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Your
Telephone Speaking Voice
(c) 1997 LJL Seminars
They say you can't judge a book by its cover but how
many of us make judgements about people just based on
their telephone speaking voice? People form opinions and
make judgements about us in the first 60 seconds they
see us. People also make judgements about us based on
the way we sound on the telephone.
Because people cannot "see" us over the telephone they
will form these opinions based not only what we say, but
also on "how" we say it. In fact the message we
communicate over the telephone is based on two
qualities; (1) "What" we say (Verbal) and (2) "How" we
say it. Several studies have indicated that as much as
87% of the opinions people form about us, when speaking
to us on the telephone are based on the tone of our
voice. Only 13% is based on the actual words we use. We
all do this. People can "hear" our personality and
mannerisms through the tone of our voice.
We live in a world of answering machines and "voice
mail". This is especially true in the business world.
How many of us find ourselves playing "telephone tag"
with each other. By the time you actually speak with the
person you were trying to contact you've left 2 or 3
messages. In those short message exchanges, the party on
the other line has already formed an opinion about you
based solely on your speaking voice. In order that
people form a good image about you here are some of my
tips which will help your spoken image. In addition, I
will also include some general tips on telephone
etiquette.
Tips when "Answering" the telehone call
1. Answer the telephone by the third ring - Answer the
telephone or make sure your answering machine picks up
the telephone by the third or fourth ring. Do not let
the telephone ring and ring. Many of us say how we
"hate" speaking into these answering machines, but at
the same time we also hate not having the option to
leave a message.
2. Make sure your greeting is professional - Make sure
your greeting is short but very professional. Write down
and practice your greeting several times before you
actually record your greeting. Play it back and listen
to your own speaking voice. Is your message too fast? Is
it too slow? Make sure your greeting sounds professional
and clear. Give the caller clear instructions what to do
when leaving their message.
3. Be prepared before you answer the telephone - Have a
pad of paper and pencil ready when you answer your
telephone. Be prepared to be an "active" listener and
take notes when someone calls. Especially write down the
person's name who has called so you can use their name
during your conversation with them. People "love" to
hear their name.
4. Be an "active" listener - Take notes as you speak.
Let the people know you are taking notes and this will
signal them not to speak too fast. Ask for the correct
spelling of their name. Don't assume their name is
spelled the same as others. It may have a unique
spelling.
5. Return telephone calls promptly! - To me, this is the
most professional telephone habit people should possess.
Be that person who DOES return telephone calls. Many
people DO NOT return telephone calls! I have left
numerous messages with people and companies who DO NOT
return telephone calls. Quite often I have recieved a
call from someone asking to order one of my products and
I spend days, even weeks trying to contact them. I
always try and return telephone calls within 4 hours,
regardless of where I am in. People who know me that I
am prompt in returning telephone calls.
6. Check Your Messages Frequently - If you are out of
your office often as I am, check your messages several
times a day. People may be looking to contact you
quickly. It's not unusual for me to receive calls from
newspapers or magazines looking for information on a
story. They are usually on a deadline and are looking
for "quick" turn around. In my case, being a
professional speaker, the call I recieve may be a
speakers bureau who is looking to check my availability
for a client today! If I do not return the telephone
call promptly, I may have lost that speaking engagement
and that potential client.
Tips when "Leaving" a telephone message
1. Do not speak too fast! - Slow down when you are
leaving a message, especially if you have an accent. I
receive many messages where I cannot even understand
what the person is saying. Even worse, I cannot write
fast enough and I find myself replaying the message
several times to record the entire message.
2. Pronounce your name clearly - Announce your name
slowly and clearly, especially if your name is not a
common name. Spell your name slowly if necessary. Allow
people to get the correct spelling of your name.
3. Slow down when saying your telephone number - This is
the biggest complaint I have when people leave their
telephone number. People state their telephone numbers
TOO FAST! Say the numbers slowly and place a "pause"
somewhere in the sequence of providing your number.
People will appreciate this, especially me!
4. Give your company name, your title & why you are
calling - Describe to the person, in a few short
sentences who you are, which company you are with and
why you are calling. If you are requesting information,
leave a detailed but brief message.
5. Let them know when to call you back - Leave a date,
time, and preferred telephone number for people. They
can't return your telephone call if you don't leave your
telephone number. Providing them with the preferred time
to call back makes it much easier for them.
6. Always sound professional - Remember what I indicated
in the beginning of this article. People DO judge you by
the tone of your voice and what you say. If you come
across sounding unprofessional in your message, they may
not return your telephone call. Also, do not leave very
long winded messages or they will stop listening.
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- Lenny Laskowski
- Lenny Laskowski is an international professional speaker and the author
of the book, No Sweat Presentations - The Painless Way to Successful Speaking and several
other publications. Lenny is also available for hire to speak to your organization,
college or association. Lenny also provides in-house seminars and workshops. Why not
contact Lenny today for your next function or event. Lenny can be found at his Web site, http://www.ljlseminars.com/ or can be contacted by
email at the following address: Sales@LJLSeminars.com.
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