Which of the following examples shows an effective strategy to use when speaking on the phone?

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Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a major impact on your job effectiveness and on the quality of your relationships with others.

For instance:

• We listen to obtain information.
• We listen to understand.
• We listen for enjoyment.
• We listen to learn.

Given all the listening that we do, you would think we'd be good at it! In fact, most of us are not, and research suggests that we only remember between 25 percent and 50 percent of what we hear, as described by Edgar Dale's Cone of Experience. That means that when you talk to your boss, colleagues, customers, or spouse for 10 minutes, they pay attention to less than half of the conversation.

Turn it around and it reveals that when you are receiving directions or being presented with information, you aren't hearing the whole message either. You hope the important parts are captured in your 25-50 percent, but what if they're not?

Clearly, listening is a skill that we can all benefit from improving. By becoming a better listener, you can improve your productivity, as well as your ability to influence, persuade and negotiate. What's more, you'll avoid conflict and misunderstandings. All of these are necessary for workplace success!

Click here to view a transcript of this video.

Good communication skills require a high level of self-awareness. Understanding your own personal style of communicating will go a long way toward helping you to create good and lasting impressions with others.

About Active Listening

The way to improve your listening skills is to practice "active listening." This is where you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, the complete message being communicated.

In order to do this, you must pay attention to the other person very carefully.

You cannot allow yourself to become distracted by whatever else may be going on around you, or by forming counterarguments while the other person is still speaking. Nor can you allow yourself to get bored, and lose focus on what the other person is saying.

If you're finding it particularly difficult to concentrate on what someone is saying, try repeating their words mentally as they say them. This will reinforce their message and help you to stay focused.

To enhance your listening skills, you need to let the other person know that you are listening to what they're saying.

To understand the importance of this, ask yourself if you've ever been engaged in a conversation when you wondered if the other person was listening to what you were saying. You wonder if your message is getting across, or if it's even worthwhile continuing to speak. It feels like talking to a brick wall and it's something you want to avoid.

Acknowledgment can be something as simple as a nod of the head or a simple "uh huh." You aren't necessarily agreeing with the person, you are simply indicating that you are listening. Using body language and other signs to acknowledge you are listening can also help you to pay attention.

Try to respond to the speaker in a way that will encourage them to continue speaking, so that you can get the information that you need. While nodding and "uh huhing" says you're interested, an occasional question or comment to recap what has been said also communicates that you are listening and understanding his message.

Be aware that active listening can give others the impression that you agree with them even if you don't. It’s also important to avoid using active listening as a checklist of actions to follow, rather than really listening. It may help to practice Mindful Listening if you find that you lose focus regularly.

Becoming an Active Listener

There are five key active listening techniques you can use to help you become a more effective listener:

1. Pay Attention

Give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message. Recognize that non-verbal communication also "speaks" loudly.

• Look at the speaker directly.
• Put aside distracting thoughts.
• Don't mentally prepare a rebuttal!
• Avoid being distracted by environmental factors. For example, side conversations.
• "Listen" to the speaker's body language.

2. Show That You're Listening

Use your own body language and gestures to show that you are engaged.

• Nod occasionally.
• Smile and use other facial expressions.
• Make sure that your posture is open and interested.
• Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and "uh huh."

3. Provide Feedback

Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This may require you to reflect on what is being said and to ask questions.

• Reflect on what has been said by paraphrasing. "What I'm hearing is... ," and "Sounds like you are saying... ," are great ways to reflect back.
• Ask questions to clarify certain points. "What do you mean when you say... ." "Is this what you mean?"
• Summarize the speaker's comments periodically.

If you find yourself responding emotionally to what someone said, say so. And ask for more information: "I may not be understanding you correctly, and I find myself taking what you said personally. What I thought you just said is XXX. Is that what you meant?"

4. Defer Judgment

Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker and limits full understanding of the message.

• Allow the speaker to finish each point before asking questions.
• Don't interrupt with counterarguments.

5. Respond Appropriately

Active listening is designed to encourage respect and understanding. You are gaining information and perspective. You add nothing by attacking the speaker or otherwise putting her down.

• Be candid, open, and honest in your response.
• Assert your opinions respectfully.
• Treat the other person in a way that you think they would want to be treated.

Infographic

Click on the thumbnail image below to see Active Listening represented in an infographic:

Key Points

It takes a lot of concentration and determination to be an active listener. Old habits are hard to break, and if your listening skills are as bad as many people's are, then you'll need to do a lot of work to break these bad habits.

There are five key techniques you can use to develop your active listening skills:

1. Pay attention.
2. Show that you're listening.
3. Provide feedback.
4. Defer judgment.
5. Respond appropriately.

Start using active listening techniques today to become a better communicator, improve your workplace productivity, and develop better relationships.

1. Career development
2. How To Answer the Phone Professionally (With Examples)

By Indeed Editorial Team

Updated June 23, 2022 | Published January 29, 2021

Updated June 23, 2022

Published January 29, 2021

In recent years, digital communication methods like texting, email and social media have become the preferred mode of contact for many people. Despite this, a lot of companies still rely on direct phone calls to communicate with customers and clients. If your role requires you to communicate through phone calls, then it's crucial to learn how to answer the phone properly.

In this article, we discuss why phone etiquette is important and we offer tips and examples to guide you in how to answer the phone professionally.

Related: 15 Phone Skills To Use When Communicating with Customers

Why is it important to answer the phone professionally?

Even in this digital age, the telephone is still a primary communication device for many organizations, like businesses, health institutions, schools and more. The way employees answer the phone often forms a customer or client's first impression of the organization.

If you answer the phone in a professional manner, the caller may be more motivated to give you their business. They may also feel welcome to ask questions, find solutions and offer loyalty to your organization. Therefore, it's crucial for all employees of an organization to be trained properly on professional phone-answering practices and etiquette. By answering the phone properly, you show the caller that you respect them and care about what they have to say.

Read more: A Guide to Phone Etiquette: Definition, Tips and Impact

How to answer the phone professionally

Many factors lead to a successful, professional phone call. While the customer service techniques you use throughout a call may differ depending on the organization you work for and who you're talking to, answering the phone professionally is typically a standard practice. Here are 10 steps you can take to practice answering the phone professionally:

1. Answer by the third ring

It's courteous to pick up the phone promptly to avoid making callers wait. Out of respect for the caller's time, try answering any call by the third ring or send it to voicemail if you are unavailable rather than letting it continue ringing. This way, you can help customers and clients in a timely manner.

2. Offer a greeting

While the standard "Hello?" greeting is common and sometimes suits professional situations, you may want to offer a more specialized greeting when answering the phone for your organization. For instance, you can state the name of your organization, introduce yourself by name and ask how you might help the caller on the line.

Example: "Good morning! Thank you for calling Dr. Johnson's office. This is Miranda speaking. How may I help you today?"

Related: Phone Skills: Definitions and Examples for Your Resume

3. Speak with a smile

As strange as it may sound, your tone often changes noticeably when you smile while speaking. Monitoring your tone throughout a call can be a challenging task, especially if you're performing multiple duties at once—as is often the case if you are a front desk agent or customer service provider. So, try smiling when you greet the caller. Using this trick can help you maintain a professional, friendly and positive tone throughout the phone-answering process.

4. Be clear

Clearly enunciating your words can help you assist callers efficiently and professionally. On the phone, you may have to battle with poor cellular service, background noise and muffled voices. These factors can sometimes lead to unclear calls. If you speak slowly and clearly, it will be easier for callers to hear what you say the first time so that you don't have to repeat yourself.

5. Avoid slang

In order for callers to understand you, avoid using slang and industry-specific buzzwords. Rather than using casual phrases like "cool" and "no problem" on the phone with clients, swap them out for more professional ones, like "very well" and "you're welcome." Even further, try to avoid using filler words like "um," "like" and "y'know," and focus on using appropriate, professional language instead.

6. Be positive

Maintaining a positive and upbeat tone can help callers feel welcomed and at ease. Try switching out phrases like "I don't know" for proactive alternatives like "Let me see if I can figure that out for you." If answering calls is part of your job, it's likely your duty to assist clients by properly fielding questions and transferring them to different colleagues or departments. Make sure that you take this duty seriously and treat your callers with kindness and respect.

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Professionalism

7. Ask before you put someone on hold

If your organization is busy or understaffed, clients may experience long wait times before their call even reaches you. This is especially true if your organization screens calls at first using automated systems and menus. Therefore, it's important to respect your caller's time from the very beginning. One way you can do this is by asking the individual before putting them on hold. Explain why you need to do so, and thank them when they oblige. This is a simple addition to your phone etiquette that can go a long way with customers.

Example: "I understand your concern, Ms. Weiss. I'm going to have to check with my supervisor to see if we'll be able to reschedule your appointment with less than 24 hours' notice. Would you mind if I place you on a brief hold?"

8. Take messages accurately

If your organization doesn't use a voicemail system, you might take messages for colleagues or superiors periodically. When you do, make sure your messages are accurate and include all of the details from the calls. This can help your colleagues pick up where you left off seamlessly with a caller without needing them to repeat information. In general, taking accurate messages can improve your organization's customer or client operations.

9. Know how to transfer and who to transfer to

Phone systems can be a challenge to use the right way. Therefore, you'll want to practice using all of the functions of your organization's phone system before trying to answer calls.

The transfer function is especially important to use properly, as you will probably have to use it daily when transferring calls to colleagues who are better suited to assist clients with their needs. Knowing how to use this function correctly, in addition to keeping an updated list of colleagues and their responsibilities for you to reference, will help you ensure that calls are transferred to the correct individual.

10. Close on a positive note

When you're about to hang up with a caller, try to end the conversation on a positive note. You can do this by thanking them or wishing them well. This can motivate clients to feel positively toward your organization and make them more comfortable calling in the future to address other requests, questions or problems.

Example: "Thanks for your call today, Mr. Weston. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day."

Other helpful tips to consider when answering the phone

The steps above are crucial to keep in mind when answering the phone at work. To help you further professionalize your calls, consider these additional tips:

• Make sure the person you transfer the call to is available. To ensure that callers are met with an answer rather than a voicemail when transferred, make sure the colleague is available to help beforehand.

• Save your food and drink for after the call. To remain professional, avoid eating or drinking while you're on a call with a customer, as speaking with food or drink in your mouth can make your enunciation unclear.

• Create a professional voicemail message. There will be times when you can't make it to the phone in time or won't be able to answer immediately because you're busy with another task. To prepare for occasions like this, create a professional voicemail message and update it frequently. If clients or customers do leave you a message, make sure you call them back within a business day to retain their business and meet their needs as quickly as possible.

Jobs for good communicators

Once you learn how to answer the phone effectively, you might consider searching for a job that requires this skill. Here is a list of options:

1. Call center representative

2. Customer service agent

3. Receptionist

4. Administrative assistant

5. Survey interviewer

6. Retail associate

7. Information clerk

8. Dispatcher

9. Computer support specialist

10. Teller