You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name is Edwin and in today's lesson we're going to learn how to take or leave a message on the telephone.
You've probably experienced this situation before.
Someone calls your office and wants to talk to someone who isn't there.
So, what do you do?
You take a message, of course.
But how do you take a message?
Well, it starts with asking the caller if they would actually like to leave a message.
Then you'll get some information like who the person wants to talk to and what they want to talk about.
Also, don't forget to get the caller's number so the person can call them back.
And it's a good idea to check back with the caller that you've got the information correct.
Because incorrect messages can cause big problems.
But what if you are the caller and you want to leave a message?
Well, you can simply ask if you can do just that.
And then you'll give all the important details, like who you want to talk to, what you want to talk to them about and your phone number.
It's these techniques and language for taking and leaving messages that we'll learn today.
In the dialogue, we're going to rejoin a conversation between Claire and Nathan.
In our last lesson, we heard Claire answer the phone at a company called Airtronics.
Nathan is the caller.
He works for Cyclops Aircraft, and he's calling to talk to someone named George Klein.
But George isn't there, so Claire is going to have to take a message for him.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
1.
Why is Nathan trying to get in touch with George Klein?
2.
What part of the message does Claire repeat back to Nathan?
Three, near the end of the call, what does Claire say she will try to do immediately?
May I know what it's in connection with?
Perhaps I can take a message for you?
Well, Claire, this is very urgent.
I'm the subcontracts manager for Cyclops.
And the reason I'm calling is that I have some important information on a contract your company is interested in.
Could you get this information to George right away?
I'll see what I can do.
If I can get some important details on this contract, I should be able to get a message through to George.
Then perhaps he can call you back.
Okay.
Do you have a pen?
I'm going to give you my contact information and ask that he call me as soon as possible.
Just a second.
And yes, ready now.
Go ahead.
Getting it.
Okay.
Let me repeat that back to you.
That's 415-555-3567 at extension 309.
And he should call you right away.
Anything else?
No, that's the most important part.
Please tell him that this is about a very important contract and your company must send us a proposal before next Friday.
Okay.
Important contract and a proposal is due before next Friday.
I'll try to get this message to him immediately.
Very good.
Many thanks.
Bye now.
Thank you.
Bye.
Let's go through the dialogue again and learn more about the language that Claire and Nathan used in their telephone conversation.
As we go through the dialogue, we'll give you some more examples of useful language to practice.
Remember, Claire and Nathan have already started the call and Nathan wants to talk with George Klein, who isn't there.
So, what does Claire say?
Perhaps I can take a message for you?
Claire asks Nathan if she can take a message, and she does this very politely, saying perhaps I can.
There are other ways we can ask politely as well.
You may know that we often use would and could in polite questions.
And you've got a choice between asking if you can take a message and asking if the other person wants to leave a message.
Let's practice some of these ways to ask someone to leave a message.
I want you to repeat what you hear so you can practice asking the questions.
Would you like me to take a message?
Could I take a message?
Would you like to leave a message?
Would you care to leave a message?
Now what happens if you're the caller and the other person doesn't offer to take a message?
Well, in that case it's easy enough to ask if you can leave a message.
And once again, you can use polite question language and either ask to leave a message or for the other person to take one.
Let's try a few examples from the caller's side.
Remember, you just need to repeat what you hear.
May I leave a message?
Could you take a message please?
So, Claire has asked Nathan to leave a message.
Let's hear what that message is.
Well, Claire, this is very urgent.
I'm the subcontracts manager for Cyclops and the reason I'm calling is that I have some important information on a contract your company is interested in.
Could you get this information to George right away?
You'll notice that Nathan starts out by saying his message is urgent.
That means it's really important and should be passed on quickly.
Next, Nathan gives the purpose of his call, which is to give George Klein some important information about a contract.
How does Nathan introduce his purpose?
He says, the reason I'm calling is that.
That's a pretty clear way of introducing your purpose, isn't it?
But there are other ways too.
You can say that the call is regarding, concerning, or in connection with something.
Or you could say your call is about something.
All of these expressions have the same meaning.
Let's practice some more ways to state your purpose when you're leaving a message.
I'm calling about... The reason I'm calling is...
It's about.
It's in connection with.
Nathan has asked Claire if she can get some information to George right away or without delay.
And how does Claire respond?
I'll see what I can do.
If I can get some important details on this contract, I should be able to get a message through to George.
Then perhaps he can call you back.
Okay.
Do you have a pen?
I'm going to give you my contact information and ask that he call me as soon as possible.
Claire says she will see what she can do, which is another way to say she'll try her best to get the message through to George.
If you get something through to someone, you pass it on or give it to them.
And as you heard, Nathan begins to give Claire the details of his message.
So, once Claire has the details, what does she do next?
Getting it.
Okay.
Let me repeat that back to you.
That's 415-555-3567 at extension 309.
And he should call you right away.
Anything else?
When we take a message, it's a good idea to repeat the details for the caller, just to make sure you've got everything right.
That's especially important with a phone number because it's easy to make mistakes with numbers.
Claire lets Nathan know that she's going to confirm the information by saying let me repeat that back to you.
And when she does, Nathan can tell her if anything is incorrect.
You can confirm a message if you're the caller as well, simply by asking the other person to repeat it.
That way, you can avoid misunderstandings.
Let's try a few more ways to confirm a message.
Can I read that back to you?
Could you read that back to me?
So, let me make sure I've got your name right.
After repeating Nathan's phone number, Claire asked if there is anything else.
Let's get back to the dialogue to see what Nathan says.
No, that's the most important part.
Please tell him that this is about a very important contract and your company must send us a proposal before next Friday.
Okay, important contract and a proposal is due before next Friday.
I'll try to get this message to him immediately.
Once again, you can hear that Claire repeats what Nathan says, just to make sure she's got it right.
And there's one last thing that Claire does before they finish their call.
She states that she'll pass on the message.
Or as she says, she will try to get this message to him immediately.
That's a way of assuring the caller that you'll communicate the message.
And remember Nathan said his message is urgent, so Claire wants to make sure that he feels confident that she'll pass it on right away.
Saying you'll pass on a message is easy.
All you need to do is say, I will, and then something to mean you'll give the person the message.
So let's try saying you'll pass on a message with a few more examples.
I'll give her the message.
I'll make sure she gets the message.
I'll pass the message on to Mr. Phillips.
Claire has done a good job of taking an important message from Nathan.
And Nathan should feel confident that his message will be passed on in good time.
Now, let's practice some of the language we've just learned.
We're going to do a role-play practice.
You'll be the person answering the phone at an office.
The caller wants to talk to someone who is not in the office, so you'll have to take a message.
You'll start by asking to take a message.
Then you'll confirm the information the caller provides.
And finally, you'll say that you'll pass on the message.
At each step, you'll hear a statement from the other person.
Then I will suggest how you can respond.
Just follow my suggestion and we'll provide an example answer after the practice.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Could I speak with Daniel Miller, please?
Now, say that Daniel is not in the office and ask the caller if you can take a message.
Yes, this is Rita Maxwell at 443-2929.
Now, confirm the information the caller just gave you.
That's right.
Please have Daniel call me as soon as possible.
Finish by stating that you'll pass on the caller's message.
Now, let's listen to an example answer.
I'm afraid Daniel is not in right now.
Can I take a message?
Yes, this is Rita Maxwell at 443-2929.
Okay, let me just make sure I've got that right.
Rita Maxwell at 443-2929?
That's right.
Please have Daniel call me as soon as possible.
I'll make sure he gets the message.
To finish off, let's practice some of the vocabulary and expressions we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear, You can say I really need that book as soon as possible, so can you send it right away.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Answer.
Every engineer needs to know how to write a good project proposal.
Ivan's not here right now, but I can get a through to him by email.
Answer.
Ivan's not here right now, but I can get a message through to him by email.
I need to talk with the manager immediately about a very problem.
Answer.
I need to talk with the manager immediately about a very urgent problem.
That's all for this lesson about taking and leaving messages on the telephone.
We've learned how to take or leave a message and how to state the purpose of your call.
We've also learned how to confirm the information in a message and to tell a caller that you'll pass the message on.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
