7 Ways to Boost Your Confidence While Speaking on the Phone
Contributed Post
In today’s society, few of us have the confidence to thoroughly enjoy our time while speaking on the phone. Especially now, where we have the ability to send emails, messages and can talk to our friends and family through social media. Additionally, we can chat with businesses online to get things done, which results in us rarely needing to use the telephone. To put it simply, we’re out of practice when it comes to speaking on the phone. The idea of speaking to someone via phone, can make us feel anxious and panicked. It’s a common fear that surprisingly a lot of people face on a regular basis. So if you’re one of those people, these 7 tips will surely help you to boost your phone confidence!
Take a Course
When you’re really anxious, you’ll find yourself oftentimes floundering or waffling on. It’ll be a struggle to speak concisely and you might feel as though you end phone calls so flustered, that you can’t remember what has been said. A great way to overcome this is by taking a course or Powercall Training. With a little research, you’ll see that there’s so many different courses to choose from. The benefit of taking a course is the convenience, community and instant access (which is typically for a lifetime). Furthermore, taking a course can help you make your calls more concise and worth your time.
Practice
One of the best ways to get better at anything is to practice. Start making phone calls to various people within your network. You can start by practicing with your family and friends. Then take it a step further by no longer utilizing the chat feature within businesses. Instead, call the business directly to make your appointment or resolve an issue that you may have. All of this is practice to help you communicate better and relieve the anxiety that you may have when talking on the phone. You’ll start to realize that the more you use the phone, the more comfortable you will begin to feel.
Write Down Key Points
It’s easy to forget the purpose of your phone call when you are nervous. You might spend the call just thinking of getting to the end of it. Only to find that you haven’t said what you needed to, or received the information you require. Before you make a call, make some notes on crucial points so you don’t forget. This will help to keep you on task and stay aligned with the purpose of the call. However, don’t fall into the trap of scripting your entire call. This will sound false and not make you trustworthy to the person that’s on the receiving end.
Be Honest
People appreciate honesty; this is in any aspect of how we communicate. When you’re being open and honest in regards to the topic, you’ll find that your verbiage flows better. Just take a deep breath and speak only the facts! Typically, if I have tough or difficult news, I like to communicate that in person. However, this isn’t the same for everyone considering geographical location, schedules etc. Even though you have to break the tough news via phone, don’t shy away from it! Just do your best to communicate it thoroughly and stay aligned with the facts.
Have a Confident Opening
Your first impression is essential, which is why it’s always great to have a confident opening. This sets the tone and helps people to trust you; which in turn can set up the rest of your relationship. The same sentiment applies to talking to people over the phone! Therefore, it’s great that you have a confident greeting and introduction every time you pick up the phone. A great way to do this is by drafting your introduction and greeting on paper. Then taking 10 – 15 minutes per day practicing both until you no longer need the paper reminder.
Warm-Up
People trust a confident and dominant voice therefore, you should always warm up. If you start a conversation stuttering, coughing, or grasping for words, you won’t appear to be someone that knows what they’re talking about. Take a few minutes to warm up with a glass of water, practice your opening, and even try some vocal exercises before making a call. This will definitely help you to warm up your voice and prepare prior to getting on the call.
Know Who You Are Speaking To
If you’re conducting a business call, do your research on who you’ll be speaking to, what they do, their company background and purpose for the call. This is called due diligence and it’s great to do prior to any business interaction that you’ll have. There’s nothing more frustrating than speaking with someone that’s confused, speaking out of context and wasting time. Take 20 – 30 minutes to conduct some research and understand who you’ll be speaking with.
Boosting your confidence while speaking on the phone doesn’t have to be hard. Like anything, it takes consistent practice and patience with yourself to master it. Don’t be too hard on yourself, as lots of people today face this exact challenge. Take your time and keep at it!
Until next time ASSASSINS. . . Stay Disciplined!
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