Phones

[Ellie The Fifth]

I hate telephones
or rather I hate phone calls
I don't like to receive them and even worse, make them
My pulse races, throat closes up, chest tightens, I break out in a sweat and start shaking, sometimes I feel like I'm going to faint, even if I know the person I'm about to talk to.

Thing is, in my job I have to make and take a lot of calls and I know I've made mistakes because of the anxiety.
I always take a deep breath before answering and try to pretend that I'm alone.
Does anyone have any other tips for tackling this in a way that my co-workers can't see

thx

ellie

[Gord]

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:red'>ARGHHHH!!!!!</span></span>

<span style='color:blue'>Trigger! I call it "the ringy thing"! LOL It's even worse than the doorbell!!

Feel for you there, Ellie!

What I try to do, apart from having a strong cup of tea and a cigarette at hand, is to write down the name of the person I'm speaking to first. It can just vanish from your mind when you're already anxious! Jotting notes as you go can be helpful anyway.

If I have to make a "difficult" ringy-thing call, I find it useful to summarise on a piece of paper what I want to ask or say to them, and preferably in the order I want to say them. Bullet points if it's a complicated matter. Don't just rely on scraps of information here and there around you to remind you what to say - you'll get flustered if you can't find them!

Try always to be friendly and relaxed in your approach to the other person, no matter what you may privately feel, as that will encourage a friendly response from them too and create a "virtuous c***le" which will help you a lot.

If you're having trouble working up to making a call, do the preparation side first, as above, then put it to one side for a few moments and perform some other activity (as "cover" if you don't want your colleagues to notice!) until you are relaxed and ready to make the call. Usual thing, Ellie - LSD as I call it! Long, Slow, Deep breaths. Slow as you can, fill those lungs up to the hilt with air, then slowly release and empty them out completely again.

Then just do it.

If none of this works, Google Laryngitis on the web and make sure you mimic the symptoms perfectly at work!!!

All the best, Ellie.

Love
</span>

<span style='color:red'>Gord</span>
<span style='color:green'>xxxxx</span>

[Ellie The Fifth]

I worked over ten years in an office environment fighting the ringy-thing anxiety and finally took a massive pay cut to get a job that wasn't in an office...

...only to be handed my first list of 20 clients to cold call by Thursday
Apparently it's a weekly chore.

thx for your advice Gord
Preparing my bullet points right now over a large rum and coke (at home).

ellie

[freaking-out]

Hi ellie,
I can understand the panic u must be feeling, i hope it gets easier not harder, thinking of ya.....xxxfreakyxxx




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[Lara]

I have a problem with phone calls, too. It's not that bad for me to answer but I hate it when I have to call somebody. Even to call my doctor is bad. Unfortunately I avoid them a lot at home and let my mom do the calls. Well, it depends on my mood, too. When I'm in a good mood, I probably rather make a call than when I'm in a bad mood. When I want to call a friend, we make an appointment before.