In this article I will give you some simple phone conversation starters and I will inform you about my personal way of ‘phone etiquette‘.
Not knowing what to say to start a phone conversation, not having some questions ready to keep the conversation going, and not having a clue on how to end a phone conversation properly is responsible for a lot of your anxiety.
This specific article focuses on a normal way of starting and making a phonecall as well as some simple phone etiquette.
Being Anxious On The Phone
There are a lot of reasons why you are anxious on the phone. And when your anxiety is high you just can’t think straight.
Now it’s of course most beneficial to eliminate your social anxiety completely, but there are some simple phone conversation starters that -once you know them- can help you be a bit calmer.
This is because you now know what you are going to say.
Knowing what to do or say releases some of the anxiety as the fear of making a mistake and the fear of the unknown (what am I going to say?) is decreased significantly.
Simple And Normal Phone Conversation Starters
When making a call, just use phone conversation starters that are simple and basic. When you answer the phone you can basically do the same. You keep it simple.
Now there is obviously some difference in what you say to start an interaction on the phone based upon who you are calling. You of course open the conversation in another manner when you phone a friend as opposed to when you are phoning a company for a job interview.
But there is only little difference.
Which phone conversation starters you use is of importance because it‘s the first impression that you give off…
… but it’s not THAT important. You can always recover!
And remember that the other side of the phone cannot see your facial expressions so they can‘t see you be anxious or embarrassed! And really, YOU are the only one who cares about how you come across, THEY have forgotten the moment they hang up…
Below are some simple phone conversation starters for when you phone someone:
Phone conversation starters for companies:
When phoning companies I always keep a formal, yet upbeat tone.
-Good (morning, afternoon, evening) this is Sebastiaan van der Schrier speaking. I am calling because… I am looking for… I would like to (speak to)…
After your greeting you can directly go into why you are phoning them. It communicates you know what you are doing. It also shows confidence and assertiveness.
Phone conversation starters for friends:
With friends you can basically use any tone you want. However, when you are still very anxious you might want to keep it simple. And then once you feel more comfortable, which you can achieve by getting rid of all your social anxiety, you can start experimenting with different and funny voice tones.
- Hey, it’s Sebastiaan. How’s it going?
- Hey, (it’s Sebastiaan) What’s up?
- Hey, it’s Sebastiaan. What are you up to?
- Hi -name of person-, how are you?
- -Name of person-, Sebastiaan here. What are you doing right now?
- -Name of person-, Sebastiaan here. How was your day/that event/your holiday etc.?
After saying that they usually answer and ask me a question back.
If they don’t I’ll just go into why I am calling them.
When phoning a friend I most often just talk about meeting up, how my day was or what I‘m up to, how they are doing, how work/school is, a past experience or an upcoming event.
And with friends you can basically say whatever you want…
But in the beginning to open conversations I suggest you pick one of the phone conversation starters and use that one over and over until you are used to it.
Then once you are comfortable with it you can start using more stupid, funny and crazy ones -if you choose to that is!- .
Phone Conversation Starters For Answering The Phone
This couldn’t be more simple. When someone phones you, it’s THEIR job to make conversation. They are calling you for a reason. So simply state your name and patiently wait for them telling you why they are calling you.
“Sebastiaan speaking…” -They say their name-
You can then say:
- Hi… (just be silent after this)
- Hello… (just be silent after this)
- Hey, how are you?
When you ask them “Hey, how are you?” people often say “I’m good, thanks”. After which they get into why they are calling you.
If they say “Good, thanks. How are you?”
You can simply answer it “I‘m good, thanks” and wait for them to continue conversation.
When you don’t get the person you want to speak to on the line, state your name and ask for the person you are looking for and give the reason why.
“Hello it’s Sebastiaan, I’m looking for Jill because I have a question/want to speak to her regarding -fill in the reason-.”
When you end the conversation, you can say…
“OK -name- Good talking to you. I got to do -fill in what you‘re going to do-. I’ll see you (soon, later, tomorrow, next Tuesday, at John‘s place, around). Bye“
The above simple phone conversation starters should be plenty. Simply pick one and use that as your default to call people and answer the phone.
Aside from knowing these simple phone conversation starters which makes you less anxious because you know what to say, I highly suggest you improve your inner psychology with the Social Confidence System.
Once you get your inner psychology handled and ‘in shape’, you don’t need phone conversation starters anymore; you will simply be OK with whatever you say and with whatever is being said.
All the examples on how to have a normal conversation on the phone become “common sense” once you are free of anxiety. Anxiety causes you to not have access to your logical brain as much.
“My mind went blank” simply means that you felt so anxious (reptilian brain) that you did’t have access to your logical brain… A permanent solution for this, is to eliminate your anxiety. Do this BY YOURSELF from the comfort of your own home, with my unique Social Confidence System. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Beware as this is not a simple change your thoughts, think optimistic, face your fears program… This system allows the real you to feel safe enough to come out and live life to the fullest.
RELATED PAGES:
“Become Comfortable Starting A Conversation With Anyone”
Go to Part 1/3: Asking Questions To Start Conversation?!
Go to Part 2/3: Conversation Starters For Every Situation
Go to Part 3/3: Asking Conversation Starter Questions…
“Starting Conversations 101”
Go to Part 1/4: Creating Interesting Conversation Starters
Go to Part 2/4: Steps To Creating Your Own Good Conversation Starters
Go to Part 3/4: How To Start Conversations
Go to Part 4/4: Mentally Rehearse Your Conversation Openers
“Conversation Topics Mastery”
Go to Part 1/2: 24 Interesting Conversation Topics
Go to Part 2/2: Conversation Exercises For Conversation Confidence
“Conversation Questions Mastery”
Go to Part 1/2: Excellent Conversation Questions For Conversational Mastery
Go to Part 2/2: Questions To Keep Conversation Going?
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