Telephone Phobia: Overcome Your Fear: Learn Great Telephone Skills

Telephone phobia sounds a little strong when you’re pretty comfortable using the phone. It’s something you do every day in your working routine; so why is it that as soon as you need to use it for career change or job-search it becomes too difficult?

Your reluctance to use the phone in your career change or job-search probably stems from anxieties about what might happen. A certain amount of nervousness is quite natural when you call an employer or a network contact and even more so if it’s done on a speculative basis. But don’t let 'Telephone Phobia' stop you.

Telephone Phobia Can Ruin Your Chances

Let’s examine your reluctance to use the telephone:

“I want to telephone this employer as I’m pretty sure they’ll have an opening for me”

“They probably won’t want to speak to me, or they’ll be too busy”

“I’m worried about what to say… I might make a mess of it ... they could say no ... I’ll end up feeling stupid ... and rejected”

“That makes me feel even worse and I don’t want to make the call now, think I’ll leave it for the moment”

“I’ll write a letter instead”

Of course letters are much ‘safer” because they make rejection feel much less personal.

It Wasn't ME They Rejected

They didn’t reject me, they rejected my letter is how you can justify that one. But, for exactly the same reasons, it is much harder for an employer to say “no” to you on the telephone than it is to throw your letter into the bin. Most people are too polite to be rude to you on the phone and with a deep breath and some practice you can make it work really well for you. Overcome your telephone phobia and you will be successful.

So let’s take another look at that:

1. You want to phone an employer about possible jobs.

2. You need to find the right person to speak to.

3. The secretary might ask too many questions.

4. You worry that it might be unpleasant, or that something bad will happen.

5. It will be so AWFUL that you worry about it even more.

6. You’re so worried and anxious about what might happen that you decide to avoid it altogether.

Where did that get you? Nowhere!

Result? Your Telephone Phobia means you missing out on one of the best ways of finding jobs.

Let’s now try and think about this a little more rationally - OK when you first make a call to an employer it won’t always be successful, but try to remain in a positive frame of mind. What does a salesman do when someone says no? He simply moves on to the next one - this is what you must do.

You might perhaps get tongue-tied the first few times, or the employer might not be available when you call.

But that isn’t a disaster. Don’t be a ‘catastrophist’ it isn’t the end of the world. The worst that can happen is that you won’t get an interview this time - but you can always try again. You can’t predict what will happen so don’t try - you could just as easily worry about falling under a bus but worrying about it won’t prevent it happening.

Telephone phobia is very common even amongst the most experienced and outgoing people.

What you need to ensure is that your anxiety and imagination does not get the better of you.

If you let Telephone Phobia get the better of you, you stand to miss out on all sorts of opportunities by putting off making the call. Admittedly, if you feel really down it may be better left a while until your spirits have picked up, because the telephone has a knack of amplifying the mood you’re in.

What should you do when you’ve made a good phone call? – make another one while your confidence is high. You will sound more engaging and interesting and you should find that your telephone phobia is soon a thing of the past.

With over 25 years running ‘people’ businesses, and as a Career Coach and Consultant in many sectors, Peter Fisher is well placed to guide job seekers through the steps needed in order to achieve that all important new position and overcoming Telephone phobia is one way to succeed.

He has personally coached thousands of individuals to career success.

He writes a distillation of these years of experience with all the essential facts and actions you must complete in order to achieve your own success. He is very clear that you shouldn’t be misled by others into thinking of “acing interviews” or “finessing” your way into a business; the most sustainable and fulfilling roles are gained through understanding your own specific needs and creating your strategy accordingly. For specific guidance on how personal presentation statements can help overcome your phone phobia go to http://www.your-career-change.com/personal-marketing.html

You can learn more about his dynamic and comprehensive approach to career change, with every page dedicated to helping serious career changers if you go to http://www.your-career-change.com/index.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Great Telephone Skills

Having good telephone skills is crucial as the call may be the catalyst for a prospective sale or provide vital counseling for a member of public. However, since both parties may not see each other face-to-face, a telephone conversation may not lead to favourable results; on the flip side, it may lead to unintended misunderstanding.

Here are some tips:

Even voice tone

It is important to speak clearly in an even tone. If you are anxious or even short of breath, the other party may perceive that you are distracted. This may cause the phone conversation to be terse and unproductive.

Identify Yourself

It is important to identify yourself to the other party before you proceed with the conversation. It is not a good idea to assume that the other party knows you.

Ask For Identification

Along the lines of the above point, you should also ask for the identity of the other party. You do not want to reveal confidential information to the wrong person on the other line! This is not as a far-fetched since speaking on a mobile phone may create identity distortions as compared to using a fixed-line phone.

Structured Call

If you are making a sale over the phone, it is important to ask the customer if you can have a few minutes of his time. You should then proceed with providing more important features of the product. Be mindful that if the receiver is speaking as if he is driving, his mind may not be fully registering what you are selling - in this type of situation, it will be more productive to call him at his office or home.

Emotional Caller

If you receive a call from a member of public who is in an emotionally unstable state, it is good to ensure that you are not in a distracting environment; you should ensure that your full attention is with the caller. Remember not to speak too loudly and allow other people to get details of your confidential phone conversation.

Incoming Call

It is rude to abruptly pick up an incoming call and expect your phone partner to hold. If the incoming call is urgent, it is a matter of courtesy to tell your phone partner that you will get back to him shortly. Remember to get his number.

Using the email/fax

In sales, you can complement the phone conversation with email attachments or even a fax. This allows you to go through the product's specification and together be more persuasive in closing the sales. The other party is able to better visualize your product.

Your handset

If the battery in your handset is running low, remember to inform the other party. It also good practice to ask for his number if it is not reflected in your phone system.

About The Author

This article is contributed by Colin Ong TS, Managing Director of MR=MC Consulting (http://www.mrmc.com.sg)

colin@mrmc.com.sg

Dealing With Anxiety

If you dread the thought of calling someone you don't know - it's one thing to overcome those nerves with some good preparation, but if your nerves spiral into a potentially debilitating panic attack - which do affect thousands of people, then you need another strategy altogether. For some great advice on how to deal with this go and read Easy Calm Anxiety Treatment

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Telephone Phobia: Make the Phone Your Job Search Friend

Telephone Phobia Can Ruin Your Chances

It Wasn't ME They Rejected

Great Telephone Skills

Dealing With Anxiety