Effective Telephone Skills from Successfully Speaking
In today’s global workplace, we often conduct business by telephone or virtual meetings and never meet our clients or colleagues face-to-face. Numerous preliminary job interviews are conducted on the telephone; some with web cameras and some without. Many of our clients who have foreign accents claim that telephone communication is very challenging since they don’t have the body language and facial expressions to help communicate their message or to observe their conversation partner’s message.
We make our first impression with our three V’s: Visual (how we look), Vocal (how we sound), and Verbal (what we say). When using the telephone or keeping our webcam off, although we lose the visual element, we shouldn’t completely ignore it. Smiling and using appropriate posture will help your voice and tone sound its best. Your voice takes on added importance when the listener cannot see you. The listener is forming impressions by how you sound and what you say. Make sure your voice matches the professional image you want to project:
Here are some tips for using the telephone:
Smile. They can hear it in your voice!
Stop what you are doing before you pick up the receiver (talking to co-workers, laughing).
Use a friendly greeting, e.g. Hello, Good morning (be aware of the time if you are speaking to people around the world).
Identify yourself and your organization (if it is work-related). Don’t assume they know who you are, even if they have Caller ID.
Ask if it is a convenient time.
Monitor your tone of voice and rate of speech.
Eliminate distractions (eating, drinking, email, computer use, texting).
Be a good listener; don’t interrupt and periodically respond with acknowledgment (okay, uh-huh, I see).
Consider what message you are communicating if you use a speakerphone (too busy? multi-tasking?).
Use an appropriate closing; plan for follow-up.
Check out our latest video on Effective Telephone Skills
Contact Successfully Speaking for information about our workshops and training at 410.356.5666 or lkwilner@successfully-speaking.com.