When you are talking on the phone, what can you do if the listener cannot
understand an important word that you are saying, even after you repeat it
slowly? For example, your name, address, website, or city?

You might spell the word, but the listener may not hear the letters correctly.
If I spell my name, “R-O-B-I-N”, the listener can easily confuse the letters.

To make sure important words are understood over the phone, we can use
a 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵, or a 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥-𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵. These are a list of words
that represent letters of the alphabet. If I use a 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵 to clarify
my name, ROBIN, I could say “That’s ‘R’ as in 𝐑omeo, ‘O’ as in 𝗢scar, ‘B’ as in
𝗕ravo, “I” as in 𝐈ndia, and ‘N’ as in 𝐍ovember.”

The most well-known 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵 is the NATO alphabet. This
alphabet is commonly used by airports, military, and sea travel. Many other
professionals who exchange important information over the phone also use
it.

See the article below and learn the NATO alphabet! It can come in very
handy for anyone, whether English is our first or second language.

How would you ‘spell’ your name using the NATO alphabet?

If English is your second language and you are interested in enhancing
aspects of your English communication, 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙘𝙝 at speech3.com
provides customized training focused on effective, clear, and confident
speech.

NATO Phonetic Alphabet (Alpha, Bravo Charlie, Delta…) – Worldometer

The NATO phonetic alphabet is a Spelling Alphabet, a set of words used instead of letters in oral communication (i.e. over the phone or military radio). Each word (“code word”) stands for its initial letter (alphabetical “symbol”). The 26 code words in the NATO phonetic alphabet are assigned to the …

Should we say “𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫!” or “𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫’𝙨͇!”? 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: Always say “Happy New Yea𝐫”, with 𝐧𝐨
“s”!

Many of us 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 say “Happy New Year’𝐬!”, because we hear 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 phrases such as: “On New Year’s, I usually spend time with my family” , or “What are you doing for New Year’s?” These phrases are correct because we are implying either New Year’s 𝐃𝐚𝐲 or New Year’s 𝐄𝐯𝐞. We use ‘𝒔 here because we’re referring to a specific day, not the whole year 2020.

The following article from 𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲.𝐜𝐨𝐦 further explains when to correctly use New Year vs. New Year’s. Many of us use the incorrect phrase, whether English is our first or second language. Check it out!

So, Happy New Yea𝐫! Also, enjoy New Year’𝐬 with your friends and family 🙂

If English is your second language and you are interested in enhancing aspects of your English communication, 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙘𝙝 provides customized training focused on effective, clear, and confident speech.

New Year’s vs. New Year: How To Ring In The Year With Good Grammar

From appropriate apostrophes to correct capitalization, here’s what you need to know to kick off the year with good grammar.

Are you comfortable asking people for clarification when you don’t understand them? How about offering clarification to make sure people understand you?

Some of us may not like to ask for clarification because we don’t want to seem inattentive or disrespectful. We may hesitate to offer clarification because we don’t want to be perceived as lacking confidence in our speech or in other cases, patronizing.

However, being completely confident with both of these is useful, and in some cases crucial, for successful communication. This is true whether English is your first language or second language.

The article below, from ThoughtCo., provides common phrases that you can use to effectively clarify and check information. 

When using these phrases, it’s also important to use the right tone. For example, using a polite and professional tone may be appropriate in most of these situations.

Observe how others ask and give clarification. Consider recording and re recording yourself saying some of the phrases until it conveys the attitude you wish to express.

If English is your second language and you are interested in enhancing aspects of your English communication, Progressive Speech provides customized training focused on effective, clear, and confident speech.

How to Politely Ask Someone to Rephrase or Confirm Something

During business meetings, with directions it’s important to make sure you’ve understood everything. Clarify information in English with these phrases.

This article, from the British Council Voices Magazine, highlights the
importance of English 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 or the ‘music’ of English. Using incorrect
intonation can lead to major misunderstanding, even if English is our first
language!

If English is your second language 𝙖𝙣𝙙 you feel that your speech sometimes
limits your effectiveness, then sharpening your English intonation skills can
help minimize the chances of miscommunication.

The article explains two simple ways to begin improving our English
intonation: be aware of how others use intonation and examine our own
intonation. During the day, notice how others use the music of their speech
to express themselves. Also, record and re-record your own voice regularly
until it conveys the attitude you wish to express.

If you are interested in more formal training in English intonation,
𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙘𝙝 provides customized lessons to strengthen your
intonation for effective, clear, and confident speech.

How English learners can improve intonation

What is intonation and how can you improve this aspect of your pronunciation? Fazle Muniem, a teacher at the British Council in Bangladesh, explains.