About the Author
Jeannie Davis Professional speaker, trainer and award-winning author of Beyond "Hello": A Practical Guide For Excellent Telephone Communication and Quality Customer Service (ISBN 0-944918-04-2).
An expert in telephone communication and customer service, Jeannie has worked with many Fortune 500 companies and trained thousands of people to maximize the power of their #1 business communication tool. Her customer-service-oriented telephone skills training programs include workshops, seminars and keynote presentations beneficial to organizations and associations throughout the U.S. Program participants around the country recognize her genuine passion for encouraging people to make beneficial changes-and showing them how to do it.
Jeannie is a member of the National Speakers Association and its Colorado Chapter. The diversity of her clients and audiences demonstrates the value of professional telephone skills training for businesses where oral communication is a major requisite for success. Her client list includes: BlueCross BlueShield, Federal Reserve Bank, Lucent Technologies, Norwest Banks, Group Health Cooperative, Johns Manville Corporation, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, IKON Management Solutions and TCI Communications.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Foreword First Impressions Are Nine-Tenths of Reality When you meet someone face-to-face, your appearance will determine the impression you make. Many people appear confident on the telephone because they don't have to worry about the visual image they are presenting. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to communicating via the telephone because while certain characteristics are disclosed others remain invisible. This is why it's important to present as complete a picture of yourself as possible when working on the telephone. First impressions are difficult to achieve when only our audible senses are at work. You communicate at about 40% of your ability when on the telephone because your facial expressions and gesticulations cannot be seen. Yet, there are many characteristics that do come across. To effectively create a good first impression on the telephone, you need to be aware of these characteristics. People do form an opinion of you based on the way you present yourself on the telephone. Though you appreciate the anonymity this medium presents, you still must be aware of the image you are presenting. I have asked clients and workshop participants to identify characteristics they feel help make a good impression when meeting someone face-to-face. It's no surprise that appearance and attitude are among the first on the list. Responses include the following characteristics: Appearance, Articulate, Attentiveness, Attitude, Body Language, Confidence, Courteousness, Demeanor, Eye Contact, Friendliness, Good Listener, Greeting, Handshake, Helpfulness, Informative, Name(s, Pleasantness, Posture, Rate of Speech, Recall Ability, Responsiveness, Sincerity, Smile, Vocal Tone, The responses to what characteristics help make a good first impression over the telephone are very similar. Whether communicating by telephone or face-to-face interaction, both offer the same challenge and both are difficult to master. Based on the list of face-to-face characteristics, use the exercise below to compare how they impact your ability to make a good first impression over the telephone. Check the characteristic you feel helps to make a good first impression over the telephone: _____ Responsiveness
_____ Confidence _____ Demeanor
_____ Rate of speech _____ Greeting
_____ Name(s) _____ Attitude
_____ Eye contact _____ Appearance
_____ Informative _____ Vocal Tone
_____ Posture _____ Good Listener
_____ Courteousness _____ Handshake
_____ Pleasantness _____ Body language
_____ Recall Ability _____ Articulate
_____ Friendliness _____ Smile
_____ Attentiveness _____ Sincerity
_____ Helpfulness How many characteristics did you select? ______ Any surprises? Are you amazed that nearly all face-to-face characteristics are transferable to basic telephone communication? They're transferable because the majority of these characteristics are related to your attitude. Remember, if communicating over the telephone, your customers can't see your smile or how well-dressed you are. They can't make eye contact with you or exchange a nice, firm handshake. So if you want to make a good first impression over the telephone, you must learn to display these characteristics in your voice. Which of the above characteristics would help you improve your telephone communication skills? 1.__________________________________________________________ 2.__________________________________________________________ 3.__________________________________________________________ Make certain these characteristics can be heard in your voice. This foreword gives you an overview of the practical applications you will find throughout this book. Each chapter is filled with useful tips, tools, exercises and examples you can use to improve your telephone personality. But remember, it all starts with your attitude.
