Automated Phone Menu systems

Question

Very frequently when I call a business or organization I get an automated phone message with several questioins to answer before I can talk to a person.
"Press one for Sales" etc.
This is very frustrating to ESL learners. Does anyone know of any prepared materials (with tapes or CDs) to help ESL learners practice deal with automated phone menus? It is a kind of Listening skill.

Somebody must be making this kind of material. Where can I find it?

Thanks

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Very frequently when I call a business or organization I get an automated phone message with several questioins to answer ... deal with automated phone menus? It is a kind of Listening skill. Somebody must be making this kind of material.[/nq]
Why? As a product it sounds like it would have a very limited market.
[nq:1]Where can I find it?[/nq]
Not everything you can conceive of existing exists, even in the wonderful world of ESOL. And it would be difficult to design materials that covered the many different sorts of situations encountered when phoning, banks, airlines, ticket agencies, surgical truss manufacturers...
The difficulty for learners using the phone is that without being able to see the other person's face you lose a great many of the non-lexical clues that help communication. I work on this by having students sit back to back when doing simulated phone conversations.

If you're going to classes, why not explain the problem to your teacher and see if s/he can run through some situations with you and the class.

Mind you, native speakers hate those automated services too.

DC

Usenet · Answer

I am the teacher (and native speaker as well)
I assumed this was a newsgroup for ESL educators, place where teachers could share what they have found.
Sorry you don't know of any resources available. If nobody has done something like this, someone should. Its really in the same vein as other listening comprehension exercises that practice basic skills through examples. Actually the set of things to be covered is much more limited than in a 'normal' conversation.
Do you know where a professional ESL group can be found. I used to belong to TESL-L about a decade ago, that had the attention of thousands of experienced teachers and would elicit multiple responses. Where is it now?

Tom

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I am the teacher (and native speaker as well)[/nq]
Mmm. You have a creative approach to article use.
[nq:1]I assumed this was a newsgroup for ESL educators, place where teachers could share what they have found.[/nq]
Yes it is mostly.
[nq:1]Sorry you don't know of any resources available. If nobody has done something like this, someone should.[/nq]
Maybe you should give it a go it then. But do you really think this is a skill area students are crying out for practice in? Would you expect to make a profit selling such software? And just out of curiosity, are you working with immigrant students in the US?
[nq:1]Its really in the same vein as other listening comprehension exercises that practice basic skills through examples. Actually the set ... decade ago, that had the attention of thousands of experienced teachers and would elicit multiple responses. Where is it now?[/nq]
Where it's always been (& I'm a member)
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/~tesl-l/
BTW, this group usually frowns on top posting.
DC

Usenet · Answer

Strange attitude you have. Critizing my articles while dangling your participles.
I geuss I am used to more professional responses. I will keep looking. I'll let the group know if I find anything
Good Luck to you
Top posting usually refers to false posting dates on messages. Do you do that?

Usenet · Answer

Hello Tom,
I live in a foreign country and have a poor grasp of the language here. I have had to deal with banks, etc. with this kind of system and I admit it can be frustrating. I vaguely remember seeing something like this in a business English coursebook once: you should check the business English courses.
Otherwise, why don't you make your own listening comp exercise? All you need these days is a cheap microphone and either a home cassette recorder or a PC. I remember doing some pronunciation recordings for a class with a five dollar PC mike and a free trial sound editing program. It didn't seem very difficult at the time.

Good luck!
Jan

Automated Phone Menu systems

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