Even in today’s high-tech world, the telephone is still a vital business communication tool. More and more conversations take place on the move, on the back of emails and texts or are handled by anyone in a team in a contact centre, rather than a single point of contact. This makes it easy to use the telephone badly. This session on communicating on the telephone explores how we can make sure that all our telephone conversations are constructive.
In particular, by the end of the Power Hour you will be able to:
- Open or answer a call professionally
- Structure a call to retain control and make sure that it achieves its objectives
- Close and follow up a call effectively
Download our Free Key Points Sheet and PowerPoint Slides in PDF format for a taste of the content
Telephone Communication -PDF version
The Outline for this session is as follows:
•Welcome and Introduction – Trainer and delegate input
•Opening a call: What Gook Looks Like – (Optional) Reverse brainstorm activity
•First impressions: What you say and how you say it – Trainer input and demonstration/roup discussion
•Internal Standards – (Optional) Trainer-led discussion
•Preparing outbound calls – (Optional) Post-it note exercise and discussion
•Common elements of all calls – Trainer input
•Structuring the Call – Trainer input on 2 useful structures and small group work to create examples
•Using the structures – (Optional) Mini role plays to practice using the two structures
•Listening and Recording – Discussion and short facilitated activity
•Making Notes – (Optional) Discussion of what good looks like and (if possible) comparison of good and not so good notes (trainer to provide)
•Signposting and Controlling a Call – Group (card sort) activity and trainer-led discussion
•Transferring a call and putting people on hold – (Optional) Group exercise
•Closing and Following up the call – Group exercise
•Summary and putting it into practice