Speaking English on the telephone

Speaking English on the telephone. How can I improve my speaking and understanding on the telephone? The task of speaking in a foreign language is a difficult one, but speaking on the telephone is even more difficult because you cannot see the person to whom you are speaking. When you have a conversation with …

Speaking English on the telephone.

How can I improve my speaking and understanding on the telephone?

The task of speaking in a foreign language is a difficult one, but speaking on the telephone is even more difficult because you cannot see the person to whom you are speaking.

When you have a conversation with somebody, even in your own language, you often observe their body language. Facial expressions and movements can express how the person feels and this helps you understand what they are saying or what they mean.

On the telephone it is quite different. You only have their voice. You must use all of your abilities in the language to understand what they are saying. You can’t see their faces, you don’t know if they look sure, unsure, happy, angry etc… You must use only their voice to know how they feel and what they are saying.

This is why it is much more difficult to speak in a foreign language on the phone than in person.

How can I improve my speaking and understanding on the telephone?

. Starting a conversation:
One way to improve your skills in this area of the language is by speaking to somebody on the phone, preferably a native speaker or someone with a high level of the language. Pick a topic and practise conversing about it. Ask the native speaker to take notes of your mistakes and relay them back to you at the end of the conversation.

Don’t spend too much time getting the other person to repeat something too many times, move on if you don’t understand it.

. Learn to listen:
Another way is to turn on a television programme but only listen to it, close your eyes and see how much you understand. Imagine the people on the show, how they look, what they might be doing, and how they feel. This will help you to learn how people feel and what they are saying without looking at them.

. Write dictations:
In class students often practise writing dictations. This is when the teacher reads a passage and the students write what they hear. When the teacher is finished reading the passage, the students can check it to see what mistakes they have made. This is a good way to practise listening and writing.

English courses-Callan School of English

Whichever way is best for you, is what you should do but it’s all about listening without seeing, so practise listening as much as possible.

About
Latest Posts

Glenn Harman

Profesor y Supervisor at Callan School

Glenn es un supervisor y profesor senior en Callan School Barcelona y enseña inglés desde 2010. Desde que se unió a Callan en septiembre de 2011, Glenn ha trabajado con miles de estudiantes para ayudarlos a mejorar sus habilidades lingüísticas. Glenn es oriundo de Dublín, Irlanda, y estudió periodismo antes de convertirse en profesor de inglés.
Cuando no está enseñando, le gusta jugar al
golf, viajar y seguir al Manchester United. Glenn también habla español e irlandés.

Glenn is a supervisor and senior teacher at Callan School Barcelona and has been teaching English since 2010. Since joining Callan in September 2011, Glenn has worked with thousands of students to help them improve their language skills.
Glenn is originally from Dublin, Ireland, and studied journalism before becoming an English teacher.
When he is not teaching, he enjoys playing golf, travelling and following Manchester United. Glenn also speaks Spanish and Irish.