At some point in your career, whether it is at the very start (with an interview) or sometime throughout it (conference call, client call, etc) you will probably have a business phone call. So how do we become comfortable in this situation and act like we know what we are doing?
(1) Properly prepare. If you are having a call from home, get completely dressed for work. Sit up tall, not laying on the bed, at a desk or table and answer the phone as though you are at work. If you look the part of a professional, you will act the part. (You wouldnt go shopping without wearing comfortable shoes to run around the mall in without blisters, right?)
(2) Gather everything you are going to need. Make sure you have a bottle of water (just incase), pen and paper, any information you may need for the call. (That would be the equivalent of forgetting to wear a strapless bra when looking for a strapless dress)
(3) Clear the area of distractions. Don't talk on the phone and browse the internet or read the latest newsfeeds on facebook. (A girl on a mission should never be distracted)
(4) Write down questions or main talking points. BUT make sure you don't read off the sheet. It never hurts to have a cue card, but at the same time? No one wants to talk to a robot. Never interrupt the other person- if you think of something you want to say while they are talking? use that pen and paper you gathered in (2) to remember your thoughts and continue listening.
(5) Use a normal tone. You don't want to sound cold. Or nervous. If you feel nervous then make sure to talk slower and enunciate- you want the other person to be able to understand you. (You wouldn't show signs of weakness when trying to make a bargain would you?)
(6) Take time to think through your thoughts. We are used to texting or chatting online where we can type, retype, and think about our thoughts before we push send. You can't do this on the phone. Think through what you want to say. THEN say it.
(7) Smile. It goes a long way. And for some reason you really can hear it in someone's voice.
Are we at a disadvantage over the other generations who grew up talking on the phone with friends instead of texting? possibly. Is this something we can easily overcome and become comfortable with? ABSOLUTELY. Grab your career by the phone and confidently rock your important phone call.
Any other tips or advice?
I especially like #7! Some offices actually have mirrors on the desk so that employees can look at themselves and smile while they hold a phone conversation.
ReplyDeleteI'll take computer literacy over good phone skills any day though!
I'm not so sure we're included in the generation that "grew up" texting rather than talking. You and I both logged a ton of hours on the phone in middle school late at night talking about boys and such (while you were hidden in your closet so your parents wouldn't wake up - haha)...and that's only you and me; doesn't count the other people we had long phone convos with. At the same time we also spent a ton of hours chatting on AIM and writing back and forth in our secret journals and notes passed in class. When we started texting there was no such thing as "unlimited" texts so we still had to heavily rely on phone conversations. I actually really enjoy the generation we fall under because we get the best of both worlds...we know what it's like to chat on the phone late at night and we've also been very quick to adapt to the texting world (and other technologies).
ReplyDeleteAll that aside, I think this is a great blog entry and your tips are awesome. Tip #3 is a big fault of mine when I'm on the phone so I definitely need to work on it!
Speaking of all these tips...want to practice with a phone date this week?! Miss you and love you Mal!
Brilliant Post as always! So many people have forgotten how to do this seemingly simple task, so I'm glad you're there to remind us. ;-)
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