People can't see you when you're speaking on the phone, but they can hear you. So, the way you speak is extremely important. In fact, experts have calculated that 80% of communication over the phone is through your tone of voice, and only 20% is from the words you use. Here are our top tips on how to speak over the phone, and how to interpret someone else's feelings through their tone.
1. Facial Expressions: Your facial expression can affect your voice. For example if you smile, your voice will sound warm and friendly. On the contrary, if you have an angry look on your face, it can make you sound unpleasant.
2. Sounds: Be careful not to make any negative sounds while you're speaking. So, no yawning, tutting, or muttering. Instead, use short phrases to show that you're following what the other person is saying such as oh, I see, really? or ah huh.
3. Focus: Say focused on the conversation. If you're checking your emails, surfing the internet, or answering messages, it'll be obvious from your tone of voice that you aren't really paying attention.
4. Volume: If you speak too loudly, you could sound angry. And if you speak too softly, it'll be difficult to hear you. So, speak loudly enough to be heard clearly, but not so loud that you're shouting.
5. Pace: The pace of your voice is how quickly you speak. And this can indicate how you feel. For example, an angry person might speak faster than normal. Or a depressed person might speak very slowly. Try speaking a little more slowly than normal. This will make you sound confident, and it'll make it easier for the other person to understand you.
6. Breathing: It's important to breathe when you're speaking. As air from your lungs is exhaled, it passes over the vocal chords. And this improves the quality of you voice and affects the way you say words. Before making a call, take a few big breaths so you're got lots of oxygen.
7. Gestures: Gesturing can affect the tone of your voice. When you gesture, you bring extra air into the lungs, which can make your voice sound warmer. Gestures are also useful to help you emphasize the right words or even find the words you need. The best thing about gesturing during a phone call is that no one can see what you're doing, so you can gesture as wildly as you like!
8. Movement: If you're feeling tense, stand up and move around. It will release the tension in your upper body and help your voice to sound more sincere of confident.
9. Mirror: If you want to establish rapport with the person you're talking to, try to copy the way they speak, their style, tone, volume, pace, etc. For example, if they're using more formal and polite language, you should do the same, or if they're joking around, adapt your style accordingly. This will help the other person feel more comfortable with you.
10. Pauses: Using pauses every now and then can help you to slow down. This will make you sound more confident and in control. Also, if you pause after giving some new information, it'll give the other person time to understand it. At the same time, listen to how the other about the speaker's emotional state. For example, a speaker might use pauses because they're really angry. For example, "I ... am ... so ... angry".
11. Posture: The way you stand or sit can affect your voice. When you're sitting down, with your body crunched up, you can't breathe so well and this can have a negative effect on your voice. On the other hand, if you're standing up, your breathing is unrestricted, which will make you sound good. If you do sit down, don't lean back in your chair as you might come across as arrogant through your tone of voice. Instead, keep a confident posture, with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. If you want to appear really confident, you could adopt a power pose. This involves standing with your legs far apart (don't worry, no one can see you!). Adopting this pose will automatically make you sound more confident because you're standing confidently. For a really relaxed tone, make the call from a warm, comfortable bed!
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