Handbook of Essential Phone Skills

The Handbook of Essential Phone Skills provides dozens and dozens of tips and techniques for handling every phone call in a courteous, professional, business-building manner.

In the section below, you’ll see just how much useful, skill-building information is packed into a brief half page of this practical guide.

Say It With Body Language

You may not realize it, but body language has a huge impact on your voice quality and the impression you make over the phone.

Use these body language basics to enhance your phone presence.

• Smile. No, callers can’t see it, but they can hear it. Place a mirror on your desk to remind you to smile. It may sound strange, but talking to your image and seeing yourself smile really does come across in your voice.
• Practice good posture. Don’t slouch, rest your head on your hand, cross your arms, or fall into any other bad posture habits. Instead, sit up straight and act as though the caller is standing right in front of you. It will come through in the quality of your voice. It will also allow you to breathe more easily.
• Vocalize visual cues. In a face-to-face conversation, you might nod or use eye contact to show that you are listening and understand. But the caller can’t see these cues, so use phrases like “yes” or “I see” to show your attention and understanding.
• On the other hand, feel free to gesture. While the caller can’t see your motions and body language, your actions will add energy and a little zip to your voice.

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