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September News  This month's topic is Making an Impact over the Phone. In his communication study Mehrabian found that people pay attention to only 7% of what is said. The main thing that people notice is the tone of voice (38%) and body language (55%). So how can we pay more attention to these things on the phone?
Welcome to the September issue of the Pelican Coaching newsletter. Thanks again if you took the time to feedback on my 'Effectiveness at Work' article last month. It seemed to 'hit the spot' and make a few of you smile in the process. This month the Featured Topic is 'Making an Impact over the Phone'. In today's global business environment many of us have to do a great deal of our business over the phone.
How much business do you conduct over the phone? It might be that you regularly have to meet one-to-one with a boss (or key stakeholder) or take part in a team or group meeting.
Have a think about the various telephone interactions you've been involved in. How did you behave? How did the others involved behave? Who made an impact on you and why? You've probably already had some really positive experiences and some situations that really didn't work for you. The article below explores how you can be more effective and impactful in these interactions by paying closer attention to some simple points. As usual, please let me know how useful the article is for you and which points make the most difference.
Featured Topic: Making an Impact over the Phone Having a positive impact on someone is less about what you say and more about how you say it. In his communication study Mehrabian found that people pay attention to only 7% of what is said. The main thing that people notice is the tone of voice (38%) and body language (55%). So when we come to the medium of the telephone things can get challenging if we only focus on what we say and what is being said. Below are ten simple ideas for making more of an impact over the phone in the meetings where you play a key role. Why not take half an hour ‘out’ right now and think about the tip or tips that might just make the most difference for you. You might find it helpful to print this article out and read it away from your desk.
Top 10 Tips 1. Plan to impress Think about the impression you want to make during the call. What do you want to be remembered for? Is it for being calm and in control, being engaging, making a good point, being confident or something else? If you don't know what you want you are leaving everything to chance. Pick one thing and be as clear and specific as you possibly can. How will you know that you have succeeded? How will you feel? What will others be saying or doing? 2. Be prepared Get yourself into the best possible 'state' before the call. It may sound obvious but do whatever you need to do to feel good. Check your energy levels. Stretch your legs, go to the loo, have a drink of water or get something to eat. Arrange your work station appropriately so you have everything to hand. Are there any notes or bits of information that you want at your finger tips? Taking time before the call to prepare mentally and physically is important. You don't want anything to interfere with your performance. Note: If you have any influence over the timing of the call then pick the time of day when you know you are at your best. 3. Engage and stay engaged Think about all the telephone interactions you have been involved in where you tuned out or were easily distracted when an email or instant message came in. How many times have you put the phone on mute and started doing something else? If you are going to make an impact you need to be engaged and know what is going on. You have to be present to have presence! Remove all distractions and commit to really being part of the interaction for as long as it takes. Engagement means active listening; listening intently and asking questions for clarification. Asking questions will also engage others and have a positive impact on them. 4.Take a winning stance Your body language is very important on the telephone, though the temptation is to forget it. An upright assertive posture will make you feel more confident and engaged and this will come across in your voice.
Sit up straight, ideally with both feet flat on the floor. If you are alone in your location you might even want to stand up. Keep paying attention to your posture as the call progresses, as it will change with your mood. 5. Set the tone You can influence the tone of any interaction by the way you approach it. Do you want an upbeat, productive interaction? - if so, be upbeat and facilitative. Do you want others to be relaxed and feel they can speak their mind? - if so, relax and speak your mind. Moods are infectious so start an outbreak of what you would like. 6. Empathise What is going on in their world? What is important to them at the moment? How busy are they?
Take time to acknowledge the other participants and let them know that you understand their perspective.
7. Use your emotions as a guide As the interaction begins notice how you are feeling. Your feelings can act as a barometer for how the meeting is going and how engaged you are. If you feel uncomfortable you are not engaged and cannot make the best impression. If you feel uncomfortable the chances are that someone else feels uncomfortable too. If you feel relaxed and open, the meeting mood is probably relaxed and open. If you do feel uncomfortable, try mentioning it and see what happens. Try saying something like ‘I don’t feel like this is working for everyone, can I just check everyone is on board’ or ‘I feel like I’ve lost you’. There might be a huge virtual sigh of relief, others will may well agree with you and the interaction will get back on track. This can be a powerful way of making a positive impact without doing very much at all! 8. Tune into the body language It is amazing how much body language you can tune into over the phone, but you will need to be calm and engaged to do this. Once you are calm and engaged listen to the body language. Is the other person smiling or serious? Are they sitting up straight or slumped? Are they fully engaged or slightly tuned out?
This information can guide you as to the best course of action.
If you read negative body language what can you do to reengage that person? If you have strong engagement with someone you are already making a positive impact.
9. Be clear and succinct
I believe that if you talk for more than about 3 or 4 minutes on the phone then people will begin to tune out. There are no statistics to support this yet (if there are I haven’t found them!) but my experience suggests that this is true. People have shorter attention spans on the phone and it is harder to stay interested if you are listening to a monologue. So when you make your point, be clear and succinct and then ask for input. This will also ensure you do not ‘hum’ or ‘ehhh’ or ‘you know’ which can happen if you talk for too long and tune out slightly yourself. If you have a lot to say break your points down so you can keep asking for input. 10. Notice what works As you start to do things differently notice what works for you. Make some time for reflection after each important interaction. Run through the nine points above and ask yourself – Did I get the result I wanted? What did I do well? What did I learn? What will I do differently next time? I hope these Tips help in your next key interaction. We also provide a lot of coaching support in this area so if you'd like to explore any of the tips in more detail please contact us. If you would like ideas on how to run effective meetings take a look at the Top Ten Tips on the website. Highlights last month We ran a half day workshop exploring 'Healthy Change'. Looking at how to deal with change in a way that is constructive to you, your team and your health. We looked at techniques for acknowledging and moving through each stage of the change curve. What is coming next month? Next month the Featured Topic will be Effective use of Time. If you enjoy this newsletter do please feel free to forward it onto a friend or colleague. If you've just received this newsletter from a friend or colleague and would like to subscribe please click here to be taken to our website home page. Warm wishes Helen. Leadership Coach & Consultant Pelican Coaching & Development
www.pelicancoaching.com
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