Hi everyone, and welcome back to Coffee Break English. I'm your host（主人） Emma, and guess what? Today we're taking a trip down memory lane（(乡间)小路） to a time before texts and instant（立即的） messaging dominated（控制） communication. That's right, we're talking about using the phone at home. The trusty landline phone. While technology has changed the way we connect, knowing proper（适合的） phone etiquette（礼节） is still super（特级的） important.

  So whether（ 是否） you're living with roommates, have a chatty family, or simply（简单地） want to brush up on your skills, this episode（插曲） is for you. Absolutely（完全地）. Today, we'll be brewing up a conversation about answering the phone politely（有礼貌地）, taking clear messages and leaving voice mails that get the job done. By the end of this episode, you'll be a phone answering pro ready to tackle（处理） any call that comes your way. Let's start with the basics, answering the phone. Imagine this, the phone rings and you pick it up.

  What's the first thing you say? A simple hello, is always a good starting point. But to sound even more courteous（ 有礼貌的）, you can add a greeting like good morning, or good afternoon depending on the time of day. Exactly, no, sometimes you might not know who's calling. What do you do then? No worries（ 担忧）, a polite may I ask who's calling, please.

  Is a great way to find（找到） out. This lets the caller（访客） know you're expecting someone specific, and avoids any awkward（尴尬的） confusion（混乱）. Perfect. And what if it's someone you're expecting, but you're unavailable（难以获得的） to talk right then? Here's where things get interesting. Let's say your friend Sarah calls, but you're in the middle of cooking dinner.

  You can say something like, "Hi Sarah, this is Emma." Thanks for calling. I'm just in the kitchen right now, would you mind holding for a minute? Great suggestion, Anna. This way, you acknowledge（承认） the call. Let Sarah know you'll be with her shortly（立刻）, and politely ask her to wait.

  Remember, using phrases like（喜欢）, "Would you mind shows courtesy（礼貌）?" and "helps keep the conversation friendly?" Absolutely, taking messages is another important phone skill. Imagine you pick up the phone for your roommate, David, who's out for the evening. Okay（好）, I can picture（画） that. So what do you say? Here's a good format（开本）. Hello, this is Emma speaking.

  Can I take a message for David? This lets the caller know who they've reached, and that you're willing（愿意的） to take a message. Now, the caller might say something like, "Hi Emma, this is Sarah." Can you tell（ 告诉） David I called? I'm free for lunch tomorrow, so tell him to give me a call back if he's interested. Great.

  So how would you write down that message for David? Here's the key, be clear and concise（简明的）. Write down the date and time of the call, the caller's name and phone number, if they provide it, and the brief（简短的） message itself. In this case, you'd write something like, "March（三月） 23rd, 2 p.m. Sarah called. Free for lunch tomorrow, wants you to call her back." Excellent.

  This way, David has all the information he needs to return the call when he's available. Now, what if the caller leaves a longer message with specific details? Don't worry. Just listen carefully and try to write down the key points. If you miss something, it's okay to politely ask the caller to repeat it. For example, you could say, "Sorry, could you repeat that last part?" Perfect.

  And what about leaving voicemails? Sometimes we might reach someone's voicemail instead of speaking directly（直接地）. What are some good tips for leaving a clear and concise voicemail? First impressions（印象） matter. Even on voicemail. Start by introducing yourself clearly.

  Say something like, "Hi, David, this is Emma calling. I just wanted to." And then continue with your message. Great point. And what if your message is a bit longer? Keep it brief and to the point. State the reason for your call.

  Give your phone number clearly and let the person know when you're available to talk again. Here's an example, "Hi, David, this is Emma calling. I'm calling about borrowing your lawnmower this weekend, like we discussed. My number is 555-1234. I'm free most of the afternoon on Saturday, so just give me a call back if that works for you.