Telephoning- Dictating & Checking/Clarifying

Telephoning dictating and checking/ clarifying practice

 

Part One: Kinds of things in dictate and check

Dictate things from this list to your partner(s), speaking as quickly as possible at first. Your partner(s) can interrupt, ask you to speak differently and check what you said as many times as they like, then they will show you what they’ve written to check. You might want to (secretly) write down the thing that you will dictate before you start speaking.

• Home phone, including area code
• Office phone, including extension number if you have one
• Mobile phone, including instructions for international dialling
• Email address
• Website or particular webpage
• Postal address
• Search terms that they should put into Google etc
• Directions to get somewhere
• Some amounts of money (prices etc, including foreign currencies)
• Some product or service names and/ or numbers
• An order and/ or delivery reference number
• A reservation reference number (e.g. for a flight)
• Some large numbers
• Some small numbers, including decimals and/ or fractions
• Some dimensions
• Some dates and times
• Some difficult to spell words, e.g. foreign town names
• Instructions on how to use something with several steps, e.g. how to delete a programme from their computer
• Some financial data, e.g. profit margins, interest rates or exchange rates
• Two or more sentences with (lots of) punctuation

Useful language for checking/ clarifying Can I (double) check…?/ Just to (double) check,…           Can I check that back/ read that back?/ Let me read that back (to check). Can you repeat the first part/ middle part/ last part/ whole thing/ from…/…? Can you say it again/ one more time (more slowly)?     Can you spell that/…?/ How do you spell…? Could you speak (a little) slower, please? Did you mean (to say)…?                              Did you say… or…? Do I need any punctuation (in that email address)?        Do you mean… or…? I didn’t (quite) catch…                                 I guess you mean… I understood up to…                                  I’m not familiar with… Is that (one word/ B for Bobby/ one five…) (or two words/ V for Virgin/ five oh/…)? Is that spelt with a… (or a…)?                          Is that… as in…? So, that’s…, right?                                    What does… mean?

 

Do the same, but this time your partner(s) will compete to ask as many different checking/ clarifying questions about each one as they can (including checking things back). Then do the same, but as complete telephone conversations.

 

Part Two: Specific things to dictate and check

Student A

Dictate the things below to your partner as fast as you can. Only say each one once. They will double check if they are not sure what you said. Don't say the words in brackets () unless your partner asks about that. Don’t use gestures or write anything for your partner.

1. 730 9065 (telephone number)
2. 0932 4555 7122
3. 012 022 3344
4. 911               (emergency phone number)
5. alexcase@hotmail.co.uk
6. english.adventure.or.jp
7. East Dean
8. central station
9. 1999 (year)
10. 2:45 (time)
11. 07:20
12. 04:14
13. 30^th March
14. 12:00
15. 12 dolls
16. twenty Won
17. $199
18. tree
19. four
20. it was fast
21. the fourth
22. 16
23. 1 1/2
24. a quarter
25. 000015
26. 155,000
27. 772,114,320
28. 1,100,000,000
29. B
30. C8
31. G
32. etch
33. Q
34. double BV (=BBV)
35. we are

 

Check what your partner chose on their worksheet, then discuss how best to explain the differences between the things above and the other things on your partner’s list.

Do the same again with the same information, but this time with your partner pretending they don’t understand and using as many of different phrases as they can to double check.

Now write down the things that you hear your partner dictating. You will only hear each number once quite quickly, but you can ask questions to check, as long as you use a different question each time that you check something.

Ask your partner to check your answers.

Discuss the reasons for any differences between your answers and what they were supposed to dictate.

Do the same, but this time pretending you don’t understand and asking as many different checking/ confirming questions as you can.

Roleplay whole phone conversations including the things above, checking even if it is easy to understand.

Do the same with your own real model numbers, real dimensions, etc.

 

Student B

Listen to your partner saying things from below as quickly as they can and try to choose the correct one. They will only say each one once so you should check any which you aren’t sure about. Please use a different phrase each time you confirm something. 

1. 730 9065 (telephone number)                     7,309,065                       (large number)
2. 0932 455 7122 0932 4555 7122
3. 012 022 3344 01 2022 3344
4. 911 (emergency telephone number)             9/11       (date of World Trade Centre attacks)
5. alexcase@hotmail.co.uk alex_case@hotmail.co.uk
6. english-adventure.or.jp www.english.adventure.or.jp
7. Eastdean East Dean
8. central station Central Station
9. 1999 (year) 1,999 (number)
10. 2:45 (time) 45 (number)
11. 07:20 19:20
12. 04:14 04:40
13. 13^th March 30^th March
14. 00:00 12:00
15. 12 dollars 12 dolls
16. twenty one twenty Won
17. $199 $100.99
18. three tree
19. four                             foe
20. it was first it was fast
21. the fourth the force
22. 16 60
23. 1/2 1 1/2
24. a quarter a quota
25. 000015              0.0000015
26. 155,000 1,155
27. 772,114,320             77,211,432
28. 1,100,000,000 1,000,000,001
29. B V
30. C8 she ate
31. G Z
32. H etch
33. Q coup
34. double BV (=BBV)               WBV
35. VR we are

How can you pronounce each of the things above? How can you clearly show the differences between things on the same line and/ or check those things?  

Do the same again, but this time pretending that you don’t understand and asking as many different checking/ confirming questions as possible.

Now dictate the numbers below to your partner, saying each one as quickly as you can but pausing between each one and answering any questions they might have. Don’t give the information in brackets () unless they ask for it.

1. 097 377 652
2. +92 (0) 898 444 5555
3. grant-young@yahoo.com
4. william_s_williams@gmail.es
5. http://www2.growing.co.uk
6. head-lice.gov.uk
7. the green park
8. Old Market Square
9. 30^th May
10. 1973 (year)
11. 1,653
12. 15:55
13. $19.99
14. 15
15. 00134
16. 2/3
17. 1 1/6
18. 1/100
19. 232,754
20. ex-colleague
21. X-ray
22. DGZ719
23. JJ729
24. VOA

Show this list to your partner and check that you both have exactly the same thing. If there is something different, which of you made a mistake and what was it? 

Do the same, but this time with your partner really knowing the answer but pretending they don’t and asking as many checking/ confirming questions as possible.

Work together to say the things above as many ways as possible, including extra information to make sure that the person listening doesn’t get confused.

Roleplay whole phone conversations including the things above, checking even if it is easy to understand.

Do the same with your own real model numbers, dimensions, etc.

Part Three: Checking/ Clarifying telephoning roleplays

Choose roleplays from below, roleplaying the whole conversation each time.

1. Ask them to dictate something to you
2. Check and double check the message they give you.
3. Dictate a complex email address to your partner, saying it really quickly the first time
4. Dictate a complex website address to your partner, saying it really quickly the first time
5. Dictate a name and postal address to your partner, saying it really quickly the first time
6. Someone left a number on your answer machine, but you couldn’t understand any other parts of the message
7. The information they need is on a difficult to find page of your website
8. The other person is speaking too quietly
9. The person who phones you starts talking about an urgent matter but you have no idea who is speaking
10. The person you are speaking to gives you lots of numbers very quickly
11. The person you are speaking to talks quickly and says numbers and names you need to write down without pausing
12. The receptionist mispronounces your name
13. There is a lot of background noise their end
14. There is a lot of background noise your end
15. They need to speak to your colleague who is sitting nearby to get the information they are asking for
16. They need to speak to your colleague who isn’t there to get the information they are asking for
17. You are being asked to agree to something but still don’t really understand what is being proposed
18. You are put through to the wrong person
19. You can’t find that caller’s details on your computer system
20. You can’t hear the person’s voice very well
21. You can’t understand about 50% of what is being said
22. You have dialled the wrong number