acknowledge the sound by asing if they have to take care of it, you warm
the hearts of your listeners.
When you are talking to someone at work, you often hear another phone
ringing. Say immediately, I hear your other line. Do you have to answer it?
Even if not, he or she will appreciate the gesture. If he does have to catch
the other call, you can be sure he heard nothing you said after the first ring.
Hes only thinking How can I interrupt this babbling person without being
rude so I can answer my other phone? In fact with every brr-ing, irrittion
sets in that you are holding him hostage from doing what he has to do.
Here is the technique guaranteed to save you from being in that
uncomfortable position.
The subtext, of course, is that you are sensitive to whats going on in
your callers world. If youre talking to someone far away or in another
country, another way to show youre tops in the com257
munications department is to translate time references into their time
zone. When you leave a message, say I can be reached between three and
five your time.
And dont forget foreign holidays. Last July 1, I was on the phone with a
client from Australia. I was impressed when he wished me Happy
Independence Day weekend. So impressed, in fact, I ran out to find a chart
of international holidays. I made a note in my calendar next January 26 to
wish my Aussie friend Happy Australia Day.
If you do business with people around the world, be sure to extend good
wishes to them for their holidays. Forget about your own if theyre not
shared. Im still mortified about the time last November when I was on a
conference call with a Canadian client and seven of his salespeople. I
wished them all Happy Thanksgiving.
Technique #69
I Hear Your Other Line
When you hear a phone in the background, stop speakingin
midsentence, if necessaryand say I hear your other line, (or your dog
barking, your baby crying, your spouse calling you). Ask whether she has to
attend to it. Whether she does or not, shell know youre a top communicator
for asking.
How to Listen Between the Lines on the Phone
The first time I saw The Wizard of Oz, the story bewitched me. The
second time I saw The Wizard of Oz, the special effects amazed me. The
ooja
(Ooja)
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