Phrases for your role and your contacts
The first three each have a fixed preposition, so learn them whole. With “work”, the preposition changes the meaning: “I work for a bank (employer), in Compliance (department), with two lawyers (people), on fraud cases (task).”
- deal with – handle: “I deal with delivery complaints.”
- be responsible for – have the duty to manage: “She’s responsible for the monthly sales report.”
- report to – have as your manager: “I report to the regional operations director.”
- contact – a person you deal with for work: “My contact in Finance can confirm the payment.”
- workload – the amount of work you have: “My workload is heavy this month.”
Present simple for your role, present continuous for this week
Regular duties take the present simple: “I manage twelve client accounts.” Things happening now or for a limited time take am/is/are + -ing, often with “this week” or “until Friday”: “I usually deal with supplier calls, but this week I’m covering client calls too.” State verbs such as “need” stay simple: “I need more time.”
- “We’re reviewing the workload.” – an action around now
- “She isn’t taking calls today.” – a negative, today only
- “Are they meeting a client?” – am/is/are before the subject
- “I’m working from Porto this week.” – a temporary situation
Sharing urgent calls while a colleague is away
Name the problem, give the facts and agree one change with a review date. Notice “You’re handling …” (temporary), “Let’s divide …” (a suggestion) and “I’ll take …” (an offer on the spot).
Maya Why is the regional team missing deadlines?
Owen You're handling three offices and too many supplier calls while a colleague is away.
Maya What can we change this week?
Owen Let's divide urgent calls by region. I'll take the northern region, and you can keep the other two. We'll review the workload on Friday.
Taking a call and checking the details
A call moves from greeting and company name to the request, the caller’s name and reason (“I’m calling about …”), then a message. Say numbers digit by digit, in groups: 079 44 621 is “zero seven nine, double four, six two one”. Ask “Could you spell your surname?”, spell hard letters with a word (“That’s B as in Berlin.”) and check: “Let me read that back.”
Maya Good morning. Northline Tools.
Ms Rahman Could I speak to Lina Park, please?
Maya Who's calling?
Ms Rahman Amira Rahman from Delta Foods. I'm calling about Tuesday's visit.
Maya She's in a meeting. Can I take a message?
Ms Rahman Yes, please ask her to call me before four.
Writing a short contact plan
A five-part plan keeps calls from getting lost while a colleague is away. Give every action an owner.
- Situation: “The regional team is missing deadlines while a colleague is away.”
- Key facts: “I coordinate three regional offices; my colleague manages twelve client accounts.”
- Decision: “We’re dividing urgent calls by region: my colleague takes the north, and I keep the other two.”
- Owners: “My colleague and I.”
- Next step and deadline: “We’ll review the workload on Friday afternoon.”
Common mistakes
These make your role sound unclear:
- “I’m reporting to the operations director.” A permanent role takes the present simple: “I report to the operations director.”
- “She not taking calls today.” Add am, is or are: “She isn’t taking calls today.”
- “I’m responsible of the report.” Use “for”: “I’m responsible for the report.”
A 10-minute daily practice routine
Practise out loud, in this order:
- 3 minutes: describe your job in four sentences: responsibility, manager, colleagues and what you deal with.
- 2 minutes: say three things that are different this week: “This week I’m …”
- 2 minutes: say three phone numbers in groups and spell your full name.
- 3 minutes: replay both conversations, repeat each line, then take the call with your own name.
What comes next
Next, report a product test and say what the evidence does not show, then plan a visit with several hosts. At B1, you write a proposal with terms and review dates.