Make the call
Telephone skills remain important part of communication
The family phone used to be a hot commodity and phone time a valuable resource.
Waiting until evening rates to place a long-distance phone call to a friend or family member could easily take up a Saturday night. But these days, a person can reach virtually everyone they know instantly, with a few swipes of their fingertips.
Smartphones and technology have ushered in an age of texting, emailing and messaging communication within both personal and professional aspects of many people's lives. And with these forms of communication, there's less need for speaking person-to-person over a voice call.
But this doesn't mean the phone is on its way out, even if people might be finding increasing anxiety around phone calls, according to Mary Jane Copps, whose professional business, The Phone Lady, fosters connections between people and phone conversations.
Even if video calls are the new fad, Copps said voices are still what brings people together.
“The medium may change as technology continues evolving, but phone and voice calls are here to stay,” she said.
IN GENERAL
Copps said comedian Jerry Seinfeld wasn't kidding when he quoted a statistic in a standup routine that said people feared public speaking more than death itself. She said this feeling is one that many now equate with phone calls.
She said anxiety around phone calls is due to people now being used to the delay that comes with texting or email.
“We can edit and think about it — we don't have to think of an answer off the top of our head. For some people, there's anxiety around what they see as a performance part of a real-time conversation.”
But even with that anxiety, Dalhousie University communications researcher and professor Dr. Binod Sundararajan said people are still gravitating towards the personal connection that voice provides, pointing to the prevalence of voice message exchanges in smartphone messaging apps.
“People still crave a synchronous connection — a real-time conversation — so they video chat or send voice recordings back and forth on apps like WhatsApp,” he said.
It's because it lacks voice that Sundararajan said email and texting are “terrible” forms of communication beyond simple exchanges, as they cannot effectively convey true emotion.
And with the stress that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, an empathetic voice on the other end of the phone could be exactly what is needed to relieve said stress, even if feelings of anxiety precede that call.
“There is so much uncertainty these days. The last thing someone should worry about is how to interpret communication, so asynchronous phone call is the thing that can best alleviate anxiety around this,” he said.
PHONES AT WORK
The importance of tone and inflection in the voice, whether virtual or over a phone conversation, is something Copps said plays a key role in professional interactions, even with the advent of video conferencing.
Copps said the past year has shown there are many distractions during virtual meetings that cause those in attendance to miss something or lose their ability to pay attention. While a 15-minute phone call can be “lovely,” a one-hour one is often the opposite.
“Being on camera is exhausting for us,” said Copps. “A lot of people turn off cameras and listen, which is the same as a phone call.”
With phone calls still making up a significant amount of business communication, especially as people work from home, Sundararajan said proper phone etiquette — and specifically knowing how to communicate effectively and empathetically — is as important as written communication.
“Being professional doesn't mean being cold and aloof — you can have empathy and warmth and still be professional,” he said. “A good phone call goes miles in making people feel respected, acknowledged and listened to.”
CALL IT PERSONAL
It's the allure of voice that means phone calls continue to be an important form of communication, according to Dalhousie University communications associate professor and researcher Dr. Kathleen Kevany, who said voice calls, like radio, are often more intimate than video media.
“Voice alone demands more of us, requires more interaction and imagination … and we like to activate our imagination. It's why people listen to the radio or read a book,” she said.
This is why Kevany says a phone call remains the most effective and personal way to check in with loved ones and friends, something she said that has become critical as COVID-19 keeps many people apart.
“We are in a time of isolation, so the more human connection we can foster, the better for our own wellbeing and others. Reaching out, picking up the phone and calling someone can make a difference in their day and is much more memorable than receiving a text,” she said.
Sundararajan said the pandemic is perhaps the best example of why people need to fight for the phone and reconnect with feeling comfortable around using it, both personally and professionally. He says the same goes for people receiving a call, who must listen and respect the person who's reached out.
“Yes it appears that calling someone on the phone is disappearing and yes, we should fight to retain that,” he said.
YOUNGER GENERATIONS
Feeling comfortable on the phone is something Sundararajan and Copps say young people need to start mastering, as it's crucial to succeeding in the job market.
Sundararajan said as the first phase of a job interview is often a phone or video call, the skill is critical to landing a job.
Copps has also seen a huge increase in her business since the fall in training professionals in phone communication. She said this is due partially to a lack of phone skills in today's young professionals.
“Big companies are all really clear that soft skills are the most important thing they now look for, above education. Communication is part of that and it's something we need to be teaching to kids,” she said.
Kevany, who teaches her students about public speaking and verbal communication, said humans have always felt a great sense of confidence in communicating until faced with presenting. Like presenting, phone calls are a skill she said comes down to practice.
“You learn knowledge, but you cultivate a skill. That goes for public speaking and it also goes for phone calls,” she said.
There is only one way to overcome a fear of the phone, according to Copps.
“You've got to pick up the phone and make the call,” she said.