Please leave a message after the beep (listening activity, 30-40 minutes)
In this activity students will listen to a number of common answering machine messages and answer questions based on those messages.
Before class you will need to prepare about 10 recorded voice messages. You can do this digitally on your computer if you have speakers to hook up to them, or with a radio and tape deck. Leave 10 messages that all have the same general structure but differ in the content.
An example message, “Hello, you’ve reached the office of Jake Hillman. I’m not in at the moment. Please leave a detailed message with your name, number, and best time to call. I will get back to you as soon as I can.”
Of course you can adjust the complexity according to the students’ level.
Explain to students that, in western countries, it is common to leave voice mails on answering machines and they will be listening to examples of answering machine messages. Read them an example to give them an idea.
Put students in teams of 2-4. Give them a sheet of paper with a few questions for each voice recording you have prepared (e.g. what is the name of the person on the recording? What does the person ask the caller to leave in their message? Is this answering machine at a home or at a workplace?)
Give them a few minutes to look over the question sheet if you think they need it. Then play each voice recording and give them a minute between each to write answers.
It will help if you can get a few different voices on the recordings. Ask your friends to help. If nobody is available then try to vary your own voice and use different intonations.
The winning team is simply the team that answers the most questions correctly.
If your class is small enough (10 or less students) then have them make their own voice mail recordings after the activity. Give them a few minutes to plan their message and record them as they speak. Play the recording of their voice back to them and see what kinds of reactions you get. It’s a very interesting experience for students hearing their own voice. It helps them identify problems with their speaking. It also makes them laugh, which is always a plus at the end of class.