Fighting Phone Call Anxiety in 6 Steps
It’s #NationalTelephoneDay, but for millennials who work remotely, phone calls can feel awkward and cause anxiety.
Here’s a few pointers to rock that next call you have to make:
1. Prior preparation prevents poor performance.
Outline what you need to cover and the questions you need to ask. By having your main points written out, you’ll be able to direct the conversation and get more out of the time you’re spending.
2. Start out with light conversation.
Whether you’re going to give a sales pitch or deliver bad news, it’s best to start out light. Build empathy with the person you’re speaking to by starting out soft with a simple “How are you?” Once ice is broken, get down to business.
3. Be direct with why you're calling.
“Listen, the reason I’m calling is…” It’s best to quickly get straight to the point so that you don’t waste your time, or the other person’s time. Don’t beat around the bush, or the person on the other end may start to feel like working with you is a waste of time.
4. Establish a timeline for the outcome of the phone call.
If you need something, physical or digital, from the person you’re speaking with make sure to establish a deadline. If you aren’t in the position of authority, you can ask “When can I expect to have that from you?” On the other hand, if you’re the one being asked to deliver something, be realistic about the amount of time it’ll take you to send it.
5. End on a high note.
It's especially important if the conversation was critical or negative that you end with a compliment of how things were handled previously. Offer positive feedback on how a prior issue was handled. If all else fails, simply say "thank you for your time."
6. Recap with an email.
An advantage of communicating with text-based platforms is that you have written record of what was discussed. After you hangup, do a quick write up of what you discussed and decided (including any deadlines!), and send it within an hour of the conversation. That way you and the person you spoke with have a syllabus of sorts for whatever work you’ll be continuing with.
Phone calls can be daunting, especially if you’re a remote worker who isn’t used to them. But as with everything, you can improve with practice.
Have any suggestions for rocking a phone call? Let’s Talk about them in the comments!
