SPEAKING ON THE PHONE
The following activity is based on the above clip. English language learners sometimes have trouble being understood in face-to-face conversation. The likelihood of being misuderstood increases when speaking over the phone. This activity allows students to practice leaving voicemails in English in a low-pressure situation. It also helps show learners how important tone of voice is in insuring they accurately convey their message. Though I have not yet used this activity, I do hope to try it out in the future.
ACTIVITY
Video Analysis:
-
Speaking clearly, with comprehensible sounds: It's very important to speak clearly when on the phone.
-
Using stress and intonation to emphasize or draw attention to things, express emotion or attitude, etc.: When speaking on voicemail, you only have so long to get your point across. Using stress and intonation can help add another layer of meaning to what you say. I believe the above video does a good job of showing how different tones of voice can change the meaning behind the message (i.e. Troy's first attempt at leaving a message vs. Jeff's first attempt).
-
Speaking spontaneously with limited/no preparation time before speaking: Voicemail often catches us off-guard. We expect to talk to the person we call and usually don't prepare for what we'll say on voicemail. The above video.
-
Giving neither too much nor too little information: Voicemails can only be so long. It's important to only give the needed information so that you don't get cut off and have to call to leave a second, follow-up message. I believe the above video does a good job of showing how Troy and Jeff are only attempting to give Abed the information he needs in their voice messages (i.e. meeting Troy at the flagpole in 10 minutes).
SLOs: Students will be better able to understand the significance of tone of voice. Students will be better able to leave voicemails in English.
Activity:
First, I would break the class up into pairs. I would then distribute a pile of the following set of cards to each pair, face-down, instructing them not to look.
Students would then alternate turns selecting one card from the pile. The student who picks the first card would have 20 seconds to look at the card before having to put it face-down back on the table in front of them. Their partner would then say the following: "Hello, this is __________. Sorry I missed your call! Please leave a message after the beep. BEEP." The student who drew the card would then leave a message in the tone provided giving the information needed for their card. If necessary, at the 1 minute mark, the student's partner would say "BEEP," signaling the message is too long and their message has been cut off. The pair would then discuss whether they thought the message was conveyed in an appropriate or inappropriate manner, placing the card in either the "Appropriate" or "Inappropriate" pile. Then the other student would take their turn. This continues until all cards have been done.
Once the students have finished, I would ask the students, as a class, which cards were inappropriate and what they could do to make them appropriate messages.
Rationale:
I designed the above activity because I believe it hits all key aspects of leaving a voicemail. The time constraint will require students to try to leave only the relevant information. Limiting the amount of time they can study their card gives them a limited amount of prep time. Providing tones that are either appropriate or inappropriate given the context of the message shows students how tone of voice can alter the meaning of a message (for example, leaving a sarcastic apology will never end well).