ESL CONNECT

Conference Calls

A B1 ESL CONNECT lesson on conference calls, helping learners manage call problems, ask for clarification and give short updates confidently.

Section 1

Speak clearly on video and telephone calls

Practise simple call language for joining a meeting, fixing sound and video problems, asking people to repeat, giving a short update, and ending politely.

60 minutes8 stagesMore grammar + vocabulary
Stage 1 — Warm-up
Video calls at work
6 minutes · Simple discussion

Talk to your partner:

1. Which app do you use for calls: Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or another app?

2. What problems happen on calls?

3. What phrase do you say when you cannot hear someone?

Teacher note: Drill survival phrases several times: “Can you hear me?”, “Sorry, I missed that”, “You’re on mute”, “Can you say that again?”
6 min
Stage 2 — Vocabulary 1
Call vocabulary
8 minutes · Gap-fill
Click a word, then click a blank.
mute
unmute
connection
screen
camera
frozen
host
dial in
repeat

Complete the sentences.

You are on . I cannot hear you.

Please yourself and say that again.

The is bad. Your voice is cutting out.

Can you share your ?

Please turn on your .

Your video is .

The will send the meeting link.

I cannot join online. I will by phone.

Can you send me the meeting ?

Sorry, can you that, please?

8 min
Stage 3 — Vocabulary 2
Match problems and solutions
8 minutes · Matching exercise

Choose the best solution for each call problem.

Problem 1
I cannot hear you.
Problem 2
Your video is frozen.
Problem 3
The connection is bad.
Problem 4
I cannot see the file.
Problem 5
I missed that.
8 min
Stage 4 — Useful phrases
What to say on a call
8 minutes · Study and practise

Starting

Hello everyone. Can you hear me?
Is everyone here?
Let’s start.
Just give me a moment.

Problems

Sorry, I can’t hear you.
I think you’re on mute.
Your video is frozen.
The connection is bad.

Asking again

Sorry, I missed that.
Can you say that again, please?
Can you speak more slowly?
Did you say Tuesday or Thursday?

Giving an update

The report is finished.
I sent it by email this morning.
The deadline is Friday.
The next step is to check the document.

Ending

I think that’s everything.
Thanks for your time.
I’ll send an email after the call.
Have a good day!
Practise each phrase aloud. For B1 learners, clear call management phrases help keep the conversation professional.
8 min
Stage 5 — Grammar 1
Can you...? / Could you...?
8 minutes · Build polite requests

Make polite call requests. Choose the correct answer.

8 min
Stage 6 — Grammar 2
Present continuous for call problems
8 minutes · Form practice

Use is/are + verb-ing for problems happening now.

8 min
Stage 7 — Role play
A short video call
10 minutes · Pair work
How to use: Pretend you are on a video call. Use polite phrases for problems and repetition.
Student A — Host

Start the call, fix camera/mute problems, give the report update, share your screen, and suggest the next meeting time.

Student B — Participant

Tell Student A about technical problems, ask for repetition, ask to see the screen, and agree on the next meeting time.

Student A
[Start the call. Say hello. Ask if Student B can hear you.]
Student B
[Say yes, but Student A’s video is frozen. Ask them to turn the camera off and on.]
Student A
[Say sorry. Turn the camera off and on. Ask: “Can you see me now?”]
Student B
Yes, I can see you now. But I think you are on mute. I can’t hear you.
Student A
[Unmute. Apologise. Give your update: the report is finished and you sent it this morning.]
Student B
[Say you missed the last part. Ask Student A to repeat it slowly.]
Student A
[Repeat slowly. Then share your screen and show the deadline: Friday at 5pm.]
Student B
[Say you can see the screen. Ask for the next meeting time.]
Student A
[Suggest Tuesday at 2pm. Ask if it works for Student B.]
Student B
Tuesday at 2pm works for me. Thanks!
Student A
[End the call politely. Say you will send an email after the call.]
Extension: Swap roles. New problem: the meeting link does not work and one person needs to dial in by phone.
10 min
Stage 8 — Review
Lesson complete!
4 minutes · Review and homework
B1 — 60 minutes

Conference Calls

Review complete

What you practised:
10 call vocabulary words
Problem-solution matching practice
Useful phrases for starting, fixing problems, asking again, giving updates, and ending
Grammar: Can you...? Could you...? and present continuous for problems
A realistic call role play
Homework:
1. Write 6 call problem sentences: “I can’t hear you”, “Your video is frozen”, etc.
2. Write a short message before a call with the time, link, and topic.
3. Practise the role play again and change the problem.
Well done. The most useful call phrases are short, polite, and easy to say quickly.