How to leave a message. In this lesson we'll look at one of the most important skills we need in order to speak fluently on the phone in English.
Do you want to leave a message for someone? This is a very important part of speaking on the phone in English. There are several ways to do this in English. Let's take a look!
1. Could I leave a message, please?
This is a very simple phrase, and easy to remember:
Could I leave a message, please?
We can also use:
Could I leave a message for him/her, please?
You can use 'can' instead of 'could' if you want to. It does not change the tone or meaning of the question very much:
Can I leave a message, please?
Can I leave a message for him/her, please?
The answers
If the person you are talking to is professional and polite they will be happy to take a message.
Of course.
Yes, of course.
Of course, go ahead.
Now let's look at some alternatives:
2. Could you give him/her a message. please?
Here is a different way to ask to leave a message:
Could you give him/her a message (for me)?
Taking a message
In another class in this course we look at how to take a message. Here are two examples:
Would you like to leave a message?
Would you like me to take a message?
A simple phone conversation
Here is a simple example:
Good morning, DataTech.
Good morning. Could I speak to Tara Smith, please?
I'm afraid she's not in today.
Could I leave a message, please?
Yes, of course, go ahead...
The Message
Now let's look at different types of message:
Could you ask him...
We can start almost any message using the following form:
Could you ask him/her...
For example:
Could you ask him/her to call me, please?
Could you ask him to send me the report as soon as possible?
Could you tell him...
If we want to give information, we can use:
Could you tell him/her...
For example:
Could you tell him that I called.
Phone conversation two
Let's continue the conversation which we started above:
Good morning, DataTech.
Good morning. Could I speak to Tara Smith, please?
I'm afraid she's not in this morning. She will be back this afternoon though.
Could I leave a message, please?
Yes, of course, go ahead...
Could you tell her that I rang? It's Sam Jones*.
Certainly Sam. Does she have your number?
Yes she does.
Ok, well, I'll give her the message as soon as she comes in this afternoon.
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Giving basic information
Do you remember how to introduce yourself on the phone:
This is + YOUR NAME
It is + YOUR NAME
It's + YOUR NAME
If we are giving a message, we can also say:
My name is...
In another class we looked in more detail at how to give your name when you speak by phone.
Basic examples:
It's James Smith from Adtech*
*Smith is the most common surname in the United Kingdom.
Giving our telephone number
This is easy! Let's start the phrase using:
My number is...
Or we can use:
The number is...
In the English-speaking world we normally give telephone numbers in groups of three digits:
My number is 234 567 890
The number is 774 556 992
The message
When we give the message we will often use the verbs 'tell' and 'ask'. He are some examples with 'tell':
Could you tell him that the meeting has been cancelled?
Could you tell her that the client is very angry and needs the report as soon as possible?
If we want the other person to do something we use the verb 'ask':
Could you ask him to call me as soon as possible?
Could you ask her to send me the new catalogue by email?
Phone conversation three
Let's continue the conversation which we started above:
Good morning, DataTech.
Good morning. Could I speak to John Smith, please?
I'm afraid John's in a meeting all afternoon. Can anyone else help?
Not really. Could you give John a message, please?
Sure...
Could you ask him to send me the new catalogue by email?
Of course. Could you give me your name and email address.
Yes, it's Sam Jones and my email address is samtheman@jonesandcompany.com
Sorry, could you spell your email address that for me?
Yes, it's samtheman: S-A-M-T-H-E-M-A-N, at jones and company.com. Thats: J-O-N-E-S-A-N-D-C-O-M-P-A-N-Y, dot com
Ok, Sam, I'll leave a note for John and ask him to email you the new catalogue as soon as possible.
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Communication problems
When you talk on the phone in English with people in other countries you will always have some communication probems. Don't worry! It happens to everyone. You may need to spell names or words so that the other person understands.
To do this correctly you will need to know the alphabet in English!
The alphabet
Listen to the alphabet:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Here is an example of a caller spelling two common British surnames:
It's James Smith. My surname is spelt: S-M-I-T-H
It's Tim Jones*. That's T-I-M J-O-N-ES
*Jones is the most common surname in Wales.
It's spelt / spelled
The past participle of the verb 'spell' is 'spelt' in the United Kingdom but is written 'spelled' in the United States. However, the pronunciation of the two forms is very similar.
Remember
Surname - Your family name
First name - The name which identifies you personally.
Name - This can mean 'first name' or 'first name + surname'.
British surnames
In the English-speaking world most people have just one surname. This comes AFTER the first name.
It is very important to know how to deal with communication problems and misunderstandings. We take a look at this subject in great detail in another class.
Be prepared
Before you make a phonecall you need to be prepared. Do you know how to spell you name? Do you know how to give your email address? Make sure you prepare properly before picking up the phone!
