The Ten Golden Rules for successful telephoning
Wenn Sie diese zehn Tipps ernst nehmen, wird Ihnen das Telefonieren auf Englisch viel leichter fallen – auch wenn Sie mit Muttersprachlern sprechen müssen.
Make sure your telephone calls areprofessional with these ten tips.
1 Have the key information for the call. For an invoice this will be the invoice number, for order enquiries, your customer number.
2 Choose and practice a formula to introduce yourself. For example “Hello, this is Anna Heine from APP International. Could you put me through to ......., please?”
3 Calm yourself by taking a deep breath. This also makes your voice sound stronger and deeper. A deeper voice sounds more professional on the telephone.
4 Talk slowly. If you talk quickly you will sound nervous.
5 Check all important information. If necessary, interrupt the person
on the other end like this.
“Sorry, can I just check that please. Did you say nineteen – (one – nine) or ninety (nine – zero)?”
“Just hold on a moment, if you would. I didn’t catch the name of the hotel. Would you mind spelling it for me, please?”
6 Use words that make you sound confident.
“I know...”, “I’m sure...”, “I’m sure you’ll agree that .....”. These words and phrases not only make you sound confident, they also make you feel more confident.
7 Slow people down. If someone is talking too quickly, ask them to go slow.
“Excuse me, but could you slow down a little. I’m having trouble following you.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t catch all that. Could you say it again slower?”
8 Never pretend you have understood something you have not. If necessary, double check.
“I’m sorry to be a nuisance, but I’d like to go over that one more
time.”
“I’d like to make absolutely sureI’ve understood everything correctly.”
9 If you’re still not sure, ask for email confirmation.
“Do you think you could send me an email confirming this data? I’m still not sure I’ve got it all down properly.”
10 As a last resort, say something in German. This psychological trick shows the person at the other end just how difficult it is to understand a foreign language,
especially on the phone.