Effective Telephoning Teacher's Book by Comfort J.

~ I I.
\ A "' ~
~ d: og 10";
~~-
OXFORD BUSINESS ENGLISH SKILLS
TEACHER'S BOOK
with
Jeremy Comfort
YORK ASSOCIATES
1
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Oxford University Press Photocop ying
Great Clarendo n Street, Oxford OXl6ll P
Th e publisher gra nts permission for the
Oxford New Yo rk photocopying of those pages marked
Athens Auckland Bangkok Bogota 'photocopiab le' accordi ng 10 the following
Buenos Aires Calcutta Cape Town Chen n.Ii cond itions. Ind ividual purchasers may make
Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong copies for their ow n use o r for use by classes
Ista nbul Karachi Kuala Lump ur Madrid they teach. Schoo l purchasers may make
Melbourn e Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi copies for use by their staff and students, but
Paris Sao Paulo Singapore Taipei Tokyo this permission du es nu t extend ttl add ition al
Toronto ....'arsaw schools or bra nches.
and associated companies in Unde r no circumsta nces may any part of this
Berlin Ibadan book be photocopied for resale.
Oxford and OxfordEnK/iJh Typeset in ITC Fr.anklin Goth ic
are trad e marks of Oxford University Press and Adobe Minion
t SBN 0 194')70940 Prin ted in Hong Kong
Oxford University Press
First published 1996
Th ird impressio n 1998
All n ghrs reserved. No part of this
publication Oldy be reproduced. stored in a
remeval system, o r tran smitted, in any for m
o r by any mea ns, electronic. mechanical.
photoc opying, recording . or oth erwise.
without the prior writt en permission of
Oxford Un iversity Press, with the sole
except ion of photocopy ing carr ied o ut under
the condi tions described below.
This book is sold subject to the condi tion
tha t it shall not, by way of t u de or otherwise .
be lent, reso ld, h ired out. o r otherwise
circulated witho ut the publisher's prior
consent ill any Iorm of binding or cover
other than that in which it is published and
without a similar cond ition includi ng this
co nd ition being imposed o n the subsequent
purchase r.
Contents
page
Int rod uction 4
1 First contacts 8
2 The right person 10
3 An unexpected call 13
4 What's t he message? 16
5 Hand ling info rmation 18
6 Com m unication breakdow n 21
7 Ma king plans 24
8 Solving p roblem s 27
9 Handling complaints 30
10 Closing a call 32
Telephoning practice extension activ ities 35

Introduction
Introduction to the course

Practicallyall learners of Business English need to make and receive
telephone calls.They need to be equipped with a range of skillsand
language to give them the confidence to deal with any difficulties they may
encounter over th e pho ne.
Effective Telephoning is a practical and accessible course specifically
d esign ed 10 develop th ese essen tial com mu nica tion and lan gu age skills. It
is divided into te n un its whic h deal progressively with key as pec ts of
telephoning fro m preparat io n throug h to making arrangements and
dosing calls. The course aims to develop both competence and confidence
in a variety of situations, so that by the end of the period of study learners
will have acquired the necessary skills to hand le almost any kind of call.
Course components
The co u rse co nsists of four components: a video, a Studen t's Boo k, an
aud io cassette, and this Teache r's Book.
The video
The video is the central component of t he course. It contains
approximately 35 m in ut es of ext racts fro m pro fession al telephone calls.
Based aro und th e story of a British company arra nging to participate in a
New York trade fair, it illustrates different kinds of telephone calls:
introductory, message-taking, making arrangeme nts, ha nd ling problems,
and complaints. The video acts as a focus for all the activities contained in
the Student's Book.
The Student's Book

Th e te n units cor respo nd to those in the video. Each un it is di vided into
t hree sect ions: Communication skills, Language knowledge, an d Telephoning
practice.
The Communication skills sect ion identifies and practises key telephoning
skills which are illustrated in the video, and aims to involve the learner in a
process of feedback, evaluation, and deve lopment.
.. INTII.OD UCTION
The Language knowledge section , supported by the audio cassette, is
designed to improve students' listening skills, and at the same time to
expand their knowledge of key functional, lexical, and intonational areas.
The Telephoning praeticesection gives the learner the opportunity to put
bot h Communication skills and Language knowledge into prac tice using a
variety of ro le-p lays for both pai r and group work.
Th e audio cassette
Th is consists ofapproximately 45 minutes of extracts from addi tional
telephone calls and forms the basis of listening activities and intonation
p ractice in the Language knowledge section of the Student's Hook.
The Teacher's Book

This book provides an introduction to the course from the teacher's poi nt
of view. It is intended as a guide to help the teacher handle the different
components of the course. It provides suggestions for fur ther exploitation
in the classroom and self-study time, and contains extra, photocopiablc
material for telephoning practice.
Using the course

The approach In each unit of the video, Effective Telephoning first illustrates a poor model
of telephoning practice in order to demonstrate what can go wrong. The
course then moves on to look at a good model in which the participants
ma xim ize the effectiveness oftheir telephone calls. The video is essential as
the starting poin t for each un it.
The approach is designed to develop learn ers' skills in two main areas:
Communication skills
The course develops the skills of initiating and receiving telephone calls.
Skills such as preparing for a call, opening a call, handling un expected calls,
active listening, dealing with technical problems, and closing calls are
demonstrated on the video. These are then analysed and pract ised with the
support of the Student's Book.
Language knowledge
Language areas such as clarifying, handling numbers and spellin g, askin g
qu est ions, and exp ressions used when closing calls are presented and
practised in the Student's Book. Since listening is such a key skill, the audio
cassette prov ides a wealth of additional extracts from telephone calls.
These are exploited not only for their functional and lexical exponents but
also used to illustrate the key role of intonation when making calls.
INTRODUCTION 5
Methodology All parts o f the cou rse are designed for use in th e classroo m or for
self-study.
In the classroom
Each unit will take )'OU t hrough the following steps:
Objectives
Th ese clear ly identify th e objectives of each un it in th ree areas:
- Connnunicetion skills
- Lall gllllgt' knowledge
- Teteplwning practice
Com m un icatio n skills
Pre-viewing
This includes a question designed 10 hel p learners reflect on their own
expe rience and to anticipate the focus ofthe material which follows.
Before watching, always ensu re that your students are fully aware of the
de tails of what they arc aboutto watch: th e com panies involved, the
people, and the (a ll itself. The Video Teleph oning Context sect ion at the
begin ning of each unit provides briefin g on th is and the 'Who's who'
sect io n on page 6 of the Stud ent's Hook gives an overview of th e characters
and th eir compani es.
Viewing
Th e first time your stu den ts watch a sect io n of the video, play the sequence
all th e way th ro ugh . Th is will give the m a cha nce to adapt to the con ten t
an d pace of delive ry. For more detailed analys is and q uestio ns, you can
then pia)' shorter extracts.
Occasionally the first viewing will be with the sound down in order to
focus on the hod)' language of the participants. Although in rea lity people
making calls do not have t he support ofbody language to communicate
th eir message, the video dem on strates how it can still play an important
role. You can also use the pause facility o n the video at key m om ent s, such
as an interr uption or a ch an ge o f direct ion in th e conversa tion.
The on-screen clock is usefu l for easy referen ce to specific sections.
Th e Video Transcript at the back o r th e Student's Boo k is essen tial for more
de tailed ana lysis and pr actice of speci fic language features.
Post-viewi"g
In th is sect ion, the exercises will encourage students to relate the focal
point of the unit to their own experience of making and receiving
telephone calls.
language knowled ge
Th is sect ion is supported by additional ext racts from telephone calls
recorded on the audio casset te. It has th ree connected aims:
Listw il1g practice
It is vital for your learners to develop th eir co m petence in listening. This is
the area that stu de nts often find th e most difficul t, and is th e mai n reason
th at they lack confidence when using the phon e.
6 I N T RO D U C TI O N
Language focus
To support their listenin g and speak ing, th is part provides fairly
comprehensive checklists offunct ional exponents and vocabulary.
Soundsand meaning
Witho ut the suppo rt of pa ralinguistic features, into natio n has an even
larger role to play than in face-to -face communication. Th is sect ion aims
to develop the learn er's awareness ofaspects of intonation as well as word
stress, pitch, rhythm, and pausing. Th is is not an easy area to teach or learn
as the basis ofou r intonation patterns is often deeply personal. Teachers
need to be both flexible and patient; flexible because this is not an area of
hard and fast rules; patient because some learners will have difficulty in
hearing changes of pitch and word and sentence stress. However, it is
worth spending time on this area to help improve the quality of your
studenrs'Hstening and speaking skills.
Most of the Sounds and meaningsections are divided into three parts:
-listening to an extract to identify features of intonation
- imitating intonation patterns
- scripting telephone dialogues and recording them usingappropriate
intonation.
Telephoning practice
This section provi des a variety of role-plays mainly for pa irs to perform.
Ideally these will work best when there is an opportunity to audio- record
the calls. The opt ions o pen to teachers include:
- sitting back to back
- using an internal teleph o ne network
- specia lized telephone simulatio n equi pmen t.
In all three cases it is possible either to d irectly hook up recording
eq uipme nt or to place a microph o ne between the students. Whatever they
decide, teachers shou ld set clear objectives for their students to follow - for
example, well-pre pared and well-str uctured calls in terms of
com mu nication skills, and the use of certa in exp ressions for closing calls in
terms of a language objective. These object ives can then be used as the basis
for pro viding feedback once you have listen ed to the au dio-recording.
Self-study
The video -based activities focus on commu nication skills, and have been
developed with the classroom in mind. However, most of the questions
have answers in the Answer Key and students could use the video on a self-
access basis. The Language hlOwfedgt'section can be followed on a self-
study basis. referri ng to the Answer Keyin the Student's Book for feedback
on exercise answers. The Telephoning practiccsl;.xtion always involves pair
o r gro up wor k, although pre parat ion for these activities could be done for
self-study.
IN TR ODUCTTOS 7
1 First contacts
Objectives
Th is uni t dem onst rates th e vital ro le of preparation in in itiating calls.
Prep aratio n is the key to bu ildin g confid ence. Wh en initiat ing calls,
stu de n ts need to th ink th ro ugh whatt he y wan t to ach ieve and how they
will go about it. The L" ' lg Utlgt.' kllQwlcl /gesccli on introduces and practises
vocabula ry and exp ressions we use when referri ng to telephon ing. lt also
covers the son oflanguage we use when talking to operators and other
telephone service providers.
Pre-viewing This intro duc to ry q uestion could be di scussed in pai rs for two or th ree
m inutes. So me peopl e will feci co m pletely at ease on th e telep hone a nd will
prob ably no t need much pre para tion. Ot hers will be more nervous and
perha ps will want to make notes o r imagine the call in their minds.
2 The important point to stress here is that this is almost a cold call - Nick
and Helen have certainly never spoken to each other before, although there
is a poi nt of contact.
Viewing 3 First check th at the st ude nts have followed th e sense of th e call. Wh y did
Nick call Helen?Th en ,15k t hem what was wrong with this call. Hopefully
they will ide ntify Nick's lack of pr eparation. Ask them how th ey wou ld
ma ke such a call. What wo uld they do differen tly? Use the checklist 10 gu ide
the discussion.
4 Now replay Version I, Slopping the video at the moments when Nick needs
10 improve his performance. Encourage you r students to cr iticize and
recom men d changes. Nick needed 10 note dow n Helen's na me. th e da les of
th e exhibit ion, and what he wanted her to do.
5 Use th e chec klist again to provide focused feedba ck o n Version 2.

Rem ember thai Versio n 2 is inten ded to be better than Version I, bU I not
perfect. Your students ma y have fu rther improvements to reco m men d.
6 One of yo ur students could take charge of replaying Version 2, Slopping the

video, and focusi ng on the key moments in t he call.
S UN IT O N E
Post-viewing 7 Pair work
The two simulations both involve 'cold' calls. Working in pairs. first get the
students to draw up preparation check lists. Then simulate the calls and sec
how well th ey pUI the chec klists into operation.
Language knowledge
Listen to th e ext racts right th e way th ro ugh. Sec if your st ude nts can
iden tify po sit ive and negative opinio ns. at least from th e intonation. Then
play each ext ract again. di scussing the poin ts of view, an d see whether your
stu de nts ag ree with the m or no t. Pick out some of the key vocabulary for
telephoning (see the LAnguage focus sect ion).
2 Some people don't like using the telephone at all, It's important to identify
students who have a mental block about it. You will need to work harder
with th em 10 build their confidence.
3,4, 5 These th ree exercises concen tra te on the language needed when talk ing
about phoning. It is im portant to establis h th is language at the begin nin g
of th e co urse. Yo u cou ld suppo rt th ese exercises by talkin g abo ut phone
serv ices in di fferen t part s of th e wo rld :
- public ph on es (co in boxes and phon e cards)
- cred it ca rds for payment, BT charge cards an d pin n umbers
- types of pho ne ( mobile and co rd less)
- quality of th e Jines
- directories
- operator services
- new services.
Pair wor k
Th ere are ten calls to role-play here hut rem ember that half th e objective is
to improve students' preparation for calls. Divide th e class in to pairs and
the n give them approxima tely twen t y m inutes to prepare their five calls
(each part ne r in itiates five and receives five ). If you don 't haw time to do
th em all, make sure students get a cha nce to make and rec eive at least one
call. If you are working in a small room where it's difficult to set up
simultaneous pai r work, you could ask different pairs to come to the front
to perform the role-play, whilst the rest of the class observe.
In all cases, allocate time for feedback. It would be a good idea to reco rd
on e or two ca lls so th at you can repl ay them and give detailed feedb ack on
language points.
For fu rt he r pr actice, loo k at Telephoning practice extensionactivities 1, 6,
and 7 which all deal with diffe rent aspects of pr epari ng and opening calls.
UNIT ONF. 9
2 The right person
Objectives
T his un it focuses o n why we make telephone calls and o n making sure t he
purpose is dearly understood. From a language point of vie w, we look at
th e vital open ing mi nute in which th e foun dat io ns are laid for a successful
call. Like ma ny acts o f co m m un icat ion, if yo u get o ff ro a fluent start the
rest will follow more smoothly. In ad dit ion, th e beginning and end of a call
are more pred ictab le than t he midd le part and can therefore be pr act ised
more easily.
Pre-viewing G ive you r students a few minutes to note do wn the types of call they make
or receive -for example, m aking enq uiries, m aking arran gem en ts and
appointments, and so on . You don't have to limit thi s 10 calls in English.
These ques tions will also provide an opportun ity to discuss th e role of
ot he r mea ns of co mmun icat io n suc h as fax. telex. an d e-mail, and 10
identify the complementa ry ro le the telephone shou ld play.
2 The call students are about to watch should he a st ra ightforwa rd

in for mat ion excha nge.
Viewing 3 Play Version 1 witho ut stop ping and get your studen ts' general impression.
Ask the m ho w th ey would howe mad e a ca ll like this. Wha t would th ey have
d on e differently?
4 Watch Version I again. this time stopping the video 10 identify the
momen ts. (a ) whe n Gregg could have int roduced himself more effect ively,
(b) whe n he co uld have explained the p urp ose of th e call to greater effect,
and (c) ho w he could have been bett er prepared to liste n to Nick's
respon ses more op enl y. Refer studen ts to th e chec klist in the Student's
Book .
5 Before you watch Version 2, ask your studen ts to anticipate the

im provements. Then play the video without stopping. You co uld
b rai ns to rm ideas and then compare the m with wha t actually happens o n
t he video.
10 USIT TWO
6 Play Version 2 again, sto pping to focu s o n Gregg's im proved per forman ce.

This an opportunity to build on the students' own experience. Return to
some of the types of call they mentioned at the sta rt of the un it. Simulat e
o ne or two, ma king su re the checklist fo r opening calls is followed . Either
record one o r two calls o r give stude nts a chance to script a call before
asking on e pair 10 perform theirs in fron t of the class.
Language knowledge
The extracts in this listening exercise illustrate a variety of op enings, and
the first task is to identify th e pu rpose of each call. Once yo u have do ne
th is. replay the extr acts focu sing on the exp ressions for o pening calls which
are identified in the umglltlgefocus sectio n. Altern atively, you could stop
the tape befo re a key expressio n and ask your stud ents to comple te the
phra se.
2 Your studen ts could work in pairs on the jumbled calls and then read the
d ialogues out in the right ord er.
3 Sounds and meaning

As this is a regular sectio n on intonation, you cou ld start by asking the
students what inton ation means to them. Empha size that int on at ion has a
vita l role to play in telep ho ne calls because of the lack of visual signals. It
will he a major su ppor t to them in listening comprehension as intonat ion
so often help s to communi cate the basics - for example, good or bad news,
po sitive and negative react ion s. o r the main point versus th e seconda ry
poin t of a topic. It is also imp ortant to po int o ut that into nati on is not
like gramma r, vocabulary, or even the pro n unciat ion of individual sounds.
It is less clear cu t and more subjec tive, hut ju st as important .
a The exercise focu ses o n the em pha sis of key words in a phrase or
sentence. It often helps to show students a telegra m which cuts out
structure word s and co m mu nicates the essential co ntent. Word stress is
o ften used to em phasize th ese key content wo rds. Stude nts listen to an
extract from the video and can underline the stressed words. It's
probably best to do th is with the whole class the first time rou nd. Once
they have grasped the idea and sens itized their cars, they can work in
pairs. In future sim ilar exercises, you may like them to read a dialogue
through first and predict intonation patterns before they listen.
b Pair work
Stude nts can now choose anot her dialogue fro m the video (o r the same
one if th ey prefer ), mark in the word stress, and then record their
versio n of it. Play it back with th em. if there's time. and make sure they
can hear \...h cre they are placin g stress. They could th en compa re their
versio n with the video versio n.
UNIT TWO II
4 Pair work
Th e last (ask involves scripting a dia logue and then record ing it.
Small group work
The role-plays here involve groups of thr ee. In th is way, they maximi ze the
pract ise of o pening calls.since bo th calls are passed on and the refore
involvea certain amount of repetition of the opening stages. Divide the
class into groups ofth ree. Each group must then allocate the three roles.
Students A. B.an d C. ln Call l , Students 8 and C must sit together as they
work for the same co mpany: in Call 2, A and C wo rk for the same
company. t or demonstra tion pu rposes, yo u could ask a gro up of three to
run through Call I in front ofthe class, sitting back to back.
For further practice. look at the Telephoning practice extension activities 1.
6, and 7 which all deal with d ifferent aspect s ofo pening calls.
12 UNIT TWO
3 An unexpected call
Objectives
The first two units have concentrated on in it iating calls. T he focus in
this unit is on receiving calls, in particular handling calls intended for
somebody else. The skills and the language needed for tak ing messages
arc also featu red .
Pre-viewing Most students will be more wary of receiving calls than initiating them.
They can't prepare for them and can't predict what is going to be said.
2 Make sure your students are prepared for the context of the call.
Viewing 3 Play Version I with the sound down. Although Prancesca's b ody language
can't be seen by Gregg, it tells a story. Ask your studen ts wheth er th ey have a
mental im age of the person they're speaking to when on the phone.
Apparently men often stand whi le on the phone, whi lst women usually sit.
Do they talk wi th a pen or pe ncil in their hand? Ask them what difference
they think video phones will make to telephone communication.
4 Play Version 1 with the sound up. Francesca's behaviour and language
betray a lack of interest or a pre occupation with o ther things.
5 Ask your students how Francesca could im prove he r pe rforma nce. Play
Version 2 wit h the sound down and compare this version with he r body
language in Version 1.
6 Play Version 2 with the sound up. Make sure you emphasize the good
features of Francesca's performance: courtesy, responsiveness, reassurance,
helpfulness, clarity of expression, and so on.

Allocate the message-taker and the message -giver. Simulate two or th ree
calls. You could invent ro les or ask students to create their own . Record the
calls, if possible, in order to give feedback on the skills which Prancesca has
demonstrated. Students could demonstrate their dialogues or act them o ut
'cold' in open pairs across the classroom (which would be more authentic),
or in groups offour or six.
UN IT T H R E E 13
Language knowledge
The listen ing exercise can be done in three stages:
- Students liste n for th e main message: play each extract all the way
thro ugh.
- Th ey can then listen for specific lan gua ge items: play th e tap e so th at
stude nts ca n ide nt ify a nd match w ith items fro m the l.tm gllllgt'! OCU S
section.
- Thirdly, studen ts can listen and anticipate part s of each call. Stop th e tape
and ask them 10 complete the rest of the phrases and sentences.
2 Spelling
Spelli ng names, pa rts ofadd resses. and so on, is a problem fo r most
students. It's importa nt to dist inguish between th e receptive skills of
no ti ng down spellings and information. and p roduct ive skills when
students have to spell parts of a message. The latter can be more limited
and therefore more easily prepared for.
a The co r rec t pronu nciation of the th ree vowe l so unds a, e. a nd i if; c r it ical
for effective spelling.
b Thi s exercise develops st udents' recept ive skills.
c This exercise concent rates 0 11 speaking .
J Sounds and meaning

This sectionlooks at ho w ton e is used to com mu nicate messages. The basic
dist in cti on if; between new in format ion. fo r which we normally use a
fallin g tone. and information whic h is shared o r un derstood, fo r w hic h we
use a fina l r ise. As J. result of this basic dist inction. a final r ise at the end of a
question or statement makes it sound more open, as if one is genuinely
interested. whereas a final fall sounds more neutral and distanced.
a Play the two versions a nd first ask students whether they can hear any
di ffer en ce a t all. Then ask them which vers ion sou nds m ore friendly.
Play Version 2 again a nd ask studen ts to t r y mirrorin g Sally Roger s.
b Group work
D ivid e th e class into threes a nd ask the gro ups to pract ise t he sa me
di alo gue. mimickin g the intonation patte rns. Yo u co uld as k o ne group
to perform the di alogue in fro nt of the class an d then discuss the effect
of the into na tion pattern s wit h them .
c Pair work
Pairs should now script their own call. mark in the intonation trying to
adopt an open and more inclusive patt ern . Encourage students to
practise their d ialogu es over and over with each o ther. listening to thei r
ow n voices, and exper imenting w it h risin g a nd falling intonat io n .
4 Softening
This exercise will reinforce th e import a nce ofintonution . Do the exerc ise
as a whole class. Play the tape and t he n ask on e st udent to t ransform the
inst ructi on into a polite request. Th e r ising final to ne will be im port an t in
the intonation of each req ues t.
14 U N IT T HREE
Pair work
These role -plays have been designed to provide practice in:
- handling the unexpected
- taking messages
- making polite requests.
To complete the calls, you need to allocate at least half an hour, or more if
you are going to give feedback. If you want to keep tighter control of the
activity, allocate one call to each pair and then ask them to perform the call
in front of the whole class. This way you can give feedback which will
benefit the next pair, and so all . The final call should be perfect, having
benefited from the corrections and suggestions arising out of the previous
calls. Alternatively, the calls could be recorded and then either listened to
and corrected by you or corrected by the students themselves. Students
could perhaps listen to each other's recordings and make comments on
them. A further activity could involve pairs or groups offour listening to a
different group's recording and matching each item to the messages or
details taken.
For further practice, look at Telephoning practice extension activities 4
and S.
UNIT THREE 1')

4 What's the message?
Objectives
This unit continues the theme ofhandling mes~g~ but the emphasis is
now on structuring the information when you leave a message. The
Language kflowlclige sect io n deals with structuring calls. handling
nu mbers. and intonation .
Pre-viewing This qu estion is designed to encoura ge your stude nts to think about th e
predictable part of telephon e calls - th e kind of informati on th at is often
repeated ly transmitted.
2 If you feel it is necessa ry. )'OU ca n warn your students th ai it'll be an

answerphone message.
Viewing 3 Play version I. Students should put themselves in Diane's shoes and try to
note-down the message. It wil l be confusing.
4 Ask you r stu de nts to script a bett er an swer phon c message and th en analyse
with th em t he ele me nts of a well-structured messilge.
5 Stude nts can no w rampart' th eir version with Gre gg's message in Vers ion 2
of th e vid eo.
Post-viewing 6 O nce they have ag reed o n a sim ple chec klist, st udents can pract ise leaving a
couple of messages on an a ud io casse tte. They could then compare their
original ideas from Exercise 1 with the checklist.
Language knowledge
a The four calls are badly st ruc tu red and as a result it may be difficult to
take no tes. Th is will reinfo rce the purpose o f th e next activ it)'.
b Pair work
St ud ent s sho uld try to rcstructu re the calls. Ask th em to read outt heir
versio ns an d com pare with ot he r pai rs. Th ey co uld record the ir
improved vers io ns.
16 L:~ IT FOl'R
c Now studen ts can com pare th eir imp roved versions with th ose on the
audio cassett e.
2 Many stude nts find dea ling wit h numbers di fficu lt. Spend a few minutes
study ing points I to 3 in the St ude nt's Boo k. In so me languages, digits are
spo ken to geth er to form larger numbers so tha t 3-6 beco mes thirty-six. as
it would in Fra nce, rath er th an the three - six it is the UK. Once st uden ts
start to say numbers d igit by digi t. th ere is a ten dency to say th em at a
monoto no us pace, and in Britain at least, they need to learn to group them
toge ther to make co mp rehe nsion easier.
a Understanding and repea ting numbers
Th is first exercise practises listeni ng skills.
b Giving numbers
This exercise p ractises saying numbers.

In the same way that we group numbers for easier comprehension. we
break up speec h in to chunks or groups of words. Play the tape to the whole
class and help students to listen to the chu n ks by stopping the tape at the
end of each ph rase. Th en play the tape all the way th ro ugh. In pairs, ask
your studen ts to mi rror the recordi ng before they scr ipt th eir ow n
an swerphone messages, marking in the b reaks. Stude n ts can th en record
their messages.
Pair work
These are st raightfo rwa rd informatio n excha nge activ it ies. If you
want stu dents to pr act ise leaving answerphone messages, you co uld tell
Student B to play th e role of an answcrphon e in one or two cases. T hese
d ialogues could then be reco rde d.
For fur the r practice, look at Telepllonillg practiceextension activities 4
and S.
UNIT fOUR 17
5 Handling information
Objectives
This unit deal s with the key com m un ication skill of giving feedback over
the phone. Face to face we may nod, raise our eyebrows, grimace, o r sm ile.
On th e phone, we give o ur response verbally. Many non -native spea kers d o
not ackn owledge th e other speaker positively which can lead to o ne-s ide d
telephone ca lls. Fro m a langua ge poi nt o f view th e un it loo ks at wha t sort
of responses we can use, as well as the roleof pauses in developing true
interaction on the phon e.
Pre-viewing Discuss with your stu dent s how we show reaction in face-to-face meetings.
Cultu rally th ere are some big differ en ces: so me people are more
demonstrat ive than others. Sim ilarly, on the phone. people fro m differen t
cult u res will respo nd more actively th an others. However, th e phone does
not allow for silence o r long pauses so wha tever cultu re you r students come
from, they need to develop the skill of echoing and responding naturally.
2 Th e impor tant poi nts here to underline are:

- Dian e is responding to an answerphone message
- she is not in a very receptive mood.
Viewing 3 Versio n 1 is a classic exam ple of a one-side d call. Gregg wants to involve
Diane an d seeks her part icipation, but beca use he doesn't get it, he fills the
silences and talks too mu ch. It is vital in Dian e's pos ition 10 give off th e
right signals.
4 Play Version I again and identify the moments when Diane o ugh t to have
said more.
5 Watch Version 2. Dian e makes more effort to involv e herself in th e call,

making it easier for Gregg to respond so th at th ey interact more effectively,
6 Stop the video at th e end of each o f Gregg's interventi ons. Ask your
stu de nts to take Diane's place and to su pply her side of t he conversation.
18 UN IT FI V E
If st uden ts have trouble th inking of news item s. prompt them with the
follow ing suggestio ns:
-eca r stolen or broken into
- new jo b or lost jo b.
These should prom pt responses such as ' Reallyi', 'OK','Yes',' j\'o: 'Mmm'
amongst m an y others.
Language knowledge
A keyfactor in these kinds of responses is intonation. It is probably worth
doing the exercise three times.
i) Listen and choose the most appropriate response.
ii) Listen and read out the most appropriate response, in pairs or as a
whole-class exercise.
iii) Listen and make an appropriate response, without looking at the book.
The responses dead)' depend on context. and in some cases there is
certainly more than one appropriate response. Once rou have loo ked at the
Language ! ocl/ss('Ction. you could do some fu rther p rac tice by asking your
students to respond to a range o f statements. based on your knowledge of
your class.
2 Th is exerc ise cou ld eas ily be done in pairs. Once st ude nts have completed.
th e d ialogue, ask th em to read it o ut and Sl,.'C how different versions
co mpare. Th is will lead to a useful d iscussion on respon ses.
3 Sou nds and meaning

A majo r probl em in calls between a native and a no n-native speaker is that
the nat ive speaker, perhap s th ro ugh lack of confi dence and/or linguistic
ability on th e part oft he no n-native speake r, ofte n pauses witho ut gett ing a
resp onse. He/sh e th erefor e plou ghs on so thai th e call becom es very nn e-
side d. Both speaker and listener have to create opportunities fo r the other
to speak, otherwise communicati on will br eak down. when native
speakers pause. th ey oft en mark it with so me sort of filler such as ' urnm' or
'anyway'. Your stu dents need to recognize these pauses. T hey can th en take
it in turns to develop a two-sided call.
a Listen to Gregg as a whole class. Play th e au d io cassette all the way
through an d then a second tim e to highligh t the pauses.
b Pair wor k
Ask students to scr ipt ca lls in whic h informa tion is bei ng exchanged -
for example. enquiring about a h ire car or booking a holiday, In this
way. the informat ion -giver will have to pause to give the en quirer a
cha nce to ask questions o r 10 respond to th e info rmat ion.
VSlT FIVE 19
Pair work
Th ese calls provide the opportu n ity to expand on th e po st-viewin g activity
o f co nveying and receiving good or bad news, an d how to react to such
informatio n. The emph asis is on natural and automati c responses. Th e
pairs co uld p ract ise one or two calls in priva te and th en act them out back
to back at th e fro nt of the class. This co uld be fun whe re the news is
dramatic. excit ing, dep ressing. and so o n.
For furthe r practice, look at Telephoning practice extension activities I. 5.
and9.
20 U N I T FIVE
6 Communication
breakdown
Objectives
The Communication skills section raises three issues: dealing with technical
problems and avoiding a communication breakdown, making unnecessary
calls, and the differences in style between internal company calls and
external calls . The Language knowledge section concen trates on people
calling back and rhythm in spoken speech.
Pre-viewing 1 Ask yOUT students to think about telephone calls they have made which
haven't gone well. They can consider both business and personal calls. Here
are some possible reasons for communication breakdown over the phone:
- Technica l problems such as a bad line.
~ A lack of clarity about the purpose of the call or lack of preparation.
- Over-emotional responses to what is being discussed. Consideration has
to be given to the na ture of the topic and possible feelings that might
a rise fro m it.
This will lead on naturally to discussing what sort of calls could be avoided.
This is not an area where you can give clear-cut advice. However, before
maki ng a ca ll, the following should be considered:
~ Does the call need to be made at all or can it wait?
- Would the message be communicated more effectively by fax, letter,
or e-mail?
- Is the topic sensitive? would it be better to discuss it face to face?
2 This question provides an opportunity to talk about elements of

telepho n ing sty le:
- direct or indirect
- formal or info r m al
- polite or impolite
- personal or impersonal
- explicit or implicit.
Ask your students to compare two calls, one internal and one external, and
identify the differences. Internal calls are normally informal, whereas
introductions and small talk are often necessary with external calls.
UNIT SIX 2\
3 In the video. one of the characters is on a mobile pho ne. Before you watch
the extracts. discuss the pros and cons of mobile phones. Some pros:
24-hour contact: no need to find coins or a working public phone box;
compact and convenient. Some cons: dis turbing other people in public
places; expensive.
Viewing 4 Versio n I shows how telephon e calls ca n co me at the wrong mome n t,

lead ing to frust ration. Discu ss with your stu dents how this can be avoided .
It is important to listen carefully an d be sens tive to the othe r perso n's
nee ds.
5 Watch Version I agai n an d get yo ur students to reco mmend how Nick o r

Francesca, o r both. could have so lved the problem.
6 Version 2 works because they don't try to persevere with the bad line. Your
students, with the added problem of speaking in a foreign language. need
to take this to heart. As soon as you realize the line is bad. phone back .
7 Version 2 abo raises another issue. Nick seems to feel the call was
u nnecessar y, th at it co uld have waited until he was back in the office.
Nevertheless, he ha ndles th e situa tion well an d avo ids up sett ing Pranccsca.
Discu ss whet her Francesca really needed to make th is call.
Post-viewing Pair work

8 This activ ity focuses on th e style of internal and external calls. Your
students could script the calls if they feel th ey need to. Their fina l
recordings can be compared based on the elements of sryle mentioned
in 2 above.
Language knowledge
Play the tape through once to establish the reasons for ca lling bac k. T he n
play th e tap e agai n and focus o n the language used. Refer to th e umgllllgt'
focus sectio n to rei nforce th e express ions use d.
2 Responses
This exercise prov ides further work on the ph rases needed when calling
someone back.
3 Sounds an d mean ing

a We focus here on the rhythm of spoken English which is influenced by
syllable stress. Tuning in to the rhyt hm of the language will help your
students' comprehension. They are liste n ing for short an d long syllables
- two lon g ones together have the effect of sIO\'~. ing speec h down. As the
stude nts listen to th e video you could per haps encourage th em to tap
o ut the r hythm of th e extract on their desks or tables .
b Students record t he dia logue in pairs, tr ying to mint ic th e rhyt hm of
th e lan gu age.
22 USIT SIX
4 In tern al an d external calls
We return to the question of style. In this exercise students should rewr ite
and then record the dialogue so that it is less direct and more polite. The
choice of style will also be influenced by the culture of the organization
students might work for. More traditional companies may well maintain a
more formal style of communication.
Pair work
These role -plays practise calling back in a variety of situations. Student B
has to take on several different roles, whereas Student A plays the same
person. Students could act out the differen t scenarios for th e rest of the
class.
These calls would also work well for practising different telephoning styles,
such as direc t and indi rect. or formal and informal.
For further practice. loo k at Telephoning practice extension activity7.
UN IT S I X 23
7 Making plans
Objectives
Un it 7 looks at the essential busin ess skills of negotiating and reach ing an
agreement. These skills are not spec ific to tele phoning but can be adapted
for use over the ph one. The Ulrlgllage kllowff'dge scction foc uses on making
arrangements and fixing appoi ntments.
Pre-viewing The support of e-m ail and faxes is important whe n doi ng business over the
phone. People need time to consi der their option s. Relying solely on the
phone may put undue pressure on the m. A fax whi ch introduces an idea
and is then followed up by a call is so me times the most effect ive way of
moving th ings forwa rd. The phone is not suc h a good medium for the
more discursive stages of doing bus iness - a decision ma y be taken too
quickly or without consideration ofall the facts. Nego tiating a cont rac t
oyer th e phone, for example, can be tricky especially with the involvement
of th ird or fourth parties, which is often the case in business sit ua tions.
2 The video extracts demonstrate th e importance of two -way

co m mun ication. They also illust rate quite clearly th e importance of
cont rol over a call. Non- native speakers can find it difficult to take co nt rol
and maintain th e init iative. It is importa nt for th em to learn to respond
positively and proactively in situatio ns that ma y be difficult to turn to th eir
adva ntage.
View ing 3 Play Version I without stopping. To vary the task, yo u co uld ask halfth e
class to focus on Nick, the rest to focus o n Helen . an d so get feedback from
both points ofview,
4 Play Version J aga in and ident ify the mo ments a, b, c, an d d. Thi s will
provid e an o ppo rtunity to discuss th e role ofsmall talk durin g a phone call.
This is part ly a cultural issu e as in so me co un t ries callers d ispense wit h
soci al chat. But it can often be an important way of establishing th e to ne
and mood Of'1call and of breakin g dow n barriers. Here, Nick is overly
co ncerned with his ow n problem and as a resu lt is closed to what Helen is
tr yin g to say.
24 L: :-< IT SEVf.S
5 Play Version 2 and consider how the call has im proved.
6 Detailed viewing will give you an opportunity to focus on:

- small talk
- giving the opportun it y to respond
- ma kin g posit ive respo nses.
7 You may need to show th e sequence a th ird ti me to ident ify the moment s in
whic h Hel en sho ws she's in control. She becomes mo re and more proactive
as t he call proceed s. sett ing th e agenda herself. You cou ld also contrast
Helen's use of into nation in Versions I an d 2. You will lind that she use s ,I
rising tone more frequently in Version 2. For more work on this area see
below.
Pair work
Post-viewing 8 Students invent and record their own phone calls m aking arrangements for
a meeting. They can then listen to them to see who took co nt rol of th e
situatio n in each case.
Language knowledge
Th ese three calls provide useful listening m aterials and could be exploited
in th ree stages:
- Play the recordi ngs firs t for the informat ion so that stude nts can iden t ify
the a ppointment o r arrangemen t made.
- Play th em again and ask wha t kinds of people are making the calls. Are
the y between colleague and boss or secretary and boss? Arc the y in te rna l
or external? And so on,
- Play them a th ird t ime to focus on the language. Usc the u 11Iglwge foms
sectio n to reinforce the phrases and voca bulary for fixing appointment s.
2 T h is vocabulary exercise could be set for ho mework o r self-study,

Altern at ively, you cou ld make it more lively by t ran sferri ng t he term s onto
cards. Deal th e cards out to th e pa rticipa nts, ask someone to call out their
te rm, and the student with the matching card should call out their
equiva len t word or expression.
3 Sounds and me aning

Native speakers will know instinctivel y who has more co nt rol from th e
intonation used. The maier feature of a 'do m inant' spe aker is a frequ ent
rising to ne. A flatter falling tone is more neutral. and a fina l rising ton e
(as seen in Unit 3) tends to commun icate openness and po liteness.
a In this first version, the secreta ry adopts a rat her d ism issive att itude.
achieved by t he usc of a risin g to ne,
b In the second version, she uses bot h the falling and final rise to ne an d as
a result t he call is m ore frien d ly, open, and polite,
us n S F.Vf.S 25
c Pair work
Working in pairs, share out the two versions equally. Half the class can
record the more do mi na nt to ne, the rest can work with the open and
supportive lo ne.
d Pair work
If students haven't come across secretari es who protect their bosses from
int ruders, they can tr y script ing any call in which o ne person has the
do mina nt role. Fo r example:
< customer informing supplier ofquality problems
- bank manager informing customer of unauthorized overdraft.
Pair work
Set clear objectives for these role-plays:
- stude nts should estab lish who is in control in each case
- the need or not for small talk at the begin ni ng of the call
- the language needed for making arra ngements
- students should be aware ofdominant intonation patterns.
Again, Student B will be taking on a variety ofdifferent personalities and it
could be inte resting for these calls to be acted out befo re the rest of the
class.
For further practice, look at Telephoning practice extension activities I, 2, 4,
6, and 9.
26 UN IT SEVEN
8 Solving problems
Objectives
Th is is the second uni t wh ich deals with some key communication skills:
active listening and reflective questioning. These are not specific to
tele phoning but a re valuable if used effec tively. Forming appropriate
q ues tions is developed fur the r in the Language kllowleclgl' sec tion.
Pre-viewing The telephone is not a good medium fo r displays of te m per or stron g
emotion. Divided opinion can be di fficult to resol ve as time is more lim ite d
th an in face-to-face meetin gs. It is a mo re imperson al form of
com m un icat ion an d not pa rtic ula rly cond uc ive to expressi ng strong
feelings whe re a misu ndersta nd ing co uld in advertently a rise.
2 It is important to note that Nick wants to tal k to Helen, rather than Gregg.
Viewing 3 There is a n oppo rtunity here to play Version 1 with the sound down and to
judge Gregg 's react ions by h is body lan gu age. T he n sec 10 wha t extent this
message is su pported when th e so und is tu rned up . G regg is nega tive all the
way through and doesn't help Nic k at all.
4 Stop the tape after eac h of Gregg's qu estions. If th e st ude nts have di fficult >,
in ana lysing what typ e of question Gregg asks, refer to the Language[ocus.
5 \ Vith hal f th e class foc usi ng on G regg and the othe r half on Nic k, as k yo ur
students what di ffer ences they not iced in their beh avi ou r an d la nguage
between the two versions. Gregg is now more helpful and friendly. He seeks
to find out the details of the new situation, and takes the trouble to listen
an d respond effectively.
6 Sto p the tape after eac h ofGregg's q uest io ns. Again use the Languagelows
section if necessa ry.
Post-viewing 7 Groupwork
This acti vit y is designed to show th e importance of active listen in g. Assign
a letter A, B, C, or D to each member of a grou p of four. Exp lain the task as
follows:
UNIT E IGHT 27
Stage I A speaks to B, and C speaks to D.
Then swap pairs.
Stage 2 B speaks to C. and D speaks to A.
In this W.lY, all four have experience of both listening and speaking,
Language knowledge
Before carrying out the first listen ing task, you might like to talk more
abo ut the use ofdirect and ind irect q uestio ns. A sim ple explanatio n is th at
the indirect form s are m ore po lite. But it is more complicated than th at.
We often lise an indirect form for an initial qu estion as an introduction to a
topic or situation, whereas sub sequ ent que stions tend to be more dire ct
o nce the to pic has been established. Ind irect qu estion s arc also used if a
topic is sensitive.
a In the first listening, students identify the direct and indi rect forms.
b For the qu estion types, play the extracts again . each of which has two
qu estion s, and then d iscuss whic h types ofq uestion are bein g used and
wheth er any other type would also be appropriate in (.. uch case.
2, 3 These two exercises could be don e in pairs or fo r self-study. Th ey would be

more usefu lly done in class so that you can spend time listening to the
students' answers, as intonation plays an im po rtant role here. They could
also record their answers to help them get a feel for the correct intonation
patterns.
4 Sou nds an d meaning

The role of int onation is looked at here. The issue is sim plified for the task
set. But we do n't always use a final rising to ne in statement qu estion s. It
depend s on whether or not we already know the answer. If we are using the
ques tions simply to confirm something, then a falling to ne would be more
appro priate. If we do n't know the an swer, a final rise is mo re appropriate.
5 Onc e student s have worked out what type of qu est ion to use, ask them to
take part s and read o ut the qu estion s and answers. Intonation will again be
im por tant.
6 Pair work
This can be kept as a short transfer activity or extended into lon ger proj ect
wor k. Th e two themes - use ofteleph on e and journey to wo rk - cou ld he
the basis for proper question naires. Studen ts could then use the qu estions
to make gen uine calls o r to extend the su rvey to as many studen ts as are
available.
28 us n EI GH T
Pair wo rk
Students will need time to prepa re questions and the relevant answers for
these calls. Some will require factual answers, others will requi re opinions.
Make sure students usc the checklist of question types in the Language
focus section. The role-plays also provide the opportunity to open with a
polite, indirect form and then to move on to asking more direct questions.
II For further practice, look at Telephoningpractice extension activities 1,2,

and 4.
I
I
U N IT E IGHT 29
9 Handling complaints
Objectives
This unit deals with handling complaints and in particular with the need to
stay positive in such situa tions. Frnm a language point of view, it looks at
how we reassure and make promises in English.
Pre-viewing Find out what experience your students have of dealin g with complaints.
both of ma king and of rece iving them. How a re co m plaints ha nd led in
their cou ntries!
2 Nick pho nes to co mplain to Helen abo ut th e non -arrival o f a revised costs
estimate.
Viewing 3 Play Version I witho ut sto pping. Ask the m what they th ink of the call.
what is the effect ofHclcn's react ion ! Ask the m if th ey wo uld have done it
di fferently.
4 Detailed viewin g will reveal Helen's defen sive .lOJ negative responses. Refer
students to th e An swer Key in th e St udent's Book.
5 Play Version 2. In what way has Helen 's performance improved? Youcould
also discuss to what extent her reaction would be approp riate in your
students' business cult ure.
6 Detailed viewing will reveal th e mo re constr uctive responses.
Post-viewing 7 Pair wor k

Since co mplai ning is cu lturally de ter m ined. it wo uld be useful to ro le- play
a number ofsit uations whe re people ma ke complaints. Youco uld th en
di scu ss what kind of th ings people complain about an d how th ey go
about it.
}O U~IT SINE
Language knowledge
1 These listening extracts could be played two or three times:
- for the content: to carry out the task set
- for the style of the complaint: direct, forma l, polite, and so on
- for the language used. (See the Language focus section for support.)
2 This exercise could be set for self-study. If you do it in the classroom,

put the words on cards, mix them up, and then draw them out, asking for
explanations and definitions. Similarly, the game could be played in pairs
or small groups with several sets of cards.

We return again to the im portance of word stress. The exercise focuses on
the word stress u sed by the manager. You could also pick up on the
customer's word stress. If your students are ready for it, you could look at
the intonation patterns (rising and falling final tones). In any case,
mirroring the word stress will also lead to mirroring intonation.
Role-play
This role-play is more complex than previous activities. It involves
students in preparing for a call, making or receiving it, and then passing it
o n to colleagues. It tries to create a realistic business situation where blame
for delay is not easy to assign. As a result, the phone calls will involve the
communicative and linguistic skills needed in difficult situations, of
staying positive, being reassuring, and making promises.
Having divided the class in to groups of six, split each group in to sub-
groups of three. Assign the task and make sure they realize it is a group
activity. They must all be involved in preparing for the call and should plan
to pass the call on to colleagues when necessary. If students do not pass the
call on, encourage them to repeat the activity with two different roles so
th at everyone gets adequate practice.
For further practice, look at Telephoning practice extension activities
3 and 10.
UNIT NINE 31
10 Closing a call
Objectives
Th is un it deals with closin g calls. both recog niz ing th e signa ls that a call
should end and ways of initiating the closing sequence. As with open ing
calls. the re is a certain amount of pred ictable language tha n (a n be learnt.
Again. intonation is cr ucia l and we loo k at thi s aspect as well.
Pre-viewing Many people have had the exper ience o f find ing it diffi cu lt to end a call. Ask
you r students why this is so me times th e casco Also ask them if they find
some people too abrupt on the phone.
2 The call sho uld be short, as it is designed to check that everyt hing is O K.
Viewing 3 You could have half the class focusing on Gregg. the other half
concentra ting on Diane. Then ask for th eir ideas.
4 These moments can easily be identified as mos t of what Diane says is

intended to indicate that she wants 10 finish the call. She is busy and needs
to get on with her work.
5 O ne viewing will probably be sufficient as the second version is short , with

Gregg realizing the need to end the call early on .
Post-viewing 6 \\'orking in pairs, students could scrip t the end of the fo ur calls suggested.
Then ask them to read out thei r scripts and compare each call with other
pairs' versions. Perhaps a discussion about how to end calls would be useful
here. especially if you r class is made upofdi fferent nationalities whe re
cultural comparisons may be int eresting .
Language knowledge
You could listen to these calls at least twice. The first time. students could
listen for the effectiveness of each one in terms of length . Theycould then
eithe r pick out the relevant language or you could stop the tape whilst they
anticipate the language to come. Use the Lallguage focus sectio n to support
th is activity.
32 U N IT T EN
2 Thi s exercise could be done in pair s. On ce they have sequenced the calls,
ask them to read them o ut, com menti ng o n into nation an d fluency,

a Studen ts listen to the aud io cassette an d mar k the inton ation o f the
italicised words in the script of the Studen t's Boo k.
The final rise and then fall in lon e on many of Dian e's comments is
meant to signal that it's tim e to dose. If she had used a more neutral or
rising tone, it might indicate that she had more ttl say.
b Students now have a chance to record their own versions of this phone
call, paying special attention to stress and intonation . Recordin g the
dia logues and then listening 10 their own voices will help students
develop a greater feeling for the effects of correct inton ation patterns. If
any of you r stu den ts have difficult ies with intonation, per haps because
it is alien to thei r own language, you could stress the importance of
mim icry and enco urage them to exaggerate their efforts at using the
cor rect int on at ion . Thi s can have the desired effect and wo n't necessarily
sound artificial.
c Here students do the same as in b. bu t will now invent their own closing
seq uences, record them, and th en listen to the effect of their intonation
patterns. To make it more fun, studen ts could act out some of the best
calls to the rest of the class.
4 Final responses
This exercise is best done as a who le-class activity. Th en you can listen to
alte rnative respo nses and com me nt on the intonation.
Pair work
Many of the se calls involve attempting to sell things over the telephone.
Youco uld start by di scussing your stude nts' respon se to telesales in
general. Find out what kind of approa ches work best with them.
Then divid e the class into pairs , A and 13, and make sun' that Student A
un derstand s th at he o r she mu st give th e signals to end the call. Student 13
has to pick up these signals but at the same time mu st tr)' to sell the
p rod uct or service. If the re's time, stude nts can reverse roles and thus
p ract ise bo th skills.
For further practice. all the Telt'phoPlillg practice extension activities deal
w ith end ing calls in differen t situations.
USIT TES .B
extension activities
Th e followin g p'lgcs co ntain ad d it ional act ivities fo r telephoni ng practice.
Th e activities a rc set up for either pair or gro up work. Th ey ca n all be
ad apted to su it th e needs of di ffer ent class sizes. St udents should also be
encou rage d to inven t per son alities where necessar y. an d n ames can be
altered if stude nts w ish.
In man y o f t he act ivities. Student A is the init iator. so the A and B roil'S
nee d to be shanxi out evenly.
These pages may be photocopied. The roles can then be cut out and given
to individual students.
Act ivity Comm unication & language skill s page

1 Task I Gathe ri ng informat io n 36-39
Find ing th e rig h t venue Negotiating the price
Task 2 Makin g a booking
Arrang ing to exhibit Changi ng arrangeme nts
2 Choosing the right Disc uss ing opt ions 40--41
cand idate Asking for opi nio ns
Ar ra ng ing meetings
3 Late delivery Ha nd ling complaints 42~3
Solving problems
Making arrangements
4 Messages A Maki ng requests 44
Confirm ing a rrange ments
5 Messages B Han d lin g info rmation 45-46
Note- taki ng
Writing fa xes
6 Co ld calls Making ap point me nts 47
7 Problem caUs Handling pro b lems 48-19

Wrong numbers
Bad lines
Interruptions
8 Good and bad new s Giving informat ion 50-51
Respond ing to news
9 Confir m ing in writing Ma king arrangements 52-53
Writing faxes
10 Managi n g a cr isis Handling co m plaints 54-55
Solving pro blems
Negotiating a p rice
Activity 1
Task 1: Finding the right venue for a social function (Pair work)
Studen t A
You a re looking for a venue 10 hold a pa rty to celebrate you r company's 50t h
anniversary. You need to ar range the following:
Buffet din ner 150 people
Music and dancing 21.30- 24.00
Bud get maximum 25 a head
Call I
Douglas Lodge Hotel. Find out what they offer.
Ca ll 2
Crossways Club. Find out what they offer.
Ch oose one of the two locat ions before phon ing o ne hac k.
Call 3
Phon e back whic hever place you choose an d negotiate th e best p rice you
can get. Don't book it yet. You need to check you r budget.
CaU4
If yo u are satisfied with th e price, phone and book th e venue.
CaliS
Pho ne hack o ne mo re time 10 increase the n umbers of guests.
THE Crossways Club

DOUGLAS LODG E
H O TEL .
Central location
Private functions
Busi nes s funct ions
Country locati on
Conference facil ities
Quiet and secluded
Special occasions

Late night bar
Smart rest aurant Two bars Disco and own OJ
Swimming pool En-suite beclrooms
Dance hall with din ing area
Intern at ion al menu
l arge parties
Business lunches
.
Buffet restaurant
Menus to suit all occasions
Call 01311 456 008 Now! Phone the Manager on 01311 763987
]6 Photocopiable e OX FORU UNIVERS ITY PRESS

Activity 1
Task 1: Finding the right venue for a social function (Pair work)
Student B
You will play two roles:
Manager of the Douglas LOllge Hotel
You have recen tly placed an advertisement in th e local pap er to att ract
co mpanies and groups of people want ing to orga nize private functi ons.
Manager a/Crossways Night Club
You have converted an are a of your night dub for pri vate recept ions and
have recently advert ised this facility.
Call i
Douglas wdge Hotel M anager
Youcan expect a call in response to your advertisement. The caller will ask
for informatio n about the following facilities at your d ub:
Availab ility No bookings for Februa ry yet

Din ner capacit y 150 people
D in ner menus Three set menu s at 10 , 18, an d 25
Dan cing/Mu sic Live band I 150 a night
Disco 110a night
Call 2
Crossways CtubManager
You will receivea call in response to your ad vertisement. The caller will ask
for information about your facilities.
Availability End of Febr uar y is n ne

Din ing cap acit y 200
Din ner menu Ranges from I. 15 - 30 a head and is fl exib le
DJ &music Disco: 100
Live mus ic 200 a n ight for a band an d dancing
Call 3
You are at home relaxing. You receive a call abo ut a di nn er or a da nce. It's a
wrong number.
Your role in the following calls depends on Stu dent A's choice-ofvenue for
the fu nctio n.
Call .
You can expect a call 10 negotiate a price. Arra nge th e best price you can.
CallS
You can now expect .1 call to make a booking.
Call 6
You will no w receive a call to cha nge the booking.
Photocopiable O O XFO RD UN IVE RSITY PRESS 37

Activity 1
Task 2: Arranging to exh ibit at a trade fair
Student A
You will have to play t hree diffe ren t ro les du ri ng this activity:
Trade Fair Organizer
Hotel Reservation Clerk
Hotel HllIufli cting Manager.
Ca ll i
Trade Fiji, Org llllizer. The Exhibit io n Hall is nea rly fully booked. Th e only
sta nds st ill availa ble a re: I ) 6 m 2 at 200 a day, and 2) 9m l at 290 a day.
There are four stands left. They arc all situated on the upper floor of the hall,
ncar the stairs. and have been posit ioned for casy access by Trade Fair
visitors. Offer to fax a booking form and a plan ofthe exhibition with the
available stands marked in.
Call 2
Reservation Clerk, Excelsio r Hotel. You are fu lly boo ked for the period ofth e
Sth to the 11th of March d ue to th e Trade Fair.
Call 3
ReservationClerk, Ma lib u Ho tel. Yo u have two doubles and two singles left
fo r t he per iod of the 8th to th e II th o f March . Do ubl es cost 75 per person a
night an d singles cost II 0 per pe rso n a nig ht.
Ca ll 4
Banqueting Mallager, Malibu Hotel. You haw no banqueting facilities.
CallS
H(J/lq llttiug Alm wger a t the Excelsior. You have th e followi ng facilit ies
available o n the 9t h of Ma rch .
Excelsio r Hotel
Banqueting rooms ISO peo ple 110 a nho ur
30 peo ple 50 an ho u r
Catering white w ine and canape menu f lO a per so n
champagne and canape menu 15a person
champagne and light buffet 20 a person
Music can he arranged at extra cost.
38 Photocopl able C O X FO R Ll US IVE RS ITY PRESS

Activity 1
Task 2: Arranging to exhibit at a trade fair
Student B
You need to a rrange to exhibit atthe DELUXIA Trade Fair. You have to book
the following:
,. The stand - YOli need a m inimum 0801 2

,. The hotel for the sales team
,. Catering for a recep tio n
Call i
Call the conference organizers and find out what stands are available. You
need to know the size and the cost. You also want a good location for it.
Book the stand if yo u can. Your budget is 250 a day.
Call 2
You have the names of two hotels n ea r the Trade Tair. First call the Excelsior.
You need five single roo ms for four nights from the 8th to the llth of March.
Your budget is 80 a room for one night.
Call 3
Call the Ma libu and try to make the booking.
Ca ll 4
Call the Malibu back and see if they can provide catering for a reception one
evenmg.
CallS
Call the Excelsior again and see if they can provide facilities for a reception on
the 9th of March. Your budget for the evening is .32 a head and you need a
room for fifty people, drinks and light refreshments, and music, if possible.
Photocopiable O X FO R D UNIVERSITY I'RESS 39

Activity 2
Choosing the right candidate (Groups of 4 )
Stu dent A
You have to dec ide which of three can d idates should be promoted to the
positio n of Salt'S Co-ordinator. The jo b involves co-ord inat ing the wo rk of a
sales team in a certai n area. The candi dates are:
Gordon Ban ks, twenty-five year s old , two years with th e co mpany asa field
salesperso n. Good worker, a natural salesman.
Sheila O'Don ne l. twenty-seven years old , with th e co mpany for eighteen
months as a field salesperson. Previously wo rked as Sales Admi n istrator for
another co mpa ny. Well-liked . easy-going.
Liz Grant, twe nty-four years old. with the co mpany for six years. Started as
a trainee secretary, last two years a field salesperson. Vcry dynam ic, achieves
good results.
To help you make the decisio n. you telephone the immed iate bosses of the
th ree cand idates. T he purpo:'>l' o f each call is to get an initial im pr ession of
what th e boss th ink s and fix a m eeting early next week with all three bo sses
to discu ss the promotion. Below is th e relevant page from yo ur dia ry.
Monday 1000 -11:30 D~pa rtm enta l meeting

7 1400 -1700 interviews for new Financial Cont roller
T......, 12.30 Lunchat Rob~;tos with David and Jay

8 1400 -1530 y,~jt ag~ncy
WeclnMday 1000-11:30 Meeti~. Denton Pack8ging pte

9 1600 Manaqemenr- meeti~. promotion decie;iof'l!;
40 Photocopiable C O X FO R D Ul"IVERSITY PR ESS

Activity 2
Choosing th e right candidate (Grou ps of 4 )
Student B
You will receivea call from the Personnel Manager. He/she will ask questions
abou t one of your sales team , Gordon Banks. He's been an excellent
salesman although he's quite im mature. so you're no t sure about giving him
responsibility yet. You willalso have to tr y to fix a meetin g early next week to
meet the Personnel Managcr. Yourdiary is below,
M ()Ild ay 0830 -1000 Sal~muting
7 1400 -1700 Key CU5tomer m eeting:;

Tuesday Trad(! flJir in London all day
8
Wednesday 1:300 - 1800 Sal&t!itrainJnq
9
Stu dent C
You will receive a call from the Personnel Manager. He/she will ask about
one of your sales team, Sheila O'Donncl. She'san excellent saleswoman, very
respon sible, and an ideal cand idate for promotion.
You will be asked 10 arrange a meeting early next week to discuss th e
promotio n question. Your diary is below.
M.....' Sal~5 trip to HaMMOV/!:r

7
Tuesday 1000 Melrtirtq with CU5tomer
8 1300 Sale5 coachiMtJ 5&55iOM
Wednesday 1.300 -1800 Sal~5 t.r8iMiMtJ
Student D
You will receive a call from the Personnel Manager. He/she will ask about
one ofyour salt'Steam, Liz Grant. She's quit e young. not very well-qualified,
bu t very motivated and amb itious. You will be asked to a rrange a meeting
early next week 10 discuss the promotion question. You r diary is below.
Dsy off - 1o"!J wu k rld
Tuesday ExhitoitioM iM Ma nche5ter

8
Wednesday Sa le5 training 1.300 -1800
9
Photocoplabl e e O X FO R D UNIVERS ITY PRESS 41

Activity 3
late delivery (pair work)
Studen t A
You are Joe Pelma n, Accou nt Man ager with Fridopak . a supplier of
specialist constr uction ma teria ls. A customer, Megaco m Int ernational. has
just faxed you about an o rder wh ich should have bee n del ivered last week.
Megacom International '45 Sand gatan

Stavangc r
No rway
Telephone0452-677489
Falsi", i le 0 452-677488
To Fridopak Re . order No 0967 /31

Attention Joe Pe l man Date 317/97
From Ulf Dalgren
Message
The order was due for delivery on 30 /6 /97. I have

just telephoned our forwarding agent and he says
the goods hav e not a r rived in port. As we made
clear at the t ime of the order , t he parts are vita l
for the ne x t stage i n t he project . Please contac t
me a s soon a s possible .
Yourcompany despatched the order on the 26th of lune from Newcastle. It

was du e to arrive in Stavange r on the 27th. Yo u have contacted th e shipping
agency and th ey have said that the goo ds are still in Newcastle do cks. You
have decided to arrange for th e goods to go by air tomo rrow mo rni ng,
arriv ing in Stavanger at 1.15 in the afte rnoon.
Call I
Telephone UlfDalgren in response to the fax.
Call 2
Th e next morning you are in fo rmed that, du e to bad weather, the fligh t to
Stavangcr has been cancel led. Telepho ne UlfDalgren to inform h im that as
there is o nly o ne flight a day, the del ivery will have to wait un til tomo rrow.
-12 Photocopiable O O X FO R U US IVERSITY PRE SS

Activity 3
Late delivery (Pair work)
Student B
Yo ur name is UlfDalgren, Pro ject Manager, Megacom In ternational. You
o rdered some insulatio n materials for a major construction project from
Fridopak in th e UK. You expected the delivery to arrive by the end of last
week an d have sent the following fax to Pridopack.
Megacom International 145 Sandgatan

Stavangcr
Norway
Telephone 04'52-677489
Facsimile 04 52- 677488
To Frid opa k Re. Order No 0967/31

Attention J o e PeLmari Date 3/7 /97
From Ul f Dalgren
Message
The order was du e for del ivery on 30/6/97 . I have

just t e l e phon ed ou r forwarding agent and h e says
the goods have not a r r i v ed in port. AE we made
clear at the time of the order , the p arts a re
vital for the next stage in the project. Please
contact me as s oon as p ossible .
CallI
You will receive a call from Joe Pelm an . You need assurance that th e goods
will be delivered as soon as possible. Stress th at you will have to pay a
penalty on the construction contract if there is any fu rther delay.
CaUl
You will receive a second call from Joe Pelman. During the call, you will
n eed to decide whether to ask the sup plier to cover the penalty charge
which you will have to pay.
Photocopiable @ O X f O R D U N I V E R S IT Y P RESS 43
Activity 4
Messages A (Groups of 4 )
Student A
CallI
You will be away tomorrow o n a tr ain ing cou rse. Phone a colleague
(St udent C) to ask ifhe/she could take you r place in a meeting from 2 10
ap.m. The meeting normally deals with regular departmental business, but
tomorrow the Staff Representative is going to p resent the results of a survey
a bout job sat isfactio n. You wou ld like your co lleag ue to take notes and
repo rt back to you.
Ca ll 2
You will receive a call back co ncerning the mee ting.
Ca ll 3
You will receive another call concerning the meeting.
Student B
Call i
A call for Student C is put through 10 you. Take a message and pass it to
Student C.
Student C
Call i
Stu dent n will pass you a written message concerning a meeting tom o rrow.
Phone Student A and discuss the meeting. You could go yourself bu t think
that another colleague (Studen t D ) would be J much better person to
attend the meeting. He/she has been involved in the su rvey of job
sat isfaction and therefore knows the backgro und . You offe r to ph one
Stu de nt D, who will in tu rn call Studen t A.
Student D
Ca ll 3
Student C will talk to you first about a meeting tomorrow. Then tele phone
Student A to agree to take his/he r place in the meeting.
-J4 Photocoplable t) OXFORD U/,;IVER.SITY PR ES S

Activity 5
Messages B (Pair work)
Student A
Youwork in Personnel for an internatio nal engineering company. You want
to send one of your trainee manag ers 10 Spain to gain expcrience of'the local
market. You tried calling your counter part in the Spani sh subsidiar y
co mpany but he/she was not in the office, so you have sen! th is fax instead
Attent ion Stefano Gonzale s

Fax No. 39 - 56 7 - 5543
Re. Work Placement f o r Jane Lipton
Following our discussion concerning work

placements for trainees. I think I have a
candidate f o r you. Jane Lipton has been wi th t h e
coeperry for 6 months and I.re would like to p lace
her in the Madrid office for about; 4 weeks t his
sprin g. Ca n you p l ease c all me to discuss th i s ?
Bes t r ega r ds
Terry Po t ter
Personnel Of ficer
CallI
Wh en Stude nt Bcalls. you are out of th e office. Take th e role of a colleague
and take a message.
Call 2
Now call Student B back and d iscuss th e work p lacem en t exchange. Ask
him/her to send yo u a fax outlining the proposal with details of the
candidate.
Fax
You should now receive a fax with t he detai ls of the Spanish can didate.
Call 3
Make a fina l call 10 Student B to try to fina lize th e arr an gem ent s.
Photocoplable O O X F O R D U S I V E R S IT Y PR E S S 4S
Activity 5
Messages B (Pair work )
Student B
Yo ur name is Stefano Gonzales. You work in the Perso n nel De partment o f
the Spanish subsidiary ofI NTEX Internat io na l. You have rece ived the fax
below and are interested in arra nging th is work placem ent. Ho wever, you
would like to arrange it on an exchange basis an d have iden tified the
following Spanish ca nd idate: Ma r ia Delga rdo who is 23, with an MBA, a nd
3 months' experience as a trainee manager. She is currently wo rki ng in
Seville in Production.
Attent ion Stef ano Gon za l e s

Fax No. 39 -567 -5 543
Re. Work Placement for J a ne Lipton
Foll owing our d isc ussi on concerning work

placements f or t r a inees , I t h i nk I have a
candidate for you . Jane Li pton has been wi th t h e
c ompany for 6 mon t h s and we would li ke to place
he r i n t he Madrid office for abou t 4 wee ks t h i s
spring. Can you plea se cal l me t o d iscuss this?
Best r egards
Te rry Pot t e r
Pe rs onne l Officer
Call I
Ca ll your co un terpart in the UK (Studen t A) in reply to h is/her fax.
Ca U2
Student A will cat! you back to d iscuss your proposal. He/ she will request a
fax to outline the de tails of the ca ndidate you are proposing.
Fax
Wr ite an d pass the fax to Stud en t A
Call 3
St udent A will ca ll you to tr y to fina lize the exc hange.
46 Photocop iable O X FO R D U NI V E R S IT Y PRESS

Activity 6
Cold calls (Groups of 4)
Student A
Your company, Crystal Pro m o tio ns, organizes business events including
exhibition stands and corporate hospitality. T her e are some potential
customers you would like to meet. You have wr itten to them but must now
phone to arrange appointments with them. Present your company and t ry
to convince them of the value of a meeting.
Call I
Mike Porter is Sales D irector at Stanton Sports Company, who construct
sports faci lities. It is a young, dynamic company. Mi ke might be interested
in organizing special events for h is cus tomers.
Call 2
Pippa Downie is Marketing Manager with Global Packaging, a European
organization which wants to attract more customers by establishing a
stronger in ternatio n al im age. You feel they might be interested in
participating in some Pacific Rim trade fairs and in pu tting together their
own PR event to attract attention.
Call 3
Pau l Maitland is Head of Pu blic Relations at Centaur International, a
pub lishing company. Centaur have just bought a small specialist company
called Tenterton Press. You feel he may be interested in a receptio n or an
event for staff and other stakeholders to cement the new partnership.
Student B
You a re Mike Porter, Sales Director at Stanton Sports, who construct
sports facilities. It is a relatively young hu t dynamic company. You know
something about Crystal Promotions and might be interested in their
corporate hospitality. You want to invite major clients to a large sports
event and are willing to make a short appointment.
Student C
You are Pippa Downie, Marketing Manager with Global Packaging, a
European organization wh ich wants to attract more customers by
establishing a stronger int ernat io nal image. You are loo king for agents or
distributors in South America. You have the Crystal Promotions brochure
hut their services do not interest you at the momen t.
Student D
You are Pau l Mai tland, Head of Public Relations at Centaur Internatio nal,
a publishing company. Centaur have just bought a small specialist
company, Tcntcrton Press . You want to organize an event to announce the
new partnership. You may use an outside agency like Crystal Promotions
to help organize the event and could be persuaded to arrange a meeting.
Phot ocopiable O X H l R D UNIVERSITY P"RF.SS 47

Activity 7
Problem calls (Pair work)
Student A
You are M rls Wesson. You are th e Managing Director ofa large firm. Your
personal de tai ls are not speci fied. Crea te a fuller characte r if you like.
Ca ll i
You have an appointment with th e Financial Cont ro ller in your com pany,
Mr/s Davies, at lOa. m. next Tuesday to di scu ss new budget guidelines. You
have to cancel the a ppointment because an importa nt cus to mer has
ph oned to say he will be visiting un the same day.
Call 2
Receive a call from Mrls Davies concerning financial results. The line is
very poor. Arrange to call back.
Call 3
Call Mr/s Davies concerning your appointment and th e financial result s.
During the call, you receive a seco nd call fro m America. Int errupt you r call
with M rls Davies to take th e internation al on e.
Ca ll 4
A Mrls Peters phones you. You have never heard of him / her. II m ust be a
wro ng number.
Call s
Call Mrls Davies concerning the meeting next week. Interru pt the call
because the line is bad .
48 Photocoplable O O X FO RD UN I v E RSITY P R ESS

Activity 7
Problem ca lls (Pair work)
Student B
Your role in most of the calls below is as Mr/s Davies. You are the Fina ncial
Controller in a large firm. Your age, status, and other details are not
specified . Create a fuller character if you like.
Call I
You are Mrls Schuman. You have never heard ofMr/s wesson.
Ca ll 2
You are Mrls Davies. Call Mrls wesson abo ut the department's poor
financial results. Stress the im po rtan ce of the meeting next Tuesday to
discuss new guidelines.
Call 3
You are Mr/s Davies. Receive a call from Mrls \VeS50n about an
appointment you have made for next Tuesday to discuss new budget
guidelines.
Call 4
You a re Mr/s Peters. Make a call to a friend, Peter Rogers, about a party
next week.
CaliS
You are Mr/s Davies. You will receive a call from Mr/s wesson concerning
the meeting n ext week.
Photocoplable O X F O R D UNIVERSITY PRESS 49

Activity 8
Good and bad news (pair work )
Student A
You an d yOU T co lleague work for a ph armaceutical company. You wor k in
the Research and Development Department. Stude nt B works in the
Marketing Department. Youbo th know the co m pany need s a new
product.
CallI
Your research team have bee n wo rking on a ne w range o f substances
design ed 10 relie ve ac ute pain. The latest t rials ha ve gone well and th e new
drug sho uld be registered by the end of rhe year. This menu s that you co uld
ha ve a new p rod uct ready to launch by the m id dle of next year b ringi ng
new investment and safe jobs. Cal l your colle ague in th e Market ing
Department and tell hint/her the good news.
oue m Olllh la ter ...
Call 2
You have been working on th e development of a new pain -killer, 1'4 51. You
receive a call from your colleague in Marketing.
a few weeks later ..
Call 3
The new drug has run into some pre -production problems. This means
there is going 10 be a delay of at least one mo nth in the final launch da te.
Call your colleague.
la ter the Slime dtly .
Ca ll 4
You receive a call back from YOllr colleague.
two week s later . ..
CaliS
Pre-pro duc tion pro blems haw been sor ted out. Youarc opt im istic th ai
you (an keep to schedule and that the product will be ready for launch by
June next year.
50 Photo<:opiabi e C O XF O R D UN IVE RSIT Y PRESS

Activity 8
Good and bad news (Pair work)
Student B
You and yo ur colleag ue work for a ph armaceu tical compa ny. Stude n t A
works in th e Research and Development Depart me nt. Yo u wo rk in th e
Mar ket ing Department. You both know t he compan y need s a new
product .
Call I
Th e mood in th e Ma rketi ng Department has not been good recen tly. You
know th at jo bs are th reatened unless you have a majo r new product ( 0
launch . You receive a call from your co lleague in Researc h and
Development.
one month later ...
Ca ll 2
Your departmen t has bee n tryin g to register the product . II seems a
competitor has already registered a similar p rod uct, so you r pro d uct, T451,
mig ht not be the b reakth ro ugh ever ybod y had ho ped for. Call you r
colleag ue in Research and Developm ent.
a fe w weeks later .. .
Ca ll 3
You receive a call from your colleague in Research and Development.
lata the same day ...
Call 4
You have just heard t hat th e competitor has run into problems. The
med ical authorities have not approved their product, after all. O nce agai n
yo u have a clear field. Call your co lleague in Research and Development .
two weeks later .. .
Call 5
Receive a call from your colleague in Research and Development.
Photocoplable C O X F O R D UNIVERSITY PRESS 51

Activity 9
Confirming In writing (Pair work )
St u dent A
Yo u work for a manufacture r of pr int ing machinery, Maxiprint. You are
plann ing to visit an agen t. St ude nt S, in a new market abro ad . Th e p urpose
of the visit is to meet potential customers. d iscuss distrib utio n
arrangement s, and decide on ma rket forecasts.
10 ma ke th is activi ty as realistic as poss ible. use your own experience to
d ecide on you r destinat ion.the tim e yo u spend there. and yo ur
relationship with th e agent .
Call t
Call your agen t a nd sec if you ca n agree th e best dates. Have your di ary
available.
Call 2
Yo ur agent will fax you with some suggested dates and app oin tm ent s. Call
him/her back 10 say they so und fine and th en d iscuss flight and
accom mo dation arra ngements .
Fax
Send a fax confirming yo ur flight times and reques ting details of hotel s.
Call 3
Yo ur agen t will call you about the fax yo u sent.
Call 4
Just before yo u leave. call yo ur agent and see if he/she can make an
appointment with a new contact yo u have made. Crossfield Impo rt and
Export Company, Someone has informed you tha t th ey did good bu siness
with th em a few years ago.
Pa x
Fax the de tails of the new contact , telep ho ne number, and add ress.
Call s
You will receive one final call from yo ur agent.
52 Photocoplable e OX f O R D UN IVER SITY PR ES S

Activity 9
Confirming in writing (Pair work)
Student B
You a TC an agent working abroad for a manufacturer o f p rin ting
m achinery, Maxiprint. A clien t is co mi ng to visit fro m the UK. T he
purpose of rhe visit is to meet po tent ial cu stomers, di scu ss di stribut ion
arra ngements, and decide on market fo recasts.
Call I
You will receive a call from your client to agree th e best dates for the visit 10
you r co u ntry. Ha ve your d iary avai lable. Take in to acco unt na tional
holidays and other local facto rs wh ich arc im porta nt whe n a rr a ngi ng
meetings wit h cus to mers.
Fox
Then send a fax confirm ing dates and that yo u will visit two pri n t shops.
Q uickprin t and John son's Priming Lid. as well as th e p rin t equip men t
dist ributors, Maxwell's, and Gu ggenheim's.
Call 2
You will receive a call in response to your fax. Be pr epared to give advice
about the best t ravel arrangem ent s. You will also have to recomm end some
hotels. Use your local knowledge o r invent som e.
Call 3
You will receive a fax from your client about travel de tai ls. It will also
request confirmation on hotels. Call and confirm that the hotel booking
has been made and th at th ere will be a car to pick him/her up at the airport
and take h im/h er to the ho tel. You will co me to the hotel in the morning at
8.30.
Call4
Yo u will receive on e more call from your clien t.
Fax
Follow ing th e above call. your clien t will send you a fax.
Call s
You t ry to make an appointment with the new contact. Unfortunately they
have gone out of business. Call you r client to let him/her know. \\'ish
him/ he r a good t rip.
Photocoplable C OX FO R D UN IVERSITY P R ES S 53
Activity 10
Managing a crisis (Pair work)
Student A
You ru n a t rai ning co m pany, Synergy. which provides technical and
managemen t train ing. You are in th e middle of a o ne-week progr amme for
production staff: Managing Quality in the Fact or y. For today's programme,
you ha d booked an outside spea ker. Dr Joh n Waite. who was due to r un
sessions on time ma nage ment and mo tivation. It is 9 o'clock and there is no
sign o f him.
Institute of Management and Technology

Courses 1996 - 1997
Time Management and Motivation Dr John Waite
Management Training Ma ry Walters
Managing Quality Control Mary Walters
Introduct ion to Management Diane Courtney
Ca lli
Call his office to find o ut whe re he is.
Ca ll 2
Cal l his o ffice aga in to see if on e of his co lleag ues, Ma ry Walters, is available
to take Dr Waite's place.
Ca ll 3
Receive a call from Dr Wait e's o ffice. Find out about the person the y offer as
a replacem ent . Arrange for the replace me nt to come to the tr aining cen tre
as soon as possible.
Ca ll 4
Ca ll the office again and say that Diane Co urt ney has arrived and all seems
to be goi ng well. Men tion t hat, in t he ci rcumstances, you would expec t
th ere to be a large reduction in the fee tha t Dr Waite would have cha rged.
54 Photocoplable C OXfORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Activity 10
Managing a crisis (pair work)
Student B
You work at the ln stitu tc o f Managem en t ,IOJ Tech no logy. You had
arranged for one of the staff, Dr John Waite, to r un a training da y for a
pri vate company called Synergy. As far as you know. Dr Waite is pla n ni ng to
be th ere.
Monday Mary Wa'Un; in AUf;tnJlia till Friday

7
T......y
8
Wednesday 9a.m.-4p.m. OrWaite
9 Synergy DayCOUI"!>e on nmt: Management
ana MotIVation
Thursday D;8rl(: Courtr1~ a way

10
Friday Or Waite l(:a~5 for SCotland
11
Calli
Receive a call from Synergy abo ut Dr waite. Yo u have no idea wher e he is.
Pro mi se to t ry and find him . Be as helpful as yo u ca n.
Call 2
Receive a second call askin g fo r Mary Walt er s, a colleag ue of Dr Waite. She
is in Aust ralia at the moment. Promise to get ba ck 10 Synergy as soon as yo u
have some news about Dr Waite.
Ca113
You have managed to speak to Dr Waite's assistant. He is somewh ere in
Scotl and. He ha s obv iously forgotten th e arrangement. The assistant , D ian e
Co ur tn ey, offer s to sta nd in fo r Dr Waite. Ca ll Syne rgy and apologise. Make
up a convincing excuse for Dr Waite's abse nce. O ffer the services o f Dia ne
Co ur tney. She is you ng but dyn a mic a nd a good spea ker.
Ca ll 4
Receive a final call fro m Syne rgy to discu ss th e fee th at the inst itute w ill be
charging for this train ing day. Dr Waite's fees are normally .900 a day. In
the circu msta nces, yo u must be willing to o ffer a co nsidera ble redu ction .
Dian e Courtney is a free lancer and you have agreed with he r a fee of 550
fo r the day.
Photocopla ble O U X FO R ll U N I V E RS IT Y PRES S 55

Effective Telephoning Teacher&#39;s Book by Comfort J.

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Effective Telephoning Teacher&#39;s Book by Comfort J.

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

~ I I.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Telephoning practice extension activ ities 35

Introduction to the course

The Student's Book

The Teacher's Book

Using the course

5 Use th e chec klist again to provide focused feedba ck o n Version 2.

6 One of yo ur students could take charge of replaying Version 2, Slopping the

2 The call students are about to watch should he a st ra ightforwa rd

5 Before you watch Version 2, ask your studen ts to anticipate the

Post-viewing 7 Pair work

3 Sounds and meaning

Post-viewing 7 Pair work

J Sounds and meaning

UNIT THREE 1')

2 If you feel it is necessa ry. )'OU ca n warn your students th ai it'll be an

3 Sounds and meaning

2 Th e impor tant poi nts here to underline are:

5 Watch Version 2. Dian e makes more effort to involv e herself in th e call,

3 Sou nds and meaning

2 This question provides an opportunity to talk about elements of

Viewing 4 Versio n I shows how telephon e calls ca n co me at the wrong mome n t,

5 Watch Version I agai n an d get yo ur students to reco mmend how Nick o r

Post-viewing Pair work

3 Sounds an d mean ing

2 The video extracts demonstrate th e importance of two -way

6 Detailed viewing will give you an opportunity to focus on:

2 T h is vocabulary exercise could be set for ho mework o r self-study,

3 Sounds and me aning

2, 3 These two exercises could be don e in pairs or fo r self-study. Th ey would be

4 Sou nds an d meaning

II For further practice, look at Telephoningpractice extension activities 1,2,

6 Detailed viewing will reveal th e mo re constr uctive responses.

Post-viewing 7 Pair wor k

2 This exercise could be set for self-study. If you do it in the classroom,

3 Sounds and meaning

4 These moments can easily be identified as mos t of what Diane says is

5 O ne viewing will probably be sufficient as the second version is short , with

3 Sounds and meaning

Act ivity Comm unication & language skill s page

7 Problem caUs Handling pro b lems 48-19

THE Crossways Club

Menus to suit all occasions

]6 Photocopiable e OX FORU UNIVERS ITY PRESS

Availab ility No bookings for Februa ry yet

Availability End of Febr uar y is n ne

Photocopiable O O XFO RD UN IVE RSITY PRESS 37

38 Photocopl able C O X FO R Ll US IVE RS ITY PRESS

,. The stand - YOli need a m inimum 0801 2

Photocopiable O X FO R D UNIVERSITY I'RESS 39

Monday 1000 -11:30 D~pa rtm enta l meeting

T......, 12.30 Lunchat Rob~;tos with David and Jay

WeclnMday 1000-11:30 Meeti~. Denton Pack8ging pte

40 Photocopiable C O X FO R D Ul"IVERSITY PR ESS

M ()Ild ay 0830 -1000 Sal~muting

7 1400 -1700 Key CU5tomer m eeting:;

M.....' Sal~5 trip to HaMMOV/!:r

Wednesday 1.300 -1800 Sal~5 t.r8iMiMtJ

Dsy off - 1o"!J wu k rld

Tuesday ExhitoitioM iM Ma nche5ter

Photocoplabl e e O X FO R D UNIVERS ITY PRESS 41

Megacom International '45 Sand gatan

To Fridopak Re . order No 0967 /31

Effective Telephoning Teacher's Book by Comfort J.

Effective Telephoning Teacher's Book by Comfort J.