Unit 4(a) Telephoning

I. Teaching Objectives:
i. To practise telephoning language (including leavinf and taking messages)
ii. To practise listening for gist and specific information
II. Materials needed: Cassette Pass Cambridge BEC Preliminary
III. Teaching Process:
i.Unit overview
Getting through
Listening1: Ss listen to six telephone calls and match the cards with the
correct descriptions.
Speaking: Ss produce appropriate responses to telephone phrases. Ss then
listen again to identify the actual responses used in the calls.
Language focus: Ss review will for immediate decisions, offers and
promises. Ss then do a matching exercises with phrases
will.
Reading: Ss find a telephone conversation in a maze.
Speaking: Ss select two items from the maze to make their own telephone
conversation.
Reasons for calling:
Listening 2: Ss listen to a telephone receptionist take a message and note
down the information before listeing ahain for specific phrases.
Speaking: Ss do an information gap ativity, giving and taking telephone
messages.
Self-study
Reading: Ordering exercise (telephone conversation).
Gap fill exercise (telephone conversation).
Exam practice: Multiple choice reading comprehension exercise.
ii.Detailed study of this unit
Step1 Getting through
Warmer: T asks Ss about their current use of English for telephoning. Lead a
brief discussion of the problems. Ss experience in this area.

Id like to speak to
Can I speak to?

This isspeaking. Id like to speak to

?
Whos calling / speaking, please?
May I have your name?
Whos calling?
This is Betty speaking.
Betty from London.
Can I speak to William Grogan, please?
Ex 1. Ss listen to six phone calls and identify their content.
Notes:
Cosmetic products
D. The caller will phone again later because the other person is not available.
Ex.2 Ss work in pairs to produce suitable responses. Ss are expected to suggest
any possible answers. Ss then listen to the cassette again and compare
with what the speakers actually said.
Note:
1. Ill put you through.
Please put me through to
2. Can I take a message?
Leave a message.
3. Could I have extension 184, please?
Please give me extension
4. He should be available after lunch.
Ex.3 Ss match the statements and responses.
Step 3. Reading
Ss do the telephone language maze in pairs. T first ensures the task is clear to Ss
by starting the maze as a full group activity: T asks Ss which squares on the first
line would be possible to start a conversation ending with Fine, Mr. Murphy.
Ill give him your message.T then asks Ss to scan the rest of the maze to look
for names which recur to help them to eliminate some of the options. Ss then
find the only route which leads to the end of the maze. Ss role-play the dialogue.
II.Reasons for calling.
Step 1. Listening
Ex.1 Ss listen to a telephone conversation and complete the phone message
form.

Note: the Health and Safety Council

the First Aid Course
Ex.2 Before Ss listen again for the relevant telephone phrases, T asks Ss to
predict the language.
1. Could you spell?
2. Im calling about
3. Sorry, did you say? So, thats
Step 2. Speaking
Ss work in pairs and use the activity sheets on page 125 and 129 to give and take
telephone messages. They should check each others messages at the end of the
activity. T may wish to have Ss role-play their conversations to the rest of the
group.
II. Selfstudy
Help Ss finish selfstudy exercises.

Unit 4b Internal communication

I. Teaching Objectives:
i. To practise writing memos and e-mails
ii. To practise making requests and talking about obligation
II. Materials needed: Cassette Pass Cambridge BEC Preliminary
III. Teaching Process:
i.Unit overview
Memos, notes and notices
Warmer: T quickly elicits differences between memos, notes and notices.
Reading: Ss scan memos etc. for general information and answer questions.
Ss brainstorm differences between memos, notes and notices.
Language focus: Ss review the language of requests and obligation
/necessity.
Speaking: Ss exchange informaton about internal communication in their
own companies.
Writing memos:
Listening: Ss take notes from a telephone conversation.
Language focus: Ss review language of requests in memos.
Writing: Ss write a memo from their notes.
Writing e-mails:
Spaking: Ss practise saying e-mail and website addresses.
Writing: Ss write an e-mail from written stimuli.
Listening: Ss take notes from a telephone conversation.
Writing: Ss write an e-mail from their notes.
Self-study
Writing: Ss turn a memo into a personal note.
Ss write a short note from written stimuli.
Exam practice: Memo writing (writing Test Part 1)
ii.Detailed study of this unit
Step 1.Memos, notes and notices
Warmer :T quickly brainstorms the basic differences between memos, notes and
notices. Answers can include very basic information about purpose and use..
Ex.1 Reading
Ss quickly scan the various forms of communication to get some general
information about the company, its markets and activities. Ss are free to interpret
the information as they wish.
Notes:
1. Meeting with Veronique Loboeuf cancelled = Meeting with Veronique

Loboeuf has been cancelled.

2. ASPA=as soon as possible

Ex.2 Reading
Ss scan through the text once more and find the relevant information. T asks Ss
to answer the six questions from memory. Ss should identify the passages in
support of their answers.
Ex.3
T encourages Ss to discuss the uses of the three media, the type of information
communicated and the potential reader. Many of the differences between the
documents will depend on the writer / reader relationship rather than
conventions
1. Memo: addressed to group or individuals. More formal status than a note.
Formal style, no omission of words, no abbreviations, formal style of
address, use of job titles
2. Note: addressed to an individual. Informal , short , abbreviations,
contractions, omission of subjects, auxiliaries and articles, use of first
names.
3. Notices: not addressed to anyone in particular. Formal style, no contractions,
no ellipsis, no abbreviations.
Ex.4 Functions
In feedbacks, Ss supply the phrases in their full sentences. It is very useful to
focus on it to encourage Ss to use such forms in their notes and memos.
1. Request : Please ( send)
Could you (give?)
Could you (meet?)
2. Obligation / necessity: Please go ahead
You need to arrive
It is essential that (everyone books)
Salary sheets should arrive
Ex.5 Speaking
Ss work in pairs and discuss the type of internal communication. They also
express their opinion as to how effective the communication is.
Step 2 Writing memos
Ex.1 Listening 1
T plays the cassette once for gist and asks Ss what Sarah is calling about. Ss
then listen again and take notes in order to obtain the information needed to

write the memo information needed to write the memo in Ex.2.

Ex.2 Writing
Ss now compose a memo to send to Henrys salespeople. Ss write the memo
individually. T reminds Ss that complete fulfillment of the task is essential in the
exam: Ss should therefore check that all essential information is included.
Step 3 Writing e-mails
Ex.1 Speaking
T asks Ss to read each other the e-mail and website addresses, referring them to
the vocabulary as necessary.
Ex.2
Ss take turns in dictating their own e-mail and website addresses to each other.
Ex.3 Writing
Ss read the e-mail and the note. T asks several questions to check
comprehension. T elicits the relationship between Sue and Henry and asks Ss
how formal they think the e-mail should be. Ss then work in pairs or
individually to write the e-mail.
Ex.4 Listening 2
T sets the scene and tells Ss to take notes from the telephone conversation. T
plays the cassette twice and elicits feedback to check comprehension before
asking Ss to write the e-mail for Steve Cooper. Ss work individually or in pairs.
Ss present their draft to other Ss for feedback on task completion, accuracy and
register.
Step 4 Self-study
Help Ss finish exercises in Self-study.