sessions. This will enable you to evaluate your speaking
ability and correctgrammar.
BusinessEnglish

 Watch programmes and movies in English: Watch English programmes, news,

shows, and movies. If need be, you can even watch these programmes with
subtitles. At first, you may find them difficult to follow, but gradually you will
start understanding and even enjoying them. You will learn how native speakers
speak,pronouncewords,useidioms,etc.Youwillalsobeabletoidentifydifferent types
of accents, such as British, American, Australian,etc.
 Practise with music and movies: Music is very useful for learning intonation
pronunciation, vocabulary, phrases, and rhythm in English. So, listen to English
songs and sing along. As you start imitating the singer, you will learn how to
pronounce words and phrases like native English speakers. Movies are also very
useful to learn English vocabulary, idioms, pronunciation,etc.
 Read aloud: A beneficial but often ignored method to practise English speaking
istoreadoutaloud.Readaloudanystuffyouget,likenewspaperarticles,stories,
poems,etc.

7.2 FACE-TO-FACE INTRODUCTION

If you need to introduce yourself in front of a group of strangers, how would you
start? “Hello, my name is Rashmi.” And then what…? Do you mention where you are
from? Do you mention your age? Do you talk about your job?

Although self-introduction should have been the easiest taskbut you will be
surprised to know that there are a number of people who get nervous about it. First
of all, there is genuine shyness to break the ice in front of strangers. Even if you do
take the first step to introduce yourself, what should you say so that the other
person is interested? In your nervousness, you may speak the wrong English. That
fear of wrong impression or image creates a mental block in most of the people, so
they leave it to others to introduce them.

However, introducing yourself face-to-face can become easier. You just need to take
the right approach as suggested in the following sections.

7.2.1 INTRODUCINGSELF
Whenever you need to introduce yourself, just follow these four steps:
1. Start with your name and occupation: Say your first name first. This is the name
by which your friends call you.
BusinessEnglish

If you need to provide your last name, then say it after the first name.
 Non-example: “Hi, I’m Desai Rashmi…»
 Example: “Hi, I’m Rashmi Desai …»
If you are introducing yourself in a meeting, then speak your name and role in
the company. Avoid talking about how many people you manage or the number
of projects you are working for. These are the details that can be mentioned later
during the coffee or lunch break.
 Non-example: “Hi, I’m Rashmi Desai and I am a collections manager in the
revenue department. I manage a team of 10 people and currently in charge of
threeprojects.” Important
Information
 Example:“Hi,I’mRashmiDesaiandIamacollectionsmanagerintherevenue Small talk is
department.Thatmeansthatwhateverbillsthatarestuckwithourcustomers, my polite and friendly
team ensures that those invoices arepaid.” conversation
about trivial or
2. Providesomerelevantinformationaboutyourself:Itisgoodmannerstoprovide uncontroversial
some information about yourself, without waiting to be asked. This constitutes a matters during
smalltalk. social occasions.

To make small talk, you can say something about your previous job, traffic,
weather, etc. For instance, you can continue the above conversation as, “Before
ABC organisation, I used to work as an intern in XYZ organisation.” Similarly,
you can mention your role in the current organisation, the years spent in the
currentrole,andtotalexperience.Forexample,“I’vebeenworkingintherevenue
department since 2017. Before that, I was a customer service executive for two
years.”
3. Provide contextual information: Mention why you are where you are. For
example, “I am attending this meeting to give you an update on our lastquarter’s
performanceandthenextmilestones.”Or“Iamheretointerviewfortheposition of
project coordinator in the revenue department.”
4. Throw the ball in the other person’s court: Finish your introduction with a
question to the other person, such as: “What about you, what do you do?” Relax
and let the conversation build naturally. Do not rush it, keep making small talk,
andlistentotheotherperson.Evenifyoumakesomegrammaticalmistakes,finish your
sentence and go with theflow.
Now, read the following examples of self-introduction and practise them aloud by
yourself or with a partner. The bold parts in the example are the phrases that need
to be spoken withemphasis.

Example: Dialog 1

Context: You have come to appear for an interview. You are introducing yourself to
your interviewer.

You: Hi, I’mRashmi Desai.

Interviewer: Hi, Rashmi. Tell me about yourself.

You: I’mworking as a sales consultant in ABC organisation. I’ve been working in

thecompany since 2017. Before that, I worked as an intern in the salesdepartment
BusinessEnglish

of XYZ organisation for 6 months. In my current role, I look after the retail sales
accounts.

Example dialog 2

Context: You meet a stranger at aseminar.

You: Good morning, I’mVarsha Pandey from XYZ organisation.

Stranger: Nice meeting you, Varsha. I’mAditi Deshmukh from ABC institute.

You: I’m so glad to meet you. Are you also attending this workshop?

Aditi: No, I will be presenting a sessiontoday.

You: Oh! That’s interesting. I’m looking forward to your session.

Aditi: Thank you.

7.2.2 MEETING PEOPLE, EXCHANGING CONVERSATION AND SAYING

GOODBYE
You must also know how to greet people politely when you meet them, exchange
conversation with them, and end the conversation when you leave them. Some
examples are given below:

Example dialog 1

Context: It is 4 PM on a weekend. While shopping in a mall, you come face-to-face

with Mrs. Vandana Arora from your colony. Although you both are from the same
neighbourhood block, you do not know each other well.

You: Good afternoon, Mrs. Arora.

Vandana: Good afternoon, Ms. Mehra. How are you?

You: I’m very well, thank you. And how’re you, Mrs. Arora? Enjoying shopping?

Vandana: I’m fine, thanks. I came to buy some shirts from Westside. They’ve got a
50% flat sale.

You: Really! Oh! I must check that. Well, have a nice day, Mrs. Arora.

Vandana: Thanks, and you too. Bye!

You: Goodbye!

Important points of consideration in the above dialog:

Address by names: The two people above live in the same colony but do not know
each other well. Thus, they address each other by their titles, and not by their
first names. On the other hand, if they had been friends, they would have
addressed each other more informally with their first names or nicknames.
BusinessEnglish

 Greetings: Since the two persons formally greet each other, they use Good
afternoon instead of Hi or Hello. You should greet a person with: Note
 Good morning: From 5 AM to 12PM Good night is
never used to
 Good afternoon: From 12 PM to 5PM greet someone.

 Good evening: After 5PM

 Shortened forms: In spoken English, subject and verbs are used in shortened
forms, such as:
 Use I’m… instead of Iam…
 Use It’s… instead of Itis…
 Use How’re… instead of Howare…
 Endtheconversation:Asyouaretakingleaveofaperson,alwayssaybyeor
goodbye. This is a polite gesture. The voice should move from low to high.
Example dialog 2

Context: You come across an old friend named Jigar Shah outside a restaurant. You are
meeting him after 2 months.

You: Hi, Jigar! How are you?

Jigar: Hi, Vikas. I haven’t seen you for a long time. Where were you?

You: I was out of town for somebusiness.

Jigar: I see. Sohow’s everyone in thefamily?

You: They are well. Sonia is still working in the same school. Meeta has come to the
10thstandard.

Jigar: How wonderful! She must be studying veryhard.

You: Oh! You know children; they need to be kept away from their mobile phones.
And what have you been doing? Come, let’s have some coffee. We have a lot of
catching up to do.

Jigar: Wish I could have stayed, but I’m really late for an appointment with a doctor.
Let’s meet on Sunday. I will call you in the evening.

You: I’ll be waiting for your call. Take care. Bye, bye!

Jigar: See you!

Important points of consideration in the above dialog:

 Address by names: The two people are old friends, so they greet each other by
their first names. You can also greet your friends with theirnicknames.
 Greeting: They greet each other with Hello orHi.
 Appreciation: Since they know each other, they use thanks instead of thankyou.
BusinessEnglish

7.2.3 INTRODUCING PEOPLE WITHOTHERS

You may also need to introduce two people who are strangers to each other. In this
situation also, you will use formal or informal English depending on who you are
introducing.

Example dialog 1:

Context: You want to introduce a new joiner in your team named Raghav Sharma to
a co-worker named NishaPillai.

You: Nisha, I’d like to introduce Raghav to you. He’s the new engineer in our team.

Nisha: Hello, Raghav. Glad to meet you. I’m Nisha. I am a graphic designer here.

Raghav: Nice to meet you too.

Example dialog 2:

Context: You are with your sister Vimi in a railway station. You see a colleague Sameer
waiting at the station and introduce the two.

You: Hi, Sameer. Going home to Varanasi, are you?

Sameer: Hi. Yes, I’mtaking the VandeBharatExpress.

You: Sameer, meet my sister Vimi. Vimi, this is my colleague Sameer. He’sjust joined
our department.

Vimi: That’s nice. Pleased to meet you, Sameer.

Sameer: Nice to meet you too.

Example dialog 3:

Context: At the annual year party of your office, you are talking to Ms. Radha Yadav
from the Human Resource department. Suddenly, Gopal Awasthi from the finance
department comes over and greets you. You know both Radha and Gopal, but they do
not know each other. You want to introduce them to each other.

You: (to Gopal) Gopal, meet Ms. Radha Yadav. She’s the new consultant in ourHR
department. (to Radha) Radha, (this is) Mr. Gopal Awasthi, a manager in the
financedepartment.

Gopal: Good evening, (Ms. Yadav). I’mpleased to meetyou.

Radha: Good evening. I’m pleased to meet you too.

Gopal: I hope you’re enjoying the party.

Radha: Yes, it’s really nice. Thank you.

Example dialog 4:

Context:Youaretheteamleaderofateam.Youwanttointroducetwoteammembers, Karen
Wilson and Akash Kapoor, to eachother.
BusinessEnglish

You: (to Karen) Karen, here’s Mr. Akash Kapoor. He looks after new business
development and sales. (to Akash) Akash, I’d like to introduce Ms. Karen Wilson to
you. She’sthe new intern.

Akash Kapoor: Hello, Karen. Glad to meet you.

Karen: Nice to meet you too.

Example dialog 5:

Context: You are the team leader and want to introduce a new intern, Karen Wilson, in
your team to your manager, Amit Singh.

You: Karen, I’d like you to meet my manager, Mr. Amit Singh, who is the head of the
product design department. Sir, this is our new intern in the team, Karen Wilson.
She’sjust passed out of the Sydenham Engineering College.

Amit Singh: Pleased to meet you, Karen. Welcome to the team! Karen:

Thank you, sir. I’m looking forward to working in the team. Amit

Singh: All the best!

Karen: Thank you, sir.

Important points of consideration in the above dialogs:

 Expressions used to introduce other people: You can use different expressions to
introduce other people to each other, as shown in Table1:

T able 1: Expressions For Introducing Other People

Informal introduction Formal introduction
I’d like you to meet Let me introduce
Have you met? May I introduce…?
Do you know each other? It gives me great pleasure to introduce… (to an
audience at a public function)

 Formal introduction: Remember the following rules when introducing two

people formally.
 A woman is introduced to a man. (You can apply this rule in informal
introduction also, as it constitutes good manners.)
 An older person is introduced to a younger person(incaseyouareintroducing
two women or two men to each other).
 The senior person is introduced to the junior person in the workplace.
BusinessEnglish

7.3 TELEPHONIC INTRODUCTION

Telephones or mobile phones have become an inherent part of our personal and
professional lives. Due to the global reach of companies today and the nature of jobs,
more than half of business activities are conducted on the telephone. Therefore, you
should know how to answer the phone calls, greet the person at the other end of the
line, ask for someone, respond to requests, find information, and make emergency
calls for help appropriately in English.

7.3.1 PICKING AND ANSWERING A TELEPHONECALL

Picking and answering a telephone call plays a very important part in daily
operations. People need to call out for different purposes like for contacting family,
colleagues, job providers, business associates, etc. For an organisation, telephone
communication is valuable as it opens the door of communication with clients or
customers, human resource by allowing them to contact the organisationin the hours
ofoperation.

Let’s see some examples on how to answer the telephone call:

Note
It is important Example dialog 1
to know the
manners to pick Context: You are managing the front desk of a company named XYZ organisation. It is
and answer the 11 AM. The phone rings and you pick up the receiver.
telephone call as
it will leave an You: Good morning, XYZ organisation.
impression.
Caller: Can I speak to the sales manager?

You: May I tell him who is calling?

Caller: My name is Arundhati Rao. I am calling from Amity International College.

You: Thank you, ma’am. I’ll put you through to Mr. Agarwal, the sales manager.

Caller: Thank you.

Example dialog 2

Context: You and your colleague share one telephone in a cubicle. Your colleague is
not at the desk, when the telephone rings. You pick up the receiver.
BusinessEnglish

You: Hello.

Caller: Is that the sales department of XYZ organisation?

You: Yes.

Caller: Can you put me through Mr. Vinay Agarwal?

You: I’m sorry. He’s not at his workstation now. May I have your name and number
please? I will let him know that you called.

Caller: Sure. I am Arundhati Rao from Amity International College. My mobile

number is 6130013961.

You: OK. I’ve noted it down. I will also inform him when he comes back that you
called.

Caller: Thank you.

Example dialog 3

Context: Your mobile phone rings. The caller ID shows Tarun calling. Tarun is your
friend.

You: Hello.

Caller: Hi, Avani. This is Tarun.

You: Hi, Tarun. What’s up?

Caller: Nothing much. Remember, we are meeting for lunch tomorrow.

You: Of course! How can I forget?

Caller: Yes, I just wanted to make sure you’ll be there. Well, see you then. Bye!

You: Bye, Tarun.

Note: In the above conversation, What’s up? is an informal way of saying What’s
going on? Or What’s happening?

Example dialog 4

Context: Your mobile phone rings. The caller ID is an unknown number.

You: Hello.

Caller: Hey, Avani. It’s me, Vishakha.

You: Hi, Vishakha. Great to hear from you! Where’ve you been all these days?

Caller: I had gone to the US for higher studies. How are you? What’ve you been
doing?

You: I’m very well, thank you. I’ve recently joined as an assistant editor in XYZ
organisation
BusinessEnglish

Caller: Good for you! Congratulations!

You: Thank you. Let’s meet at our old hangout place in the C.P.

Caller: Yes, let’s. How about this evening?

You: Sure. I’ll be there.

Caller: Right. Bye.

You: Bye.

Important points of consideration in the above dialogsare:

 Answeringphone:ThepersonwhoanswersthecallsaysHello.Ifyouaremanning the
front desk of an organisation, you should give the company name afterHello.
 Caller: The person who calls a number identifies himself orherself.
 Engagement: In a formal telephone conversation, two people exchange the
message.Theykeeptheconversationbriefandto-the-point.Ontheotherhand,two
friends may talk a little longer and exchange news along with the mainmessage.
 Ending conversation: To close the telephone conversation, the two persons may
say Thank you, Thanks, Bye, See you, etc., depending upon the situation and
mood.
 Shortenedforms:AlthoughyoucanuseshortenedformssuchasI’ll,we’re,I’min
conversation; you cannot use these words at the end of asentence.
 Non-example: A: Will you come to the officetomorrow?
B: Yes, I’ll.
 Example: A: Will you come to the officetomorrow?
B: Yes, I will.
However, you can use negative shortened forms such as can’t, don’t, and won’t
at the end of a sentence. For example:
 You: Girish, can you help me fill in this formplease?
 Girish: Sorry, Rachel. I can’t. I’ve a meeting rightnow.
 Verb-less sentences: Verb-less sentences are commonly used in telephone
conversations. Examplesinclude:
 Great!
 Good foryou.
 Nothingmuch.
 Incomplete sentences: Sometimes incomplete sentences are also used, suchas:
 Just wanted to make sure instead of I just wanted to makesure…
 Lets’ instead of Let’s meet at thatplace.
BusinessEnglish

7.3.2 DEALING WITH A WRONGNUMBER

Dealing with a wrong number requires patience, politeness, and tact. The following
examples show how you can talk in such situations:

Example dialog 1

Context: You receive an unidentified call on your mobile phone.

You: Hello.

Caller: Hello, Saroj.

You: I’m sorry, this is Dolly. Whom do you want to speak with?

Caller: Saroj Jain.

You: I’m sorry, you have dialled the wrong number. There is no one of that name
here.

Caller: Oh! Can I check the number I’ve got…Is that not 613402385?

You: No, it’s613402285.

Caller: Oh! Sorry about that. I must have dialled the wrong number.

You: No problem! Bye!

Example dialog 1

Context: You are working in the sales department of ABC organisation. Your phone
rings and you pick up the call.

You: Hello, ABC Editorial Department. Can I help you?

Caller: Hello, Saroj Jain, please.

You: I’m sorry, you’ve got the wrong number, but she does work here. I’ll try and put
you through. In future her direct number is 83110341.

Caller: Did I notdial that? You:

No, you dialled83110343.

Caller: Oh! Sorry to have troubled you.

You: No problem! Hang on a moment and I’ll put you through to Saroj’s extension.
Note
Important points of consideration in the above dialogs: In case the
number dialed by
 Dealingwithawrong:Thepersonwhoanswersthecalltriestofindwhichperson the caller is incorrect,
other party wants to speakwith. then inform the
caller by giving
 Caller: The person who calls a number identifies the person he wishes to speak the number he/
with. she has dialed.

 Extending the call: If a caller has dialled a wrong number, then the answering
person should try to get him to the right extension, or note down hismessage.
BusinessEnglish

7.3.3 ASKING FORSOMEONE

Now, let’s consider some examples of dialogs on how to ask for someone and respond when someone makes
such a request.

Example dialog 1

Context: You call up the telephone number of Amity International College. Receptionist: Good morning, Amity

International College.

You: Could I speak to the sales manager, please. Receptionist: Could I tell him who is calling, please.

You: My name is Chanda Rastogi. I am calling from the ADB Publishing House. Receptionist: Thank you,

ma’am. I’ll put you through to Mr. Ali, our sales manager. You: Thank you.

Example dialog 2

Context: You call up the residence number of your colleague Srinath Menon. A woman picks up the phone.

Woman: Hello.

You: Hello. Could I speak to Srinath Menon, please?

Woman: May I know who’s calling?

You: I’mNalin, his colleague.

Woman: Hold the line, please. Mr. Menon will talk to you in a moment.

You: Thank you.

Example dialog 3

Context: You call up the office number of a famous lawyer. Man: Hello.

You: Hello. Is that Mr. Barun Mishra’s office? Man: Yes. Would you like to speak to him? You: Yes, please.

Man: Could you hold on a minute? I’ll put him on the line.

You: Thanks.

7.3.4 TAKING AND LEAVINGMESSAGES

At times when you make a phone call or answer one, the person who is needed cannot take the call, as he
might be busy or unavailable. In such cases, the caller leaves a
BusinessEnglish

message. The following dialog examples show how to take and leave messages on the
phone.

Example dialog 1

Context: The landline phone rings in your house.

You: Hello.

Caller: Hello, I’mBipin Gogoi. Could I speak to Mr. Ansari,please?

You: He’s gone out. I’m his wife. Can I take a message?

Caller: Yes. Please tell him that Bipin Gogoi called. And could you ask him to call
me back at 999220019, please? It’s urgent.

You: Could you repeat the number please, Mr. Gogoi?

Caller: 68-99-22-00-19. Have you got that now?

You: 68-99-22-00-19. I’ll tell Mr. Gogoithat you called.

Caller: Thank you.

You: You’re welcome.

Example dialog 2

Context: The official phone of ACS Publishers rings. You are manning the front desk.
So you pick up the call.

You: Good morning, ACS Publishers.

Caller: Good morning. Could I speak to Ms. Vimla Chowdhary please?

You: Ms. Chowdhary is on leave. May I know who is calling?

Caller: I’mRachel Adams from Winston College. Could I leave a message please?

You: Just a minute, madam. (Pause) Yes?

Caller: Please tell her that the meeting to be held on 23rdJanuary has been postponed
to 3rdFebruary.

You: Anything else, madam?

Caller: You can ask her to call me if sheneeds any more information. My
numberis6522002493.

You: Let me repeat that, 65-22-00-24-93.

Caller: Yes, that’s correct.

You: I will pass her the message, Ms. Adams.

Caller: Thank you.

You: You’re welcome, madam.

BusinessEnglish

Example dialog 3

Context: You are working as a call agent in a hospital. You receive a call. You: Hello. Good

afternoon, Columbia Hospital.

Caller: Good afternoon, I’d like to speak to Dr. Prakash Sadhwaniplease. You: Dr. Sadhwani

is in the operation theatre, sir. I can take a message.

Caller: Thank you. Could you tell him Vijay Nayyar called, please? You: I’ll do that,

sir. Would you like to leave your phone number? Caller: Dr. Sadhwani has my

number. Thank you.

You: You’re welcome.

Example dialog 4

Context: Your residence phone rings. You: Hello.

Caller: Hello, I’mLashkar. Is Sunny there?

You: Hi Lashkar. I’mMandira, Sunny’s sister. He’s gone to a coaching class. Caller: I was trying

to call him but he did not pick up his mobile phone.

You: He must have kept his phone on silent mode. I’ll tell him you called.

Caller: Thanks, Mandira. Please tell him I’vegot the notes from Professor Bakshi.
Icouldhavetalkedtohimbutmyowncallbalanceisnearlyzero.

You: Okay. I’ll tell him.

Caller: Thanks. Bye.

You: Bye.

Example dialog 5

Context: Your residence phone rings. You: Hello.

Caller: Hello. Sonia? Veena here.

You: Hello, Veena auntie. This is Kavya. Mom has gone to the market. Anything important?

Caller: No, not really. Just tell her that I’ve got the bag she wanted. I’ll bring it when I
visit you on Sunday.

You: Right. I’ll tell her that.

Caller: Thanks, Kavya. And how’s your job going?

BusinessEnglish

You: It’sall right. The same routine from morning to evening (laughs).
Note
Caller: (Laughs) Good luck. I’llsee you on Sundaythen.
When taking a
You: Yes. Bye. message,you can
use the following
Caller: Bye. Bye. fixedexpressions:

Wouldyouliketo
7.3.5 ENQUIRING FOR SOMEONE ON THETELEPHONE leave amessage?

You may need to find some information or make enquiries on the telephone. For Would you like
instance, you may need to finda grievance procedure from agovernment office or me to take a
message?
want to find the availability of a flight on a particular day. While making such
enquiries on phone, you must be clear, precise, concise, and polite. This will help Could I leave a
you get the required information easily. The following examples show how you can message, please?
make some enquiries ontelephone.

Example dialog 1

Context: You need to find some information about a train. You call up the railway
enquiry office.

Railway enquiry desk: Good morning, Indian Railways. How can I help you?

You: Could you tell me when the VandeBharat Express to Katraleaves, please?

Railway enquiry desk: At 6:00 in morning, ma’am.

You: Is it a daily train?

Railway enquiry desk: No. It runs all the days of the week, except Tuesday.

You: Thank you very much.

Railway enquiry desk: My pleasure, ma’am.

Example dialog 2

Context: You call a hotel in Goa to make a holiday booking. The receptionist takes
thecall.

Receptionist: Good morning, Hotel Casilas.

You: Could you tell me if you have a room available from April 12-14?

Receptionist: For how many people, sir?

You: Two

Receptionist: Let me check, sir. (Pause) Yes, we have a Standard Fabric Cottage Twin
room for 2 guests on April 12-14.

You: What is the price of the room?

Receptionist: The room charge is ` 2,970 per night.

BusinessEnglish

You: OK. Thank you for the information. Let me discuss it with my family. I willlet youknow.

Receptionist: You’re welcome, sir. Example dialog 3

Context: You call a school for an admission form for your child. School office assistant: Hello, St. Peter’s

ElementarySchool.

You: Good morning. Could you tell me when you’ll begin issuing application forms for nursery class, please?

School office assistant: From Thursday, 12thApril. You: What would be the price of a form?

School office assistant: Twenty-five rupees, ma’am. You: What are your timings for the sale of the form?

School office assistant: 10 am to 4 pm every day, from Monday to Friday.

You: OK. Can you also tell me the last date for the issues of the forms, please?

School office assistant: 22ndApril, ma’am. You: OK. Thank you very much.

School office assistant: You’re welcome.

7.3.6 MAKING AN EMERGENCY CALL FORHELP

A phone call is mostly made during the times of emergency to call for urgent help. For instance, you may
make an emergency call to the police, a fire station, an ambulance, etc. The following examples dialogs
illustrate how you can make such emergency calls.

Example dialog 1

Context: You see an accident on a road and dial 108 to call an ambulance. Ambulance service: Hello, ambulance

service.

You: I’m Girish Pandey calling from East Patel Nagar. There’s been an accident at the main crossroad near PVR
cinema in the Patel Nagar market. A motorcyclist is hurt badly. He’s bleeding.

Ambulance service: Don’t move him. Just make him comfortable. We’ll be there soon.

You: Thank you.

Example dialog 2

Context: You see smoke arising from the top floor of a shopping complex. You dial 101 to call the fire station.
BusinessEnglish

Fire service: Hello. Fire station.

You: Hello! A fire has broken out at the Ansal’s Plaza in Sadar Bazaar. Please send
the fire engines soon.

Fire service: They’realready on their way, ma’am. They should be there any time
now.

You: Thank you.

Example dialog 3

Context: There’s been a burglary in a shop. You dial 100 to call the police.

Police helpline: Hello, police helpline.

You: There’s been a burglary in my shop. The door of my shop is broken.

Police helpline: Your name, please?

You: Abhinav Garg. I have a jewellery shop in the Chawri Bazaar market.

Police helpline: Address and phone number?

You: The phone number is the one from where I am dialling. The address of my shop
is 23-B, Chawri Bazaar, Delhi.

Police helpline: Is there any other alternate number?

You: It’s8510329442.

Police helpline: I’ll repeat the information you provided. The address is 23-B,
Chawdi Bazaar, Delhi. Phone numbers are 6534529871 and 8510329442.

You: That’s right.

Police helpline: Our PCR van is on its way. Please don’t touch anything. We’ll be
there in 5 minutes.

You: Thank you.

Important points of consideration in the above dialogs:

 Incomplete questions: People responding to emergency helpline numbersrealise

that you are calling in a panic situation and are in a hurry. So, they may use
incomplete questions, suchas:
 Your name, please? instead of What’s yourname?
 Address? instead of What’s youraddress?
 Slow and clear pronunciation: When you call an emergency helpline, you
must speak slowly and clearly to give your name, address, phone number, etc.
Sometimes you may also need to spell out your name or address. For example,if
 BusinessEnglish

youarestayinginAasthaapartment,thenyoumayneedtomakeeachletterinthe
name clear by giving another word for which it appears. Forexample:
 A as in apple
 A as inAgra
 S as in Srinagar
 T as inTemple
 H as inHyderabad
 A as inAntelope

7.4 SUMMARY
Interactive communication is defined as communication that enables a person to start and
participate effectively and easily in a discussion towards a successful outcome. This
ability enables you to develop a relationship and effectively communicate with other
people through conversation. Your ability to converse fluently in English is the key to
your future employability and social life opportunities. So, start by practicing face-to-face
introduction and telephonic introduction. Interactive communication involves the face-to-
face introduction of self, meeting people exchanging conversation, saying goodbye, and
introducing people with others. Interactive communication also involves picking and
answering the telephone, dealing with a wrong number, asking for someone, taking
and leaving messages, enquiring for someone on the telephone, and making an
emergency call forhelp.

7.5 KEY WORDS

 Activelistening:Theprocessofinvestigatingandanalysingwhattheotherperson is saying and

interpreting his true meaning or feeling of themessage.
 Crisis communication: The method used by a company to distribute information when its
operations are in a crisis situation and may affect thepublic.
 Editor: A director of a newspaper or a magazine who is equal or subordinate to
thepublisher.
 Feedback:Amessagethathelpsacommunicatortojudgeifthepreviousmessage has been
successful. Depending on the success of the response, thecommunicator will shape and
change his forthcomingmessages.
 Small talk: A polite and friendly conversation about trivial or uncontroversial matters du
 ring social occasions.