Making a telephone call-preparation

Billions of telephone calls are made every day. Each call is an opportunity for the caller to make positive impression on the person they are calling.

It only takes about 30 seconds for the person on the other end of the line to form an impression of the caller. Knowing this can be stressful if you are making the call in a second language. So, if the call is important to you, you must be prepared. If you are properly prepared, you are more likely to create the right, positive impression.

To be properly prepared you need to think about the purpose of your call, about the person you are calling and about the language you will use. You then need to make sure that you make the call from the right work environment.

We should look at several steps of simple things you can do to make this preparation more structured and effective:

- to make an action plan;

- to assess the person you are calling

- to prepare what to say

- to prepare work environment

Step 1 - making an action plan. There is usually a very good reason for you to pick up the phone and make a call in English. Sometimes you have more than one reason. In other words, you want to achieve a specific objective or objectives with each call you make. The better you are able to specify those objectives, the more likely you are to achieve them.

Take a large Post-it note and write in one sentence the main objective for the call. Then, if there are several objectives, list the others under that sentence [17, c.15].

The note might read something like this:

 

Main objective: 1. To follow up an enquiry about our print-on-demand photocopiers from Jean-Michel Barre, Head of Administration at Arconet. Other objectives: 2. To check if he mil attend the Trade Fair in Barcelona next month. 3. To find out the паmе and contact details of the IT Manager in their Japanese parent company.

 

Now take another Post-it note and write down the things you want to happen as a result of the call, for example:

 

Desired results: 1. An appointment within the next three weeks to discuss their printing needs. 2. If he is going to the trade fair, we arrange a demonstration and a dinner meeting during that week. 3. The contact details of the IT manager m their Japanese parent company and a personal introduction.

Step 2 - assessing the person you are calling. Put yourself in the position of the person receiving the call. This is especially important if you think the call will be a difficult one. There are four things you need to know about the person at the other end of the line. This knowledge will affect the way you handle the call. Make a LINK to the person you are calling: Level, Interests, Needs, Knowledge.

Level What is their position in the organization? What decision-making power do they have? This will determine the style of your approach. For example, if you are phoning a 60-year-old CEO whom you do not know well, you will probably choose to use a rather formal approach. You will certainly use titles, family names and politeness phrases at the start:

Mr. Tait: Tait speaking.

Maria: Good morning, Mr. Tait. It’s Maria Gonzales here, fromArconet Int. in Spain.

Mr. Tait: Good morning, Mrs. Gonzales.

Maria: I’m very grateful for this chance to speak to you.

On the other hand, if you are phoning the 28-year-old IT manager of a gaming software company whom you know quite well, you will probably be much less formal, perhaps using first names and very direct language:

Alex: Stanton speaking.

Maria: Hi, Alex. This is Maria Gonzales from Arconet in Spain.

Alex: Hi, Maria.

Maria: How are things?

Interests What interests and motivates them? What kind of person are they? This will determine the examples, words and phrases you use. For example, if you know the person is interested in facts, figures and statistics, you need to provide them. Maria: ‘Mr. Tait, I propose we go through the contract in three stages. First, go through each clause in detail to see if there are any amendments to be made and list the clauses to be amended. Second, discuss each amendment and reword the clauses. Third, I then mail you the amended contract for further discussions next week’.

If you know the person you are calling is people-oriented, then spend some time making small talk and comparing notes about your holidays, hobbies or children before getting down to business.

Maria: ‘Did you and the family manages to get away for a skiing break this year? ’

Alex: ‘Not yet - but we still have time’.

Needs What are their business needs? What do they want and expect to hear from you? This will determine the content of the call. Knowing someone’s needs and expectations will allow you to focus on the relevant information you need when preparing for the call. In MrTait’s case you probably need to stick to the facts and not distract him with unnecessary small talk:

Maria: ‘Right, Mr. Tait. I’ve noted the various amendments we discussed. I’ll rework the contract and you will have the new version on Friday. Thank you for your time. I’ll be in touch. Goodbye’.

On the other hand, Alex will probably be interested in personal relationship as well as the business:

Maria: ‘Right, Alex, that covers everything we needed to talk about. By the way, do you have any preferences for where to eat when we meet next week? ’

Alex: ‘Not really. I like Spanish cooking, but I eat most things’.

Maria: ‘I know a really nice local place I sometimes go to with the family. I’m sure you’d love their local specialties’.

Alex: ‘Sounds great.

If you think it is appropriate, you can make a simple agenda for the call and discuss it with the person you are calling. This helps both of partners to concentrate on the main issues.

Knowledge What and how much do they already know? This determines the level of detail and complexity of the call. We know a lot about our own areas of work, but does the person you are calling have the same level of knowledge? You have to consider what level of detail is appropriate to the call:

Maria: ‘Mr. Tait, I understand you are very familiar with the background to this contract, so we can get straight down to business, I think’.

Maria: ‘Alex, I’m not sure how much you know about this project. Would you like me to fill you in on the background? ’

Step 3 - preparing what to say. You have thought about your objectives and the person you are going to be speaking to. Now you need to think about the specific words and phrases you need to use during your phone conversation. Here are three tips for helping you with this part of your preparation:

ü Look at the telephone phrases in Supplement 5. It will give you the basic vocabulary you need to structure your calls. Learning these phrases by heart will automatically make you feel more confident, and you will be able to manage the process of calling in English in a more professional way.

ü Do your preparation for the call in English. This will help you to identify any vocabulary and phrases you are missing. Look up the missing words, make a short vocabulary list and practice saying them aloud.

ü Prepare your opening sentences and practice saying them. If you are nervous, learn them by heart.

Step 4 - preparing work environment. We have to make our calls from a variety of locations. Sometimes we are in an office where we can close the door and have some peace and quiet, but many of us work in open-plan offices where there is not much privacy. We may have to call on our mobile or cell phones from airports, trains or cars.

You need to think about whether you should be making important calls from airports on your mobile or from your desk in an open-plan office, or whether, if you can, it is better to find a private workspace (perhaps in a small conference room near your open-plan office) where you can really concentrate and not be disturbed.

Organize your workspace for these important calls in English. Put your Objectives and Desired results Post-it notes somewhere where you can see them easily - and where you can tick off the results when you have achieved them. Have your vocabulary list handy for those difficult words and phrases you needed to look up, and make sure any background papers you need are to hand.

And finally, have a note pad and pencil at the ready. Tell the person on the other end of the line that you are going to make some notes. This has four positive effects:

ü it shows you are treating the call professionally and seriously

ü it explains occasional silences when you are writing (and planning the next thing you want to say)

ü it slows native speakers down if they think you are making notes

ü you can use your notes to summarize regularly your discussions in order to keep on track.

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