Communication Updates, "How to Make Phone Calls and Process Telephone Conversations"

Following my blog of yesterday, where I said that I would bring comments and stories about miscommunication in our everyday life, I will begin with one instance of telephone miscommunication.

Among some telephone messages I got just recently there was one from one of the hospitals we are having to deal with on a health issue my husband is going through at this time.

That particular voice message was very badly executed by the caller. She was a nurse who called regarding some treatments that needed to be done every day. My husband had told the nurses doing the treatment that he would be away for one week, so they would not be expecting him until he returned.

Well when I got the message on my telephone voice mail, the caller spoke in such rapid fire mode that I could not get her name nor the full telephone number – sounds familiar? I'm sure this has happened to you too because I see it all the time.. either by voice message or live telephone conversation. I often have to tell the caller to speak slower... and I mean often.

I get very disturbed that people don't know how to make phone calls and process phone conversation. Many don't even know how to place a phone call.

Here are some etiquette tips to begin with:

1._If you make a phone call, firstly, identify yourself. Don't assume they have your ID on their phone. i.e.: “Hi (name) it's (name)... (if you call from an organization, state that as well”.

2._If you are making the call, be in control. Know why you are calling and tell the person the reason.

3._Get to the point and keep the small talk for after the reason of your call and let the person control that part to a certain point – unless of course you're calling to have a personal chat. Keep control of the conversation and close the conversation when appropriate. Don't assume the person you're calling is in a position to talk, clarify that if you have too, i.e.: “Do you have a minute?”

This is especially important if the person you're calling is in business and has a home office.

4._If you have to leave a message on the voice mail:

a._identify yourself as above.

b._speak slowly, clearly and briefly.

c._leave your name and phone number where to call

d._repeat your name and phone number again before completing your call.

During the process of conversation, speak slowly, pausing after each subject matter to get a response from the listener, and then resume... if the response requires an answer, stay in control of picking up where your were interrupted...

There is yet much more to learning how to handle telephone call where there are many types within personal and business and you can read more about that in my book “Contextual Communication, Organization and Training” available through Amazon.

Successfully Yours,

Diane

Communication, Communication, Communication...

Yes, I know, this triple-mentioned word statement often feels overused. But I remember well the slogan in the real estate business that was coined many years ago "location, location, location" ... it seems very fitting here also to express the importance of communication.

I never run out of new stories about communication and miscommunication that take place in every aspect of our lives, in our everyday living, whether it be on the personal, business and professional level.  I could write about them every day.

Right now, I'm finding myself in a new area of communication and that is within the medical care system. The amount of miscommunication that takes place between doctors and patients and nurses and doctors, etc... and I've been gathering all of that over the last week, having to go through the system as a caregiver to my husband's health situation.

It seems that every day there is some new experience, some new story about the flaws of people communicating to one another.  Even our own communication to others. How many times have you said something to someone only to regret not having clarified a certain aspect about the meaning of what you were trying to relay?

I will be writing about these starting tomorrow as I make a list of those situations I've encountered in the last week and those I seem to be coming across in the daily routines of life. Hopefully we all learn from this and use the knowledge to make things easier for all of us.

Talk to you again soon,

Diane Hoffmann

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Contextual Communication, Organization and Training

Contextual Communication, Organization and Training
Book -- Revised and Up-dated 2019
by Diane M. Hoffmann

Available at Amazon-Click Here



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Communication Bits -- Answer your emails.

I haven't posted here for a while, but I have been thinking of getting back at sharing again on communication bits that we come across on a daily basis...


Here are 2 recent "Communication Bits" that I came across during one week...


1)
I sent an email to an associate suggesting a possible co-op on a business event to take place on a certain date.
The person wrote back saying it was a great idea, but then said  that he didn't know if he would be in town on that date.
That was his answer.  So I followed-up with another suggested date for the following week.
I did not hear back from him.


2)
I sent an email inviting a business friend and his wife over for dinner, giving them the options for either Friday or Saturday of that same week.  He replied that he had other commitments for both days... and ended the email with "Thanks though".
So as a communication "stickler" (I don't like to call myself an "expert") here is my advice:


For the 1st email:


1. The receiver of the email should have given an alternative date right away on that first response.
Obviously by not doing that, he has to know and realize that the originator of the email will have to follow-up with another question for an alternative date.
And, of course on top of that, the other element of this e-conversation is that the receiver did not even answer the follow-up email at all. That's just plain sloppy email etiquette.


For the 2nd email:


Again, the response from the receiver of the email left the e-conversation incomplete.  He should have said, "I cannot come on either days, but I could make it next week (or whenever)".
Because, again, the original email writer would have wanted to offer another day, if the conversation had taken place in-person. 


In both cases the key is to complete a conversation in one session... otherwise, the conversation will have to be re-initiated again, and always answer personal and business emails.


The Points to take in here:


1. Answer your emails.
2. Answer all your emails completely.

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The 2Xtremes Analysis

Ok, it's been a while since I wrote a post here. I've been side-tracked by various other projects, but hopefully, I'm back to it again and so, here's another "Tool Within the Tolls" to follow #1 earlier:

TWT #2:

The 2Xtremes analysis

 Often, the indecisions we face are caused because problems fall within the gray areas between black and white and not at either extreme.

If you need further focus on a problem, push the situation to the black or white extreme by asking pertinent questions from these two points of view.

This will identify which side holds the solution or need attention and work. 

 (Sorry for the poor quality, I will re-do the graphic and upload it as soon as possible)

For example you might say: "I won't get that report done on time, so what's the worst scenario that could happen?" 

If it's not that important, you'll be able to make a decision and move on accordingly. If it is important, then you move on to "what's the solution?". Section 7 contains a guideline on solution-finding and problem-solving.

And here is an example of looking at a problem from the 2Xtremes analysis. Have you ever come out of a store or coffee shop and someone else attempts to enter at the same time?

Who has the right of way? Looking at it from the extreme, if the store was full and could not accommodate another person, those entering would have to let people out first and then they could get in. So, based on that, it is a pretty good rule to say that those entering a building should give way to those exiting.

Another way to look at extremes is to look at important people and ask, "What would Einstein do in this situation?" or the Prime minister... "What would Ann Landers say?" Or my father, or mother, or boss, or husband, wife, an admired peer at work, or an expert in the subject at hand -- or you may ask "What would God say?". Then, you can use that extreme to come up with a decision or solution.

Use these tools in preparation for communicating with others. If you find yourself in a communication problem, go "back to the drawing board" and re-do your homework. Try looking at your problem again with these tools and subsequent new information.

Diane

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Tools Within the Tools: The 1-11 Measuring Scale

by Diane M. Hoffmann

For the next while, interspersed among other articles, I will be writing posts on the "Tools Within the Tools (TWT) which I have in my book "Contextual Communication, Organization & Training(c)".

These are tools that we can use to improve our communication in various situations.

TWT #1: "The 1-11 Measuring Scale"

As I say in my book, if 100% is good communication and 50% efficiency and below (which is pretty poor) is what most people communicate at, on a scale of 1 to 11 from one extreme to the other, 1 being 0% and 11 being 100%, we have something like this:

We can use this scale to measure present daily communication habits or scenarios by asking ourselves: "On a scale of 1 to 11, where do I stand as the speaker (sender) or as the listener (receiver), or where does my listener stand?

When faced with a particular communication problem, using this scale, ask yourself: "On a scale of 1 to 11, where does that problem of communication fall between the two extremes?"

This will identify the level of the problem and the equivalent level of corrective action required.

If the problem falls halfway, then ask yourself: "What would the two extremes be if it extended one way or another?" In other words what would be the worst or the best scenario at each end of the scale? This will show what worst destructive or best constructive that could be anticipated.

For example, if the problem of communication you are assessing falls at the 50% level as you candidly assess (you have to be honest with yourself and with others with whom you communicate), then obviously you want it to move from that 50% poor level toward the 100% mark which is good-positive-constructive.

The next question is "how can I improve this communication problem?"

Then, begin to write down various ideas that you can start using.  Many of these ideas are discussed in the book.

The next TWT will expand on the 2 extremes analysis of bad to good./dmh


Cheers and good communication!

Good Deeds vs Bad

Benjamin Franklin, once said that it takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, but just one bad deed to lose it.

Everything we do in our daily life is communication. We communicate all the time, whether it be by word or by action.

That's my short post for today -- just a reminder!

Diane

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