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Business English for the workplace.
Hi, Tim here with another 9 to 5 English lesson.
In today's lesson we're going to learn how to end a phone call in English.
Last time we looked at lots of useful expressions for answering the phone and starting a call.
But what about ending a call?
If you finished your conversation, what can you say to end the call politely?
Well, for starters, one thing you want to avoid is just suddenly saying goodbye.
To end a business call professionally, there are three simple steps to follow.
First, you signal that you want to end.
Secondly, you review your action points and finally you say goodbye.
Now, signaling that you want to end a call often starts with a word like well, so or okay.
These words show that you want to change the subject.
Then you can thank the person and say you need to go or make a general comment.
Let's practice some of these ways of showing that you want to end a call.
Listen to each example, then repeat it for yourself.
Ready?
Let's get started.
Well, I should probably get going.
It's been great to chat.
So, thanks for all the information.
Okay, I've got to run here.
These types of comments signal an end to the conversation.
You might have noticed two different expressions that mean you have to leave a situation.
First was, I should probably get going.
And the second was, I've got to run.
These are just friendly ways of saying I need to leave now.
A business call is like a little meeting, so the second step in ending a call is reviewing the actions you've discussed.
Often this means stating what you will do next, like i'll send you the file tomorrow.
And if you want to confirm what the other person will do or what you'll both do, you can turn your statement into a question using a tag.
That might sound like, so you'll review the proposal next week, right?
Let's try some other examples of reviewing next steps.
Remember to repeat the examples after you hear them.
So, I'll send you that file tomorrow, and you can let me know what you think.
Alright, so we'll be chatting again next week, right?
I'll have that package sent off right away.
I'll look out for your email later today.
One expression you might have noticed there is I'll, or I will have that package sent off, for example.
What does it mean to have something done?
It means you make sure the thing is done.
It might be you, it might be someone else, but you will make sure it's done.
All right, so you've signaled that you want to end the call and you've reviewed next steps.
Now you're ready to sign off or say goodbye.
There are many ways to say goodbye in English.
You can wish someone a great day or a good weekend or good luck with something.
And we often say take care or mention when we'll talk again.
Let's practice some more ways to sign off at the end of a call.
Once again, repeat the examples after you hear them.
Take care, Amy.
We'll talk again soon.
Alright then, have a good weekend.
Good luck with your presentation.
Did you hear that expression, bye now?
You might also hear people say, bye for now, or maybe...
By then, these are just common and friendly ways of saying goodbye.
So, we've practiced some useful expressions.
But how do these sound in a conversation?
Let's listen to a short dialogue between Mark and Leslie.
Both people are signaling they want to end the conversation and using expressions to sign off.
Let's listen.
Well, I hope your interview goes well.
Thanks, Kevin.
It's been great to chat.
For sure.
Glad we could catch up.
All right then.
Have a good weekend.
How did that sound?
Leslie thanks Kevin for saying he hopes her interview goes well.
Then she makes a comment about their conversation.
Mark responds with his own comment and Leslie signs off by wishing him a good weekend.
Now it's your turn to practice.
We'll repeat the dialogue, but this time we're going to beep out the second speaker's words.
You will have to say those parts yourself.
Remember to thank Kevin and say, It's been great to chat.
Then you'll wish him a good weekend.
After using the expression, all right then.
Well, I hope your interview goes well.
For sure.
Glad we could catch up.
Well, that's all for this lesson.
We've learned a three-step process to ending a business call.
This includes signaling you want to end the call, reviewing the steps, and saying goodbye.
We'll be back soon with some more useful English expressions.
Until then, so long and happy learning!
