3. Read the text. Telephone etiquette

Just because you can’t see the caller, it doesn’t mean you have the right to suspend the normal rules of politeness. Be helpful to the caller even if the subject of the call is not strictly speaking your field of responsibility. This means trying to find someone who can help now, or someone who can ring them back later. Don’t put the caller on hold and then leave them suspended there indefinitely.

Remember too that you give out subliminal signals by the tone of your voice, the clarity with which you speak, how fast you speak, the pitch of your voice. You should always devote your full attention to the call; mistakes and misunderstandings will arise if you are doing something else at the same time. Even if the call is a difficult or heated one, stay calm; try to be helpful and never slam the phone down.

Things to avoid when on the phone

It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that because your caller can’t see you, they won't be affected by what you are doing and what's going on around you. Remember not to:

• let it ring more than four times

• eat and drink while talking on the phone

• be too familiar

• talk to someone else in your office

• have too much background noise

• speak too quietly or too loudly

• speak too quickly.

4. Decide if the statements are true (t) or false (f).

18. Eat and drink while talking on the phone

19. Even if the call is a difficult or heated one, stay calm; try to be helpful and never slam the phone down.

20. Don’t speak too quietly or too loudly

21. Don’t talk to someone else in your office

22. Be helpful to the caller even if the subject of the call is not strictly speaking your field of responsibility.

5. Put the verbs in brackets into correct tense.

Stephen 2 ________ (work) as a manager. He is in the office now. He 24 ________ (take part) at the meeting with his foreign colleagues. Stephen 25 ________ (stay) in London at present, but he 26 ________ (fly) to Egypt tomorrow to discuss some issues. His flight 27 ________ (leave) at 6 a.m. and although he 28 ________ (like) travelling, he 29 ________ (hate) early mornings.

6. Match the tenses with their meaning.

30. Jack works as a manager.

31. He is taking part at the meeting with his foreign colleagues.

32. He is staying in Moscow at present.

33. He is going to Lion on Sunday.

34. His flight leaves tomorrow morning.

35. He likes his job.

a. temporary situations

b. schedule actions (timetables)

c. future arrangements

d. actions happening now

e. likes and dislikes

f. permanent states

7. Put the words in the correct order.

36. usually / week / all / work / the / hard / I.

37. coming / delegation / to / is / A / French.

38. prices / to discuss / meet / the / We / week / can / later.

39. the / please / line / Hold.

40. colleague / trip / a / your / business / is going on.

41. Mr Brown / have / with / an / I / appointment.