Informal giving bad news phone call line by line brainstorming

Informal giving bad news phone call line by line brainstorming

 

Instructions for teachers

Give out one model dialogue per group of two or three students. Ask students to cover the whole text. Ask them to brainstorm how such a telephone conversation might start, then look at just the top hint to see if they have the right idea. After brainstorming again if the hint was different from what they said before, ask them to look at the next line to check what was actually said. They should then brainstorm the response to that line in the next line, again first of all without looking at the hint. Students then work together to brainstorm the whole conversation in the same way, always brainstorming before they look at the hint and then again if the hint is different from their ideas.

After finishing the line-by-line brainstorming and asking about any phrases that they don’t understand, students can:

• underline useful language in the text, brainstorm similar useful language, and compare their extra phrases as a class
• say a description from anywhere in the text and see if their partner can say a suitable line (other acceptable things not in the text also being okay)
• say a line from anywhere in the text and see if their partner can say a suitable response (the response in the text, or anything else that might be okay in that situation)
• say a line from somewhere in the text, see if their partner can respond, then roleplay the rest of the call together from that point all the way to “Goodbye” at the end
• put a cut-up version of the text in order like a kind of jigsaw (with or without the hints)
• cover more and more of the text with strips of blank paper as they say it over and over (as a kind of disappearing text)
• roleplay the same situation, with no help if possible
• roleplay the same situation, but communicating by email
• roleplay the same situation, but changing the level of formality
• roleplay different situations with the same level of formality
• roleplay making a complaint/ reporting problems

The receiver answers the phone with just their own name

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Receiver: Graham Macdonald.

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The caller greets the receiver and says who they are

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Caller: Hi Graham. It’s Sarah.

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The receiver responds and thanks the caller for their (return) call

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Receiver: Hi Sarah. Thanks for calling me back.

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The caller responds and starts the topic of an email that they sent

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Caller: No problem. So, did you see my email about the delivery?

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The receiver responds negatively, with a reason

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Receiver: I’m afraid not. I’m out of the office at the moment.

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The caller gives some bad news, including a reason and a possible solution

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Caller: Well, I’m sorry to say that the ship has had some kind of accident. I’m really sorry but we’re going to have to make another shipment from the factory.

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The receiver responds negatively and asks for more details

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Receiver: I see. Can I ask how long that will take?

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The caller answers the question (politely)

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Caller: I’m afraid it will take at least three weeks, maybe four.

The receiver responds negatively (politely but quite forcefully) and asks for a different solution

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Receiver: Hmmm. I understand the position you are in but I’m afraid that isn’t really acceptable. We have to deliver to our customers within three weeks or we’ll have to pay a late delivery fine. Is there no other way of sorting this out?

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The caller explains another possible (but not certain) solution

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Caller: Well, we may be able to deliver from China, but I’d have to check with my boss. 

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The receiver responds positively and mentions future contact

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Receiver: That would be much better if possible. Could you possibly find out and call me back?

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The caller gives details of the future contact

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Caller: Of course. I’m afraid my boss is in a meeting at the moment but I’ll phone you again at around 10:30.

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The receiver responds positively

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Receiver: Okay. Great. Speak to you then.

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The caller thanks the receiver for not being angrier and mentions the future contact

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Caller: Thanks for your understanding. Speak to you later, then. Bye.

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The receiver says goodbye

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Receiver: Bye.