7 Responses

1. games and roles plays
   Hi Helen
   You are right to be thinking of games and puzzels for this kind of training. I have alsoused role playing to great effect for this kind of training. If you let me have further details of specific skills you want to develop I might be able to help.
   I’m on bymobile most of this coming week.

   Liz McConnell
   Tel. 07752142299

2. PhoneCoach
   I’ve done a lot of telephone techniques training, coupled with customer service training. I like to use something called a Phone Coach. It is two phones that you use to simulate a scenario. Whilst the delegates are ‘acting it out’ the devise tapes the call. This allows you and the group to critique the call. I find it a very useful piece of kit and well worth the money. Their contact number is 01268 274317 if you’re interested, or alternatively visit their website on http://www.phonecoach.com (I don’t work for them, honest, I just think they provide great equipment.)

3. DEPTH
   Digital European Professional Telephone Handling! This was a brilliant course run in-house by Digital Equipment way back in the 1980’s – sadly I no longer have any other information (apart from of course the retained knowledge!) but maybe another ex-Digital person might do?

4. telephone skills
   Helen
   start off by the delegates talking about what really annoys them about how they are treated by others on the phone when they are making outgoing calls. This takes them out of their immediate work scenario. However you can then use the flipcharted list to get them to discuss how they can prevent any bad habits being used in their company.
   I also use Phonecoach…ask for Reg who’s very helpful.
   Wilma Taggart

5. Try This Exercise…
   Hi Helen,

   Here’s an exercise to illustrate how difficult it can be to communicate effectively using the telehpone:

   Have two delegates sit back-to-back. Hand one of them a piece of paper with some abstract shapes on it. The other delegate gets a pen and a blank piece of paper. The object of the exercise is to reproduce the shapes on the blank paper, without the delegates looking at each other. It sounds easy, but you’ll be surprised at the difference.

   Good luck
   Jason

6. telephone skills course
   I have successfully used ‘listening’ quizzes of the “How far can a dog run into the woods?” type to show that what you hear is not necessarily what the speaker is saying!! Mail me for more questions of that sort

7. Telephone Techniques
   Many points already mentioned. But to add my two pennies worth:

   Listening Exercises: Really important. Most people believe they are listening, but the reality is that they’ve probably on heard a small fraction of what was said. The art of listening is not what is said, but what is not said. Recommended book LISTEN UP, ISBN 0-312-24265-4.

   Read an interesting paragraph from newspaper/magazine. Read it again. Then ask formal questions about the content. Keep the article to about 2 minutes duration.

   Bad telephone techniques: I think the process of identifying what is a bad telephone call/conversation is so important. It’s a way of immediately identifying what good habits should be employed, and therefore ensures everyone is immediately looking down-the-road towards improvement.

   Role play: this is important too, because it allows everyone to hear bad techniques. If recorded and played back it can be a great tool for future classes. You’ll have some good and bad examples for use later.

   Vocal clarity: It’s important too, that the voice is clear. Good vocal techniques are important, clarity of vowels, correct pronunciation of words, good breathing, good use of appropriate language – there are loads of books on this.

   Body language: affects the way you speak…..lean forward you are becoming more dominant; lean back – resigned; spinning your chair – bored? All these physical activities, will while on the phone, affect your voice and how you sound….your vocal body language.

   Hope some of the additional points here are useful.