Strategies to improve phone manners

I dread phone calls. Partly because I don’t know what to say, partly because I don’t think I have good phone manners, and partly because am distracted by background noise.

However, I do know that good phone manners are essential for success at work and for running a business, so improving my phone skills has long been high on the priority list.

 

 
And I have improved, at least with short predictable phone calls. They are not so dreadful and scary anymore, and my husband says that I sound professional on the phone (he runs his own business and does not BS me).

I would like to share my strategies, because they work.

First of all, it always help to break a challenge into sub-challenges:

 
1. Know what to say

Knowing what to say consists of two elements:

1. Outline the purpose of the call in a few concise sentences
2. Small talk

Professional phone calls must begin and end with small talk.