Asking to Change the Pace of Speaking

Speed and Volume

A EXAMPLES (Read, Discuss and Practice)

B MODELS (Read, Discuss and Perform the following model dialogues)

1 A man is calling from a pay-telephone on a busy street.

1. W: ... and she was arrested last night...
2. M: What did you say? I can't hear you.
3. W: I said, “she was arrested last night."
4. M: I'm sorry, Mary. It's really noisy here. Can you please speak a little louder.
5. W: I SAID, “BETTY WAS ARRESTED LAST NIGHT." CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
6. M: Yeah, now I can hear you. What did you say? She was arrested???!!!

2 A foreign businessman is talking with an American colleague.

1. AC:  ... the model I showed you last night has all these money-saving features and more.. .
2. FBM: Excuse me, Chris, but I'm having a hard time following what you're saying. How about speaking a little louder, and a little more slowly, too, if you don't mind.
3. AC: I'm sorry. I sometimes forget that English is not your first language.
4. How about we get out of the factory and go back to my office. I think we've seen everything here.
5. FBM: Fine with me. I hope it's a little quieter there .. .

C SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES (Discuss and Perform)

How might you handle the following situations?

1. You are talking with a friend about his family. You begin to think about something else, and you suddenly find that he's waiting for an answer to a question.
2. You are in a new city, and you're asking a person for directions at a busy bus-stop. You're having a hard time understanding and hearing the person.
3. You're talking with a friend long-distance on the telephone. The connection is bad.
4. You're trying to talk with a friend who always talks a mile a minute. You want him to slow down.