Know the telephone alphabet. ... W William I Isaac X X-ray J

1
SECRETARIAL PROCEDURES AND SECRETARIAL ENGLISH

• UNIT SEVEN USING THE TELEPHONE
• UNIT EIGHT TAKING SHORTHAND
• ASSIGNMENTS

2
UNIT SEVEN USING THE TELEPHONE

• (Liu Lin is in her office. The telephone is
  ringing.)
• Who's Calling, Please?
• Liu General manager's office. Can I help you?
• Caller Ah, yes. I'd like to speak to Mr. Gale
  Thompson, please.
• Liu Who's calling, please?
• Caller Emma Fox.
• Liu Mr. Thompson is away today. I'm his
  secretary. Perhaps I can help you, Ms Fox.
• Caller Well ...
• Liu Shall I have him call you tomorrow?
• Caller Yes, my telephone number is 621-642267.
• Liu Shall I give him any message, Ms Fox?
• Caller No, thanks.
• Liu Thank you for calling, Ms Fox, Goodbye.
• Caller Goodbye.

3
Would You Hold on, Please?

• Liu 23267981. May I help you?
• Caller Hello. Is Mr. Thompson there?
• Liu I'll see if he is in the office. May I tell
  him who is calling, please?
• Caller Jane Graham.
• Liu Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you repeat
  it?
• Caller It's Graham, Jane Graham.
• Liu Hold the line, please, Ms Graham ... Ms
  Graham, I can put you through to Mr. Thompson
  now.
• Thompson Hello, is that Ms Graham ...?

4
Would You Like to Leave a Message?

• Liu Miss Liu speaking. Can I help you?
• Caller Hello. My name is Jim Adams and I work
  for the Far East Trading Company. Can I speak to
  Mr. Gale Thompson, please?
• Liu Mr. Adams, I'm afraid Mr. Thompson is out at
  the moment. Would you like to leave a message or
  would you like to ring back later?
• Caller What time could I reach him?
• Liu He is expected to be back by three.
• Caller Well, I think I'll leave a message. Could
  you tell him that I called? I leave for New York
  this afternoon and I'll contact him when I get
  there.
• Liu I'll do that. Thanks for calling, Mr. Adams.
  Goodbye.
• Caller Thanks, Goodbye.
• (Liu Lin takes the message.)

5
Telephoning

• Telephoning in a language which is not your
  own is not easy. You should be aware that the
  person you are speaking to may have difficulties
  too. Therefore keep the following points in mind
• Speak clearly. Use clear articulation and try to
  avoid difficult words and long sentences if it is
  not necessary to use them.
• Do not speak too fast. Keep in mind that many
  people tend to speak too fast when they are
  nervous. Hardly anyone ever speaks too slowly.
• Confirm what you have understood. This is
  especially important if the other person gives
  addresses or dates.
• Be polite. Start and end the conversation
  politely. Try to avoid being too direct. In
  English this is often done by using would.
  Compare I want some more information - I would
  like to have some more information.
• Be efficient. Make sure that you have prepared
  the call and know what you want to say and how
  you want to say it in advance.
• Know the telephone alphabet. This is particularly
  important if you have to spell names and
  addresses. You should also know the names of
  symbols which are used in names and addresses,
  such as the hyphen and the tilde.
• Know frequently used expressions.
• Listen carefully, so that you do not need to ask
  the other person to repeat information.

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International Telephone Alphabet

• Letter Telephone alphabet
  Letter Telephone alphabet
• A Alfred
  P Peter
• B Benjamin
  Q Queen
• C Charles
  R Robert
• D David
  S Samuel
• E Edward
  T Tommy
• F Frederick
  U Uncle
• G George
  V Victor
• H Harry
  W William
• I Isaac
  X X-ray
• J Jack
  Y Yellow
  
• K King
  Z Zebra
• L London
• M Mary
• N Nellie
• O Oliver

7
Symbols

• Symbol Name
  Example
• ' apostrophe
  O'Donnell
• _at_ at
  stewart_at_
• ABCD capitals
  UN
• - dash
  32 - 78 Hills Road
• é e acute
  René
• è e grave
  Monière
• - hyphen
  North-east
• abcd lower case characters
  hiv
• tilde
  Señora
• ü u-umlaut
  Zürich

8
Idioms Telephoning

• Answering the phone
• Good morning/ afternoon/ evening, Jackson
  Enterprises, Sally Jones speaking.
• This is speaking.
• How can I help you?
• Could you speak up, please?
• Who's speaking, please?
• Am I speaking to ?
• Could you spell that please?
• Who would you like to talk to, sir/ madam?
• One moment please, I'll see if Mr Jones is
  available.
• Asking for someone
• I'd like to speak to
• Could I speak to someone who
• Could you put me through to Mr Jones, please?

9
Idioms Telephoning

• Problems
• I'm sorry, I don't understand.
• I cannot hear you very well.
• You must have dialled the wrong number.
• I've tried to get through several times, but it's
  always engaged.
• Putting someone through
• I'll put you through to
• I'll connect you to
• I'll put on the line.
• I'm sorry, there's no reply from Mr Jones.
• Putting someone on hold
• Just a moment, please.
• Hold on, please.
• Hold the line, please.

10
Idioms Telephoning

• Asking someone to call back
• Thank you for waiting. I'm afraid Mr Jones is not
  in at the moment.
• I'm sorry, Mr Jones is in a meeting.
• Can/ Could you call back later in the day?
• Taking a message
• Can I take a message?
• Would you like to leave a message?
• Can I give him/her a message?
• I'll tell Mr Jones that you called.
• I'll make sure Mr Jones rings you as soon as
  possible.
• At what number can you be reached?

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UNIT EIGHT TAKING SHORTHAND

• Here is Your First Lesson in Taking Dictation.
• (This is Liu Lin's second week at work.)
• Mr. Thompson Will you come in please, Lin, and
  take a letter?
• Liu Oh, dear, this pen has run out of ink, can I
  go and fill it?
• Mr. Thompson Here is your first lesson in taking
  dictation. Never arrive without spare pens and
  pencils. And make sure that every page has a
  margin wide enough to make notes and amendments
  during dictation.
• Liu I'm sorry, Mr. Thompson. I should have
  thought of that myself. It's so obvious. Well
  ..., may I ask you something?
• Mr. Thompson Yes, please.
• Liu If I don't understand a word or a phrase
  when you are dictating, or I know I've taken down
  something wrongly, would you like me to try and
  work it out for myself later or ask you during
  dictation?

12
Here is Your First Lesson in Taking Dictation

• Mr. Thompson Obviously, you'll have to use your
  judgment. I don't want interruptions every other
  minute, but I'd rather you asked at the end of
  the letter than spend hours struggling. I'd
  prefer to explain while it's still fresh in my
  mind, and I certainly don't want you to give me a
  letter to sign and then find an error in it.
• Liu I always use a dictionary if it's just the
  spelling I'm unfamiliar with, but sometimes you
  use technical terms that I haven't heard before.
• Mr. Thompson Well then, whenever we're
  interrupted by the telephone or a caller it will
  give you an opportunity to read through your
  notes and circle anything that worries youthen
  you can ask me before we go on. Let's get
  started.
• Liu A moment, please. I'll just find my place.
• Mr. Thompson Ah, that's another thing it's a
  good idea to put a rubber band around all the
  used pages so that you don't waste time looking
  for your place. Now, are you ready?
• Liu Yes.

13
Reading Comprehension
Some Helpful Hints on Letter Taking

• If your boss tries to dictate at approximately
  the same time each day, stay at your desk
  awaiting this call. If you must leave your desk,
  tell a coworker or leave a note of your errand
  and the expected time of your return so that you
  can be located if necessary.
• Before leaving your desk to take dictation or
  for any extended time for that matter cover,
  put away, or lock up all confidential papers and
  those of more than general interest. Ask someone
  nearby to take care of your telephone calls and
  visitors.
• You may resent being called to dictation when
  you are engrossed in other work but, when the
  call comes, do try not to act annoyed at being
  interrupted. Go to your boss' desk with an
  attitude of willingness and helpfulness.
• During dictation, when your boss receives a
  personal call, leave the office quietly, stay
  nearby so that you can return as soon as the call
  is finished. When a visitor comes in who will
  undoubtedly stay for a while, take your materials
  to your desk and start transcribing. When
  dictation is resumed, read the last several
  sentences in your notes without being asked to
  help your boss regain the thought.
• Leave several lines between items of dictation
  or leave the right column blank to provide room
  for insertion, changes and instructions.
• Date each day's dictation on the first page with
  the month and day in the lower right corner in
  red pencil. If the dictation load is heavy, add
  am or pm to the bottom-of-page notation.

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Shorthand

• Beginner
• Knows some symbols
• Intermediate
• Takes notes to remember Shorthand
• Advanced
• Uses some symbols while taking notes

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Shorthand for Note-taking in Class

• Use accepted shorthand symbols below for common
  words. Develop your own symbols for phrases
  specific to your course or technology.
• against  vs and 
  parallel   //
• association  assoc department  dept
  equals 
  
  not equal  ?
• money  government 
  govt individual  ind.
• information  info introduction
   intro leads to/becomes 
• maximum  max for example  e.g.
  primary  1
• minimum  min that is  i.e.
  secondary  2
• number  percent 
  organization  org
• should have  s/h should not  s/n
  should be  s/b
• technology  tech therefore  \
  with  w/
• 
  without  w/o

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UNIT NINE DIARIES You Should Never
Rely on It

• (During the coffee break, Cherry and Liu Lin are
  discussing ways and means of remembering the
  use of memory aids.)
• Cherry How's your work recently?
• Liu Pretty good.
• Cherry When does Mr Thompson leave for the
  Guangzhou Fair?
• Liu Oh, I've forgotten. But I can tell you
  because I made a note in my diary.
• Cherry That illustrates the point I was about to
  make. No matter how good a memory you think you
  have, you should never rely on it.
• Liu I agree with you. It's necessary to make
  notes about anything important.
• Cherry A desk diary is probably the most
  commonly used memory aid in offices.
• Liu I see.
• Cherry I always keep my reminders in my desk
  diary. I must look at it every day. You know,
  it's my job to compare it with John Prince's desk
  diary.
• Liu So that you two will not overlap?
• Cherry Exactly. Confusion would result if the
  two diaries were not coordinated. On the other
  hand, I can remind John Prince of his
  appointments and make sure that I have entered
  all his engagements in my own diary.
• Liu So John Prince would make appointments and
  so would you.

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You Should Never Rely on It

• Cherry That's right. If you make entering and
  checking diaries a daily routine, there is no
  problembut once you let a day go by without
  bothering, there is no end to the confusion.
• Liu That's true indeed.
• Cherry However, problems can still arise when an
  engagement has been overlooked.
• Liu So you have to take immediate action?
• Cherry Yes. Once, John overlooked an appointment
  with a Mr. Rix one morning. Mr. Rix waited in a
  restaurant for half an hour, but John Prince had
  left for England that morning.
• Liu What did you do then?
• Cherry So I had to apologize on John Prince's
  behalf, take the blame on my own shoulders and
  try to make amends.
• Liu Was he happy?
• Cherry A little bit annoyed, but he was kind. I
  was just about to tell him that John Prince's
  deputy might take his place when I discovered
  that the deputy happened to be out that morning,
  too.
• Liu What happened then?
• Cherry I volunteered to meet Mr. Rix myself!

18
Readings

• Diaries are an essential part of daily planning.
  They give the day's program at a glance, and, in
  addition, they enable a secretary to space out
  appointments and to allow time between callers,
  visits, meetings, and dinner engagements for the
  boss to actually get on with some work.
• Two of the three diaries are kept in the office
  one on the manager's desk and another,
  identical one on the secretary's desk. Frequent
  checks must be made during the day to make sure
  all engagements have been entered in each diary
  this is easy to do and is a very important part
  of the daily routine.
• The third diary is the one kept in the manager's
  pocket and in which engagements made over lunch
  or dinner can be jotted down. Tact and diplomacy
  are called for on the part of the secretary, who
  must make a regular, brief inquiry about the
  pocket diary, perhaps at the end of the morning's
  dictation, and transfer any engagements to the
  two desk diaries kept in the office. A quick
  check in the diaries should be one of the first
  duties a secretary carries out each morning. In
  your textbook you may find examples of the two
  desk diaries kept by the boss and his secretary.

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Diaries and Planning

• The diary is a major tool for both the
  secretary and the boss. An effective diary system
  is invaluable, a deficient system causes friction
  within the office and can create huge problems
  outside.
• All sorts of different diary systems exist,
  you will have a chance to compare your systems
  shortly. In the meantime here are some things to
  think about in relation to diaries.
• How Many?
• Control
• Preferences
• Planning Meetings
• Stress

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Diaries and Planning

• How Many?
• Should there be one diary or two? If two,
  then how do you keep them synchronised? Some
  people work with a detailed short-term diary and
  a less detailed long-term planner.
• Control
• How much control do secretaries have over
  the diary? What can they commit their bosses to?
  This is a special case of the general issue of
  delegation. It is an axiom of delegation that you
  should not delegate a task without also
  delegating the authority to complete that task.
• Preferences
• Develop a clear understanding of diary
  preferences. When are good times? What times must
  be avoided at all costs? Where does the boss like
  to have meetings? etc.
• Planning Meetings
• The diary can be the focus for a variety of
  planning meetings. These can be short-term,
  looking at the next week or so, or they can be
  longer-term, the next few months. In both cases
  the secretary can play an important role in
  alerting bosses to important deadlines, potential
  overloads, etc.
• Stress
• More and more people are under more and
  more pressure. Secretaries and bosses may see
  signs of stress in each other earlier than do
  other people. The effective management of the
  diary can be a good way of controlling stress.
  Please spend a few minutes in your groups
  comparing your diary systems and noting the
  strengths and weaknesses of the different
  approaches.

21
Assignments

• 1. Have a brief revision of Unit 7 and 8
• Read the notes following Section One in your
  textbook
• Finish all the exercises which are not covered in
  class, then refer to the key
• 2. Listen to the following talks on telephoning
• Leaving a message
• Leaving a voicemail message
• 3. Refer to the following web pages for related
  information
• about Office English and Shorthand
• Miscellaneous learning materials