Soft Skills 101 - Mastering Phone Calls

get more out of your phone calls

I invite you to think about these suggestions and how they will benefit you professionally.

Position yourself in a professional light - be noticed as someone who values time, gets to the intended outcome faster and be seen as a team player setting up for advancement.

It’s about awareness and being on purpose.

Intention and clarity on your intended outcome will put you light years ahead of the pack because of your respect for your fellow peeps.

Those who are known for respecting others’ time are generally welcomed callers.

Let’s get started.

Generating a Phone Call

Keeping in mind that time is priceless…know the purpose (reason, outcome) for your call. Being prepared ahead of time will make you more succinct, to the point and come across as organized. (I often have my key points written out to help me stay on topic)

  1. Know the answer to these questions before you call;

    1. What is the Reason - what result are you after?

    2. Why is this important?

    3. Who benefits?

    4. What do you need to be prepared with?

    5. How do you want to be perceived on this call?

    6. How do you respond if you get what you called for?  How do you respond if you don’t?

Receiving an Expected Call

  1. Be Prepared because You are expected to provide value

    1. Do you have the answers that the caller is looking for?

      1. If yes - what’s the simplest way you can convey them?

      2. If no - what explanation can you provide that’s not an excuse

        1. If no - when will you have the answer?

    2. How do you want to be perceived on the call?

    3. Avoid going off on tangents and making the call last longer than it needs to

    4. Reminder - avoid taking over the call and leading it in a different direction

      1. I call this “hijacking” the call and it’s disrespectful because you’re assuming the other’s time is yours for the taking

Suggestion: If the information exchanged is detailed - write it down so you have access to your notes when you speak which will keep you on point and avoid using word fillers like “ummm”.  If there is a more organized way of delivering the message then do so and again, write it down and stay on track.

Receiving an unexpected Call

  1. After your greeting - take a breath - get centered

    1. You want to get “centered’ so you put yourself in a position to “respond” as opposed to ‘reacting’

  2. Depending on the conversation; determine and confirm what’s required of you

    1. If it’s information, get clear on what and when you are expected to get back to them

    2. If it’s a date, reconfirm you understand the date and time by repeating it back

    3. If it’s an action - again, get the specifics

a few more thoughts

  1. Enhance your vocabulary

    1. For your industry - find a variety of words that can be interchangeable to avoid being redundant

    2. For professional conversations - find words that are more succinct so you can encapsulate a thought with fewer words (good idea is to write them down so you have them in front of you to choose from)

  2. Avoid using filler words like ummmm and ahhh…

  3. Smile when you are on the phone - it does transcend

  4. Keep the focus on what it is you Do Want - this will keep the call on point and in the direction you want it to go

One last thought to ponder…everyone wants to love and be loved, to know they matter. Keeping that in mind in all of your communications will make you that much more attractive to work with.

Common sense isn’t necessarily common knowledge.

Debbie PeckComment