Overcoming Phone Phobia

Many people who are involved in sales or any other type of service love everything about what they do except for one thing: the dreaded phone AKA phone phobia!

From collection calls to making basic follow-ups, for some people the idea of making a phone call is enough to cause a sweaty breakout.
Here are 4 great tips on dealing with the fear of the phone.

Phone Phobia Happens To Everyone

In other words, people who don’t like talking on the phone are not unique or weird in any way. Relax and realize that the experience of talking to someone without seeing them goes against human nature, and that it takes effort to actually become great at it.

This makes talking on the phone easier since the pressure has been removed.

• Smile when talking to erase phone phobia

Everyone has heard it a million times: people who smile when they talk sound nicer on the phone.
This is because they are literally being inspired by their own actions. For people who find this hard to do, placing a mirror in front of their face when they are on the phone helps them relax their face and smile more.

• Distraction helps phone phobia dissipate

A pleasant distraction like family pictures placed on the desk, soft music in the background, or even just a funny joke placed on the wall to read during the dreaded silent or ringing moments helps ease the tension of phone calls that are difficult to make.

• Fake it till you make it

People who just hate talking on the phone should remember one simple rule as they make or receive their next phone call- the people they are talking to cannot see them.

This means that all their fidgeting, sweating, and discomfort cannot be witnessed, so it’s OK to pace the floor while being on the phone to create the false confidence in the voice.

While not everyone will be able to master sounding totally confident on the phone when in reality they are uncomfortable, most people are able to at least tone down their fear by realizing the person they are talking to can in no way see them.

Phone resistance is not new in any business, and is a completely normal human reaction to something uncomfortable. In the end, all it takes is a little motivation and practice to get moving in the right direction and you too will overcome that fear of talking on the phone.