Mind Rehearsal

[LeroyT1000]

When I'm at work and require to answer the phone I get really anxious and let it ring whilst I practice how to answer it in my own head first. This hasn't changed in 20 years of employment!

Does anyone else face similar situations and if you do then how do you cope?

 

[unsurewhattoname]

Yes, whenever I need to speak to someone I do.

 

[LeroyT1000]

Yes, whenever I need to speak to someone I do.

It's always puzzled me till recent years. I used to think is this how everyone feels but I know different now!

 

[unsurewhattoname]

It's always puzzled me till recent years. I used to think is this how everyone feels but I know different now!

You're telling me not everyone thinks of what they're going to say before they say it? It seems normal, otherwise every thought would come out your mouth. I guess not everyone has it to quite the extent but still.

 

[LeroyT1000]

You're telling me not everyone thinks of what they're going to say before they say it? It seems normal, otherwise every thought would come out your mouth. I guess not everyone has it to quite the extent but still.

True I guess! It's more the composing myself before every call that gets to me.

 

[AspergerianYogi]

I had to do something within that continuum of activities today. I have a new office and so I had to set up my personal voicemail. I used to be an actor and so confidently just pushed record; I'm grateful that there's a "review message" button because when I listened back I cringed because I sounded so over the top. I took a deep breath and then got to work for about 15 minutes:

1) I asked a colleague if I could listen to their voicemail greeting so I could get an idea of how others do it.
2) I wrote a script that closely mimicked hers, inserting my name and title into the format
3) I recorded 3 practice rounds on my iPhone VoiceMemo app to get a feel for what I sounded like and how I could adapt my voice to sound more professional and more low-key
4) I recorded my voicemail greeting successfully onto my professional phone

My advice would be to, if you haven't done so already, write out some scripts for yourself and practice them. Maybe brainstorm some of the typical conversations you have over the phone and then write them down and commit them to memory. If you have a friend or a partner or a family member who would be willing to invest the time in practicing with you by actually calling you, at first systematically and then at random intervals of time, that would give you some low-stakes opportunities out of the office to take some of the edge off of it and better prepare you mentally for the more high-stakes environment of the office.

Hope that helps! Keep us posted!

 

[On the Inside]

I'm fine with answering the phone at work, I've had a lot of practice from when I worked at ski and bike shops. I'm not so good with my own phone.

Making calls, whether for personal or work reasons, is different. I know it's best to at least have an outline or notes on what I need call about, but I can even struggle with writing those out. Eventually I get around to it and just let it happen. I'm gradually getting more comfortable with letting go of the outcome.

At least I don't have to call someone to ask them on a date anymore. That was tough.

 

[tfwo]

I used to have trouble answering the phone at work until I came to an understanding of what was expected of me, and I quickly learned to develop scripts by listening to coworkers on the phone. I have more trouble calling out when I don't know the expected flow or structure of the conversation. Calling vendors is easy, nice predictable call structure. But calling customers can be distressing for me, especially if I don't have critical information that they request. Before calling them, my mind races through all conceivable variations of the conversations, and write down some notes for myself to prompt the correct response. I have trouble with the home phone as well, but it's almost never for me, so I don't even really pay attention when it rings.

 

[David Larson]

Yeah, whenever I make a call I have to rehearse in my head what I'm going to say to the person on the other end. It's much more reactive when I'm on the receiving end of calls; I actually rarely answer my phone, I just let them leave a message and then call them back when I know what they want and thus have had the opportunity to rehearse in my head. Such a hassle.

 

[Laughingowl1975]

I do if i'm about to call someone or in the case of a group discussion I will rehearse possibilities in my head until I find an opening and then join in, it doesn't always work and that's why I am slow or fail to join such conversations (one on one I'm fine and don't rehearse).

 

[Beverly]

I just use a script to answer the phone.

Home/personal call I know the caller: Hi, what's up?

Home/personal I do not know who is calling: Hello, [my last name] residence. May I help you?

Business call: Hello, [my full legal name] speaking.

If any of my staff answer the phone they are required to ALWAYS answer: [Company name or My surname depending on which line] This is [their full legal name] speaking. May I be of service to you?

Simple scripts anyone can remember. Form there, it depends on the reason for the call as to what needs to be said.

 

[FreeDiver]

Unlike talking to others, face-2-face. I really don't have much of a problem talking on the phone. Even when talking to customers and business acquaintances. In fact, talking on the phone is easy for me, since I'm not distracted by other things, like body language, etc. And only having to concentrate on your voice make interacting with the other person, much easier.

 

[Progster]

Yes, I have to script what I'm going to say before I make a phone call, too. I'm ok with it if I have a specific purpose and want a specific thing. Social calls are very difficult, because there is often no set topic of conversation, then I don't know what to talk about. I once had a job where i had to ring customers adn introduce myself, explain the range of new products, adn ask them if they need anything, a kind of cold calling, adn I hated it... I just couldn't do it.

 

[Jonathan Lees]

if i need to talk to someone i will rehearse and plan beforehand what im going to say in detail though it often doesn't go to plan as it is hard to predict how people will respond. when i am just talking to people generally though i will think about what im going to say but only briefly before speaking, if there is an awkward silence ill often just say the first thing that comes to mind, sometimes it goes ok other times it makes it even more awkward.

 

[Sofi]

Yes, I always need to plan a script of what I'm going to say, on the phone or face to face. I'm always anxious if I don't have enough time to plan what I'm going to say if I meet someone unexpectedly and have to speak to them. I'm usually thinking up several different scenario responses I could use in any situation so at least I'm somewhat prepared! I also tend to use a lot of the same phrases in situations.

 

[Datura]

For calls at work I answer using a simple script: "[business name], [my full name] speaking. How may I help you?" And though this might sound strange, I also make a point to smile while I talk to people on the phone. They can't see it, but it does subtly change the inflection of your voice and registers with people subconciously. Beyond that a lot of scripting is specific to the job.

At one point I was doing a practicum at an orthopedist's office. One of my jobs was calling people to inform them that their orthotics were ready for pickup. My script looked something like this. "This is [name] calling from Dr. __________s office. I would just like to inform you that your orthotics are ready for pickup. You may stop by any time between 8:00am and 4:30pm, monday to friday. Thank you, and have a great day."
That script is tailored more toward answering machine, but it serves well in conversation as well if you break it down into individual sentences. For example:

Client: "Hello?"
Me: Hi, this is [name] calling from Dr. ___________s office. I would just like to inform you that your orthotics are ready for pickup.
Client: Oh, so when do I have to come in?
Me: You may stop by any time between 8:00am and 4:30pm, monday to friday.
Client: Okay, sounds good.
Me: If you have any questions or concerns please contact us ###-####.
Client: Yeah, allright. Bye.
Me: Thank you, and have a great day. *click*

Often conversations are a little more complicated than that. You have to repeat information, answer unexpected questions, or utilise your script out of order. However, using a script as a basis makes things much simpler. Also; having a variety of scripted responses to different types of questions goes a long way. Often the same form can be used for a variety of differnt situations with the pertanent information simply inserted into the blanks.