Mind the phone

ello! ‘ello! There is so much to know when you have to make a telephone call. There is more to it than a simple Hello” . You need to be clear, polite, and to the point.

July 18, 2014 03:40 pm | Updated August 14, 2014 03:21 pm IST

The other day, I received a call at home.

“Hello?”

“Hi?”

“Yes?”

“Er…”

“Whom do you want to speak to?”

“Nabila?”

“Sorry, she’s gone out.”

“Er…”

“Would you like to leave a message

for her?”

“No. Can she call back?”

“Yes. May I know who is calling?”

“Shweta*.”

“All right, Shweta, I’ll ask her to… ”

* click *

Do’s and Don’ts

This is a bad telephone conversation. Shweta did not want to give me any information and she cut the call before I had finished talking. Keep your conversation simple, polite and to-the-point.

A few guidelines

Talk in a pleasant, clear tone.

Avoid breathing loudly, chewing, or grunting or making sounds like “Er”, “Ah”, “Hmmm” and so on.

Always greet the other person. A “Hello” or “Hi” works well.

If you know the person, ask, “How are you?” before you rush headlong into the conversation; unless it is an emergency and you need to get to the point immediately.

Identify yourself. Not every phone has a caller ID, and sometimes, even a good friend may not be able to recognise your voice right away.

If the person you want to speak to is not around, either leave a message or a request for the call to be returned.

If you reach an answering machine, don’t hang up without leaving a message.

Call at appropriate times. Everyone may not be awake and chirpy at 5.30 a.m. like you, Sunshine. Or be up for a chat at 11.00 p.m.

Keep a pen and a notepad handy to take down messages.

Be polite while requesting information.

Do not entertain blank/prank calls. If you feel the other person is asking inappropriate questions, inform your parents immediately.

*Shweta’s name has been changed to save her embarrassment.

Illustration: Vishnupriya Suresh

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