• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Scripting phone calls

the_tortoise

the_tortoise

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
Do you need to script out phone calls before you make them? (I do, quite often.)

Do you need help to create your scripts? (I do, sometimes. I need help mostly to figure out the other person's possible responses, and sometimes to get some idea of whether or not what I plan to say comes across in more or less the way I intend it to....or to know if it makes any sense at all.)

Do you need to write them out (so you can read off of the page during the call) and/or to rehearse them verbally or in your mind? (I need to write them out, I almost never need to rehearse them.)

If I didn't script out phone calls, they would quite often go badly and I would not be nearly as independent as I am.
 
I don’t script phone calls. Quite often when the person I call picks up, I realize I don’t know how to convey my message and the phone call gets a little messy. It usually works out in the end though.
 
Yes, I script it out. I write down important points and even full sentences sometimes. Then I rehearse in my mind over and over what I will say if the other person says such and such.
Then I plan the call for when I’m not tired and have eaten recently and I (this must sound so ridiculous) have to have a glass of water near my comfortable chair.
Then I agonize before I dial. Sometimes it just doesn’t feel right and I put it off till the next day.
Then sometimes I get so frustrated with myself I just call and wing it because the worry over the stupid phone call isn’t usually worth it.
 
I script it, rehearse in my head for a while, pace the whole time I'm calling and talking.

One time, I called to make an appointment with a Chiropractor, and I've seen a lot of medical people for various things and the calls are always pretty much identical but this one said shortly into the call, "May I ask who's calling?" which is something I have imagined before with calls of other kinds but it had never been asked in that way for a medical place.

I said, "Uhhhh... my name...?"
 
@BraidedPony - that is totally me. I've written down, and re-written and days go by that I dread making the call and I have to feel okay. I almost always end up winging it. lol
I actually like the automated calls where you press numbers then answer single words and never have to talk to anyone. :)
 
Fino said:
I script it, rehearse in my head for a while, pace the whole time I'm calling and talking.

One time, I called to make an appointment with a Chiropractor, and I've seen a lot of medical people for various things and the calls are always pretty much identical but this one said shortly into the call, "May I ask who's calling?" which is something I have imagined before with calls of other kinds but it had never been asked in that way for a medical place.

I said, "Uhhhh... my name...?"
Click to expand...
Or ask your phone number - I don't know it and I can't manipulate my phone well enough to get to it and the other person has had to wait 5-10 minutes while I've looked for my phone number. And I HAVE left messages and said I would have to call back with the phone number. lol
 
I like the automated calls too, but I have to work extra hard to stay focused or it’s...
Voice: to repeat your options, press eight now...
 
Pats said:
Or ask your phone number - I don't know it and I can't manipulate my phone well enough to get to it and the other person has had to wait 5-10 minutes while I've looked for my phone number. And I HAVE left messages and said I would have to call back with the phone number. lol
Click to expand...

I've done that exact same thing, except not with a phone number, but information on my phone that I can't find and have to call back or make them wait and I have to keep making sounds to assure them I haven't left. :confused:
 
I usually write down important points and make sure they are conveyed before hanging up the phone. Other than that I kind of free for all it.
 
I would prefer a script or a list of things that need to be mentioned. But I have difficulty beginning anything like that. I have to have something to respond to. I have trouble winging it too, if all I get at the start is "hello" or "how can we help you" when I really don't know yet. I prefer a few options and I do often prefer the automated thing too.
 
I don’t like the automated calls because so often none of the options matches whatever I’m calling about, or I can’t figure out which category my call falls under...if I have to guess I usually end up being transferred at least once or twice or having to call back and start over when it becomes clear from the subsequent options menus that I picked the wrong thing.
 
The truth is, that in my own country, I had a sort of inner confidence going on, because my voice apparently sounds very good on the phone and so, I guess I played the role of secretary and it helped many a time.

I live in France now and yes, very much so, but I have a very good excuse now to not phone people and that is, I often get it mixed up what they are saying and so, hubby makes those calls for me.

As far as I a concerned, I curse the inventor of the telephone lol:rolleyes::eek::p
 
Yes, I do for things like doctor's appointments or services, but it doesn't always work because people don't stick to scripts and it's not always possible to predict what a person is going to say. So I get distracted and still don't say what I need to say, and still get questions or things that I haven't prepared for that can throw me and lead to a very awkward conversation.
 
I used to try to figure out a script in advance,

Couldn’t always accurately predict what the person on the other end was going to ask me.

I got so flustered at one point I just stopped making calls.

Contact online, an email, a handwritten letter or turn up in person to make appointments or enquire about something.

I don’t get on with using phones.
 
It's context dependent. Some recent examples are having to talk with different doctors, the people with my disability insurance company which will be paying me temporary disability over a recent month long absence from work, and regularly talking with the person in charge of the HR department at my work. These all have been scripted to a degree because there normally is a list of subjects/concerns that simply must be covered.

However, I very rarely script a phone call otherwise because I simply don't have the kind of anxiety I used to have over being awkward or confusing. If things come out funny it is what it is and I'm not about to lose any sleep over it. And frankly I figure other people can live with it too.
 
I've even written down things to talk about when I know my sister is going to be calling again.
 
I used to keep an index card next to the phone with excuses for getting off the phone...
Someone is at the door
The dog just threw up
My husband just fell off the roof(bwahahahaaaa)
 
Propianotuner said:
However, I very rarely script a phone call otherwise because I simply don't have the kind of anxiety I used to have over being awkward or confusing.
Click to expand...

That's awesome about the lack of anxiety!

Anxiety is not the primary problem for me. I'm awkward anyways and if I could muddle through the confusion I might not script things, either, but experience has taught me that I cannot.

When I was in my late teens, learning to script phone calls took me from ongoing failure (sometimes repeated failures in each instance, because I'd get off the phone the first time extremely confused and not knowing what had happened, and it was not uncommon that the person on the other line would actually have suggested I should call back when I could explain myself better or answer whatever questions they asked me that I couldn't answer....and then I'd wait for a little bit and try a second or third time without success) that would inevitably require my mother to step in and gently convince me to let her make the call instead, to being able to call once and actually succeed in accomplishing whatever the goal of the phone call was.

Not much has changed for me since my late teens, as far as the scripts determining success or failure.
 
BraidedPony said:
I used to keep an index card next to the phone with excuses for getting off the phone...
Someone is at the door
The dog just threw up
My husband just fell off the roof(bwahahahaaaa)
Click to expand...
You know - I used to have a list of excuses for when my boss called wanting me to come in on my day off.
 
I'd think that scripting much of anything is dependent upon a prior understanding of what is to be discussed.

Which would not include unanticipated, spontaneous conversations. The sort of thing many of us struggle with, whether we answer or initiate them. Making the scripting of most phone calls whether incoming or outgoing somewhat impractical.

However if you do have regular anticipated phone conversations for whatever reasons, why not?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom