Career Directions Advice
Shan Shan Li, Internship Co-ordinator
Shan Shan is a graduate of the University of Western Australia in Psychology and English. She is also a graduate of Curtin University of Technology in Finance and Accounting. She joined the Advantage program at the beginning of 2005 and since then has been involved in various roles at AELC. She currently holds the role of Internship Co-ordinator for the Ausaid Leadership Development Program managed by AELC for the Australian Government.
Cassie Crofts
AELC Marketing & PR Co-ordinator
Cassie Crofts is currently completing her final semester of a Public Relations degree at Curtin University, and is a member of the 2008 WA Business Icon Executive Team. She is a quintessential Generation Y-er, wanting everything today and unable to live one day without FaceBook.
| Telephone Etiquette |
|
I want to talk about telephone communication etiquette. The amount of times that bad phone etiquette has left me raging at the ineptitude of individuals cannot be stressed enough. You think with the sheer volume of communication done via the sparkly/chrome/shiny mobiles of today’s youth that they would at least know the basics of phone etiquette. Alas, I’m proven wrong, and my inner cynic laughs So, why is phone etiquette so important that it is leaving me spitting and pulling hair? Simply put phone communication is the first point of contact between most professionals; it is a chance for the parties involved to make a good impression. Like dressing in the right way for a meeting, phone communication has a set of etiquette and conventions to assist you in making the right impression. I can’t tell you how many times I judged someone from their phone communication with me. Proper use of the English language is a must if you wish to impress the other person, to assure them that you are capable. People are much more likely to consider someone for a job when they can convey professionalism, intelligence and courtesy via the spoken language. No, ‘Yo’ is not how you start the conversation. In the following I have listed a set of short, basic rules for phone etiquette in a business context, though I’m of the belief that you should be practicing them at all times. Furthermore, what I have is only the tip of the iceberg. I recommend that you take the time to do some research yourself. Voice QualityIt takes only 60 seconds for people to create highly detailed opinions on your background, education and personality based on voice alone. Yes, if you sound like part of the Triad, Mafia, or an African American gang member you will be judged as one. So, consider it carefully. Answering The PhoneThis annoys above all else. When I phone someone I want to be assured that I’m calling the right person and not someone I have never met before. So for the love of all that is wonderful answer the phone by stating who you are! “Hello, this is XXX,” or “XXX speaking,” or variation of. Practice at it, the whole process is amazingly simple. Calling SomeoneYou should be prepared when calling someone. Before you make the phone call you should know the following information;
When you make the call identify yourself immediately, your organization and the purpose of your phone call. For example;
Time To Call And Time DifferencesBe courteous, phone calls should be made during 7:00am to 9pm, though realistically speaking phone calls related to business should be made during office hours. For national or international business phone calls you must consider the time differences. You do not want to phone someone overseas at 3pm your time when it is 2am in the morning for them. In conclusion, telephone communication is another form of communication that greatly affects the way people view you. So make the extra effort and be courteous; it can take you pretty far.
Powered by JoomlaCommentCopyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.Homepage: http://cavo.co.nr/ |
|||||