Last week, I read a really interesting article in the New York Times titled, “Don’t Call Me, I Won’t Call You” by Pamela Paul. The story examines the cultural shift from using the telephone (including mobile phones) as a primary communication tool to today’s ever present preference of email and text. Paul writes, “According to Nielsen Media, even on cellphones, voice spending has been trending downward, with text spending expected to surpass it within three years.” The story got me thinking about my own phone habits both in my personal and professional lives.
While a teenager I was obsessed with the phone (the old fashioned kind you plugged into the wall and sat by for hours talking to friends), in my adult personal life, I rarely use it opting to text, instant message (IM) or email my friends and family. However as a PR professional, communication in various forms – email, phone, formal press materials, etc. – is the bread and butter of my job. Many journalists and clients prefer to communicate primarily through email, but there is almost a lost art of mastering the phone conversation in a way that isn’t intrusive to today’s communication standards.
How I approach the phone call is to be thoughtful and respectful. Oftentimes, picking up the phone can not only be more efficient, it can also be critical in building and fostering relationships with clients and journalists in a way that email can lack. Before making that call, I always ask myself the following:
- Is it more effective to pick up the phone and have a conversation with this person?
- Will a conversation positively impact the desired outcome?
- What time of day would be the best time to reach this person?
Additionally, I always try and keep my calls short and succinct. I always preface why I’m calling at the start of the conversation so if the recipient is busy, on deadline or is strapped for time they can let me know right away and we can determine a better time to talk. Lastly, I typically send an email to the recipient recapping the salient points and action items of the call so that there is consensus on what was discussed on the call.
Pamela Paul sums up the piece best saying, “We may be returning to the phone’s original intentions — and impact. ‘I can tell you exactly the last time someone picked up the phone when I called,’ Mary Roach said. ‘It was two months ago and I said: ‘Whoa! You answered your phone!’ It was a P.R. person. She said, ‘Yeah, I like to answer the phone.’ Both were startled to be voice-to-voice with another unknown, unseen human being.”