Speaking on the phone in English can be nerve-racking for English students.  Nerve-racking means causing stress or anxiety.  You already feel nervous speaking English, and speaking in English on the phone makes you even more nervous.

First of all, speak clearly and slowly. Enunciate your words, and avoid mumbling or speaking too fast. Enunciate means to pronounce clearly.  The second tip is to listen carefully.  If you cannot hear or catch what the other person is saying, don’t panic. Ask the person to repeat by saying, “I am sorry.  I didn’t quite catch that.  Could you repeat what you just said?”

Use appropriate language and be respectful.   Here are some essential phrases.

1. When you are answering a call for work, state your name and company name.  For example, “This is Audrey from ABC company. How can I help you?”  or you can state the department where you are working in. “This is Audrey in the Accounting Department.  How can I help you?”

 2. If you are the one making the call, say, “this is Audrey calling from ABC company.  I am calling about..  ( you state the reason why you are calling).  If you know the person that you are calling, maybe you speak to her regularly, you can speak less formally.  You can say, “Hey, it is Audrey over at ABC Company… I just want to… ( and you state the reason why you are calling).

 3. You are asking to speak to someone specific on the phone. Example, “Hi, this is Audrey from ABC company.  May I speak with Laura?” or you can say “Is Laura available? “.

 If it is not important who you want to speak to, but you need to speak to somebody inside a specific department, you can ask, for example, “could you connect me with someone in the Accounting Department?”

4. When you are answering a call and you need to put someone on hold because you are searching for information, or you are looking for the person, or you are simply too nervous and need to calm down and think about what to say, here are some phrases to say when putting someone on hold.  “May I put you on hold?”, “Could I ask you to hold for a moment?” “Would you mind holding for a moment?”

I hope these phrases help.