Telephone Etiquette

Telephone Anxiety

Do you ever feel nervous about having to make a phone call? Do you practice what you will say before you make the call? Do you let calls go to voicemail to avoid speaking to the caller? Do you find yourself panicking when an actual phone call comes through instead of a text? Making and receiving phone calls can be stressful, but with the right tools, you can make telephone anxiety disappear for good.

The Lost Art of Speaking

We so often rely on texting, emailing, and other forms of electronic communication that talking on the phone can feel unnatural and thus can cause some anxiety. There are actually many situations in which a phone call with a real, live person is not only a good idea, but also is necessary. Whether you want to cancel your cable service, make a restaurant reservation, or speak to a potential employer, effective phone etiquette is an important asset.

Making the Connection

When the phone rings, pick it up right away. Letting it ring several times can frustrate your caller and may make for a bad impression. You want callers to feel you care about their call and are available to speak with them. On the other hand, when you are the one placing the phone call, be considerate of the person you are calling. Call once, and let it ring until voicemail picks up. If it doesn’t pick up after five or six rings, hang up. Letting a person’s phone endlessly ring or calling him or her several times in a row is going to annoy the person you are calling and could make for a tense conversation when you do eventually connect.

Appropriate Greetings

The way you greet your caller says a lot about you. If you say something very casual like ”Yo” or ”What’s up,” you could make the wrong impression on your caller. While it may be fine for your close pals, it’s not fine if your landlord is calling to collect the rent. Instead, try to adopt a more generally appropriate greeting for all callers. A simple Hello will do in most situations. If you are using caller ID and know the caller, of course you are free to answer however you choose, but beware that how you greet your caller says something about you, and sets the tone for the conversation. Consider that your mom may not want to be greeted with a ”Who’s this?” when she calls!

When you are the caller, the situation can dictate how you proceed once the caller has answered. In the days of caller ID, it’s true that most people will know your identity when they pick up the phone. Regardless, it’s still nice to identify yourself when you call. The recipient of your call may not have looked at the caller ID, or may not have been wearing his or her glasses to see who is calling. A simple, Hello, this is (your name) is appropriate in most cases.

Vocabulary and Phrases

• May I ask who is calling?
• Please hold while I . . .
• May I take a message?

Keep it Brief

People often avoid making phone calls because they don’t have time to talk. It’s important to be brief when making and receiving phone calls. It’s helpful to ask the recipient of your call if he or she has time to talk at the start of the conversation. You could say, Do you have time to talk? or Is this a bad time? to allow your recipient the option to talk at another time. In the case in which someone has called you at a bad time, it is OK to ask him or her if you could speak later. It’s helpful to set a specific time when you are available to speak, though, so the person knows you aren’t just blowing him or her off.

Be Prepared

When you make a call, you likely have a purpose. Be sure that you are prepared to achieve that purpose with any information you might need. For example, if you are making a restaurant reservation, you will want to be prepared with the time, the number of guests, and an alternative time should your first request be unavailable. If you are ordering a pizza, you will want to have your order either written down, or even rehearsed in your head. A little rehearsing before making a call is a good thing. It helps you to prepare what you want to say so you aren’t caught off guard. This can be useful in any kind of phone call, so don’t be afraid to practice before you place the call.