1. Telephone Techniques

There are four main techniques when using the telephone in English.

These techniques are the key for improving your telephone English.

1a. Relaxing

1b. Speaking More slowly

1c. Repeating Only What You Hear

1d. Lying on the Phone

1e. 21 Telephone Tips

Here are 20 tips for using the telephone in English.

Practice these techniques, until you feel very comfortable using them.

Introduction

This book will improve your telephone English easily, quickly and smoothly.

All the information you need to be better at making and answering telephone calls is contained here.

Why is it called The Telephone?

Tele means distance or far away. Think tele-vision, tele-scope and tele-port.

Phone -as in phonetic means sound.

The origin of the words is Greek.

So telephone means - sound from a distance.

1a. Relaxing

Relaxing is Very Important in Telephone English

If you are relaxed your brain works better and faster.

If you are tense or nervous your brain doesn’t work so well.

For example, if you are tense when taking an exam, English people will often say:

My mind went blank.

It seems that people just can't remember the things they need to know if they feel like they are under pressure.

There is a scientific reason for this and is to do with the structure of the brain.

The Panic Part of the Brain - The Amygdala

The main part of the brain is called the cerebrum.

The cerebrum is the part of the brain that we associate with intelligence and thinking.

Signals from the outside world don't go directly to the cerebrum; signals from senses such as the ears or the eyes go to a kind of switchboard.

This is called the amygdala.

This amygdala works like a very fast but stupid computer; it is very useful in dangerous or panic situations.

Examples of Real Panic Situations

1. A tiger walked into your room right now.

2. You touch something hot.

3. You suddenly hear a very loud noise, such as a car backfiring.

So in any situation where you panic, where you think you might be in danger, the amygdala goes into action.

The amygdala stops information reaching your thinking brain.

If you touch something hot, you don't want your cerebrum to spend time thinking:

Oh, my hand is burning; I’d better move it away...

You automatically and extremely quickly move your hand away from the danger.

So when the amygdala senses danger, it switches off the connection to the cerebrum and reacts automatically.

This was great 10,000 years ago, but it is not so useful now.

If you become tense when you speak English, your amygdala disconnects your cerebrum to a certain extent.

You will find it becomes much more difficult to speak and understand English.

To switch off the amygdala you have to learn to relax.

You can of course relax by having a beer or smoking cigarettes but that's not readily appropriate in an office situation!

English Is Not A Panic Situation!

People sometimes tend to panic when they're using English, especially in business situations.

Remaining calm is extremely important, not only for telephone English, but for your overall mental and physical health.

How to Relax When Speaking English

1. Set in a comfortable position.

2. Breathe slowly and deeply through your stomach.

3. Think relaxed thoughts, such as remembering your favorite place, a happy time or even your favorite food that you ate with friends.

4. If you are in a noisy room, move to a quite place if you can.

5. Smile when you're using the phone. People can tell if you're happy by the tone of your voice, if you smile the tone of your voice will be happier.

Summary

If you relax, you will find it not only easier to speak English on the telephone, but to speak English generally.

In short, relaxing in most situations is an important life skill that you should master.

In addition, being relaxed also makes you much more productive.