Tips to improve your English communication skills over the telephone

English speaking has become a must in the modern world where English happens to be a common language spoken and understood all over the world. After completion of studies when you step into the world of your career, you need to improve the way you communicate with people over the telephone.

Telephone skills are the most important aspect of being successful in many jobs like call center, receptionist, customer services desk and so on. When you work on the phone all day as a customer services representative, the telephone is the one and only tool that will make or break your success.

Here are some tips to improve your English speaking on the telephone:

Speaking slowly and clearly is the first step to good communication. If English does not come to you naturally, it is very difficult for the person you are talking with to understand you. Pay special attention to your weak areas when you are on the phone. If you are not confident enough, you can also practise or write down what you are going to say and take a few deep breaths before you make a phone call.

In order to have a successful communication, you not only need to make yourself clear to the listener, you also have to understand everything you hear over the telephone. Do not hesitate to request the other person on line to repeat and confirm information from time to time. Don’t be afraid to remind the person to slow down more than once.

Practise, practise and practise because this is the only key to perfection. Try to practise for at least fifteen minutes each day with a friend. The most important thing about practising telephone English is that you aren’t able to see each other’s mouths.

Record your conversations and then listen to it later when you are free. This will help you identify your mistakes so that you can improve on the problem areas.

Use the phone as much as you can in your everyday life. Call for a pizza delivery instead of going out to eat. Call a salon to book a hair appointment. You can even phone the movie theatre to ask for the listings or book your tickets. Some products have free phone numbers on the packaging that you can call for information. Try calling them to get more information on the product.