Avoid the phone, dial a number and hang up. Recognizable? These are 9 tips to get your phone anxiety under control.
1. Ask yourself what you are afraid of
Afraid you won't know what to say, afraid you won't know the answer to a question, or the conversation will be awkward? Are you afraid to call for work, or do you also suffer from it in your private life? If you know what you are afraid of, you can tackle your fear in a targeted manner.
2. Prepare your phone call
Having thought about what exactly you want to say beforehand can take the fear away. If necessary, make a list of things you want to discuss on the phone.
3. Provide a good opening sentence
Prepare the opening:your name, the reason you are calling, your first question.
4. Start with easy phone calls
You will receive an email to which you can give a short answer. Challenge yourself by picking up the phone instead of emailing right back. If you see that these conversations are going well, it gives you more confidence.
5. Make sure you cannot be disturbed
If you can, cut yourself off when you call. This way you don't have the feeling that someone is listening in and you can make calls at your leisure.
6. Practice makes perfect
The more phone calls you make, the easier it will be.
7. Ask for tips from others
Ask that colleague who always calls easily if he/she has any tips for you. Maybe you can listen in on a telephone conversation to learn from.
8. Wonder what's the worst that could happen
What can actually go wrong during a phone call? If someone asks a question that you don't know the answer to, you can always indicate that you should look it up and come back to it later.
9. Take a course
Does nothing help and do you suffer a lot from your telephone fear in daily life? There are courses that help you get over your fear.
