From the author: All articles in this series are chapters of my book “Public Speaking. Workshop”. If you are interested in this topic, then you can find all the previous chapters on this site, and subsequent ones will be published here a little later Has it ever happened to you that you need to call someone, solve some important issue, but you still couldn’t decide to do it? They postponed, found reasons for postponing this conversation... By and large, there may be two reasons for such a situation to arise: First - this conversation or the person on the other end of the line is really unpleasant (dangerous, pointless, etc.) Second - you are simply unsure, that you will be understood correctly. They will understand what you want to say without visual contact, without a personal meeting. And if the first reason may have many pitfalls and may have to be sorted out for a long time and carefully (on your own, with a coach or with a psychologist), then in the second everything is simple. The uncertainty that you will be understood correctly will go away when you master the pattern of business calls. It is simple and universal. This pattern may seem obvious, and I wouldn’t even dwell on it if I hadn’t seen and heard from my clients how many basic mistakes there are can ruin the most important negotiations. 1. SAY HELLO AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF. State your name, and, if required, your position and other necessary, in your opinion, information about yourself. Be clear and concise and move on to the next point. In this part of the conversation, the most common mistakes are either presenting too quickly or, conversely, going into unnecessary detail. When you say your name too quickly, your opponent may simply not hear it and begin to get irritated, or may not have time to tune in to a conversation with you, which is also not very good. If you immediately start giving unnecessary information about yourself, this can also cause irritation. 2. ASK IF A CONVERSATION IS POSSIBLE NOW This phrase will emphasize your upbringing and put the interlocutor in a positive mood, letting him know that you respect him, leaving him the right to choose. 3. INTRODUCE YOUR INTERLOCER AND SMILE HIM. When we smile, our voice changes and becomes more open and friendly. Even singer-vocalists are taught by their teachers to sing “with a smile” in some cases. Now try putting the book down and saying any phrase simply, and then smiling. Notice the difference? The interlocutor will definitely notice. 4. STATE THE ESSENCE OF THE QUESTION. Clarity of thoughts and preliminary preparation will help here. 5. SPEAK SIMPLY, CLEARLY AND BRIEFLY. Avoid long and complex sentences, when at the end of the phrase the person no longer remembers where it began. The simpler you state the essence of the question, the easier it will be for your interlocutor to answer you. 6. LISTEN CAREFULLY AND TAKE YOUR TIME. A fairly common mistake is when a person wants to give out the maximum amount of information in a minimum period of time, but ends up with the result that in the end they don’t want to listen to him at all. In order for a dialogue to take place, you must, at a minimum, give your interlocutor the opportunity to say something. Do not interrupt people, this offends them and makes them closed to further communication. 7. DON’T PROLETATE THE CONVERSATION. Don’t try to “embrace the immensity”; don’t touch on more than two or three topics per conversation, but rather limit yourself to one. Attention!