Telephoning in business

Telephoning in business has been largely replaced by the email correspondence, but still 26% of executives prefer the phone for management communication. Your company will be judged on your or your people telephone manner. So it is very important that the first contact the caller has is with someone who is courteous, happy, and ever so willing to help. That is why it is necessary to polish up your telephone techniques.

Structural elements of phone communication:

Ø greetings and identifying the participants of the conversation;

Ø explaining the reason for calling;

Ø discussing the main theme;

Ø summarizing the theme;

Ø expressing appreciation, saying goodbye.

TAKING MESSAGES

It is important that you get the following details from the caller: name, phone number, what the call is about. Your written message should also contain date, time, and your name or the name of the person who took the call. If you are having difficulty understanding what the caller is saying, try spelling out the particular words.

MAKING A CALL

Always announce yourself and either say who you wish to speak to or what the matter is about. If the caller isn’t in, find out the most convenient time to try again, or have them return your call.

LEAVING A PHONE MESSAGE

Sometimes there may not be anyone to answer the telephone call and you will need to leave a message recorded on the answering machine. Follow these guidelines:

· Introduce yourself.

· State the reason for calling.

· Leave your telephone number.

· End your call with a “goodbye” message.

Making a call it would be reasonable if you

· Try not to ramble, mumble, hesitate or whisper.

· Prepare beforehand what you want to say.

· Sound businesslike – state your name and the reason for the call.

· Never feel compelled to tell all to the machine.

· Include a time when you can be reached for a return call.

Competent communicators use technology to full advantage to accomplish their communication goals but are mindful of the need for shared personal interactions as well. In short, they practice both high-tech and high-touch communication.

Topic 4. WRITING WITH STYLE: INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS

PLAN.

1. Style as the way to express an idea.

2. Adaptation and word choice.

3. Writing effective sentences.

4. Developing logical paragraphs.

5. Writing a complete message.

Style as the way to express an idea

To have style the complete message should be readable, with clarified relationships among the sentences, concise, familiar language, and ideas presented in logical order. By style, we mean the way in which an idea is expressed. A written message with a good style is considered to be readable: it clarifies relationships among the sentences, uses concise and familiar language, presents ideas in logical order. While writing the first draft of a message, you should be more concerned with content than with style and mechanics – spelling, punctuation, abbreviations, capitalization, number expression, and word division.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 2144