PULSE™ The art and science of the business phone call.

Feel the PULSE™

P: Plan the call and determine the best time for the recipient. Ensure you have support information and props with you. Note pads, facts sheets, etc.

U: Understand the objective of the call and how everyone benefits.

L: Listen, really listen. In fact, listen empathetically and try and put yourself in the other persons shoes. Test your understanding with questions.

S: Smile, a smile can be heard on the phone and elicits a positive response from the other person.

E: Exit, value the other persons time. When it's time to exit, thank the person for their time, summarize and have a follow up plan. As the saying goes, most sales people spend 10% of their time selling and 90% of their time buying it back. Know when to stop!

In the world of email and multitasking, the interruption of a phone call can be more annoying and consequently less fruitful. Therefore it is always better to find out the best time for a call such as sending an email to ask about the best time.

Always have a specific reason or set of reasons or goals for the phone call and the rationale of how these goals will help the other person. Often it's information that you want or want to clarify your understanding of. Always approach the recipient with the ablity to justify how this information will allow you to help them.

Choosing a quiet location to make or receive call seems obvious, however it turns out to be a well-known but little used tactic. A phone call is certainly a request for someone's undivided attention and should be treated with the utmost respect.
.

When introducing yourself always use your first and last name. It's more professional and is more respectful, and your name will be easier to remember.

Stand Up.

Not always required, but if it is long or tedious or unpleasant phone call, standing up will have a positive affect on how you sound and how you feel.

Really Listen

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”---Stephen R Covey: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Research shows that the most effective form of Active Listening using the telephone is to use Active Empathetic Listening (AEL)

AEL requires the listener to

1. Sense (what is really being said)
2. Process (construct the other person's narrative)
3. Respond (test the narrative)

Since the person you have called cannot see all the normal body language features associated with AEL (posture, nodding, mirroring movements, etc.), one has to use verbal and vocal techniques to encourage the speaker and let them know you are listening.

Take notes during the discussion and let them know you are taking notes. This has 3 beneficial effects. The first is that you don’t have to rely on memory. The second is that when a person knows you are taking notes, they often provide more information to ensure you get it right. The 3rd benefit is that you can read your notes back to them at the end as a summary and ask if you missed anything.

Ask questions to test your understanding. At the beginning of the conversation, questions should be friendly and “Opened-Ended “to encourage conversation. Questions should be Closed towards the end to verify the information.

A smile can be heard. This is in fact a physiological process as opposed to a psychological one. The sheer act of making a smile alters the mouth shape and produces a higher pitched sound. The smile can definitely be heard and also produces a relaxing effect on both the user and the recipient.

A study at the University of Portsmouth. UK, by Amy Drahota and colleagues found there were 4 types of smiles and that the one most easy to recognize on the phone is called the Duchenne smile.

The Duchenne smile is the smile that uses both the mouth and the eyes and produces the characteristic crows feet.

The full smile does not have to be constant, since the Duchenne smile (full smile) that last longer than 4 seconds are considered fake.

Smiles can be heard. Use them often.

It is very easy to forget to smile when you are not hearing what you want or concentrating on what is being said. Looking at your own face in a mirror (or some other reflective surface such as a window) will remind you smile.

The full smile, the Duchenne smile, should be used frequently but not constantly. When not using the Duchenne smile, ensure that one has a pleasant look with a half smile. This too can be heard and imparts trust and altruism on the listener.

Always end the conversation with a summary and a plan for the next step. For example, “That was very useful. The notes I took from our conversation said that you needed X,Y and Z. Is there anything else that you can think of that I forgot to write down?"

Ending a phone call without a next step plan is a waste of everyone's time. Make sure that a follow up plan is in place of what, when and how.

If you would like to provide feedback or receive additional information, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you!