Making a phonecall

Post Reply New Topic

I just made the worst phone-call ever. I phoned a game shop planning to ask them when they would have a game in stock, I sort of asked it, then they answered but I didn't hear them so I tried to say "pardon?" but it just literally would not come out. My face was burning with embarrassment and buried it in my hands thinking "come on Simon, talk!!" After a long time I eventually managed to utter out the question again, then I got the answer.

I planned this for a long time, wrote down what I was going to say and got ready, but with no avail. I still stumbled disastrously. I wonder what they'll think of me when they see me and recognize my voice (since it's the same person who took the phone-call.)

Oh god... :wall:

I know exactly how you feel. To this day, I have the worst difficulties making inquiries by phone, especially when I have to phone an unknown person. Writing down what I'm planning to say hardly ever works, since as soon as things don't go the way I was planning I get completely disorientated (it's enough for me to get a voice I wasn't expecting -a man instead of a woman, or vice versa- to put me off balance). Calling a helpdesk is a nightmare: I usually have to go and lie down afterwards, until I stop shaking at least. And while it's bad enough when I'm alone in a room, it's even worse when somebody is there and can overhear me! Then I just freeze completely. It took me a long time to make people understand how scary calling people by phone was to me.

I got slightly better: I used to have these problems with everyone. Now, I can more or less call friends and family without breaking too much of a sweat (it's still difficult, especially if I have to make a "social" call, but it's not as bad as it used to be). It's just calling unknown people that really frightens me. I can do it if I really need to, but it's not a nice experience and something I want to do as rarely as possible. Thank god for e-mail and SMS!

That said, I wouldn't worry too much about their reaction: they will probably think you had a bad connection or something. Usually that was what my friends asked me when calling them went wrong.

It probably seems worse for you Simonono because as far as you were concerned you were focused entirely on asking a question and obtaining an answer.

For the person you spoke to they were probably sipping tea, serving a customer and checking their lottery numbers all at the same time, I doubt they would have noticed. Remember they can't see what you are doing when you are making the phonecall. Someone could have been standing next to you distracting you or you could have been multitasking in some other way.

Don't worry about it and even if the person you spoke to was to say anything about the phonecall you could always say something like "sorry if I couldn't speak but the cordless phone at home goes all weird when the toaster is on - hahah" and smile.

Dude, don't beat yourself up over it. I do things like that even at my age. You have to learn to grow a thicker skin and have a sense of humor about it. It's really not a big deal to anyone but you...

It's really not that big of a deal. Trust me-- it's not like you berated them and called them names. That's the kind of stuff folks in retail remember. Believe me-- I did it long enough.

From a lady who requires two cigarettes and a pep talk to make a simple business call.

Just try to relax. It is not so bad, being a little socially awkward on the phone. I still have issues just calling a pizza place for delivery, but I've come to realize if I keep getting so worried about my first impression I make through the phone, the impression in person may be around the same. Like Grisha said, grow a little bit of a thicker skin. The gameshop employees are probably just glad you are giving them business anyway. Go in there, talk as much with them as you feel comfortable, then go home and get your game on.

I'm in my 40s and I still have difficulty making phone calls. I try to remember it's a bigger deal for me than it is for them, and they're not likely to remember even if I do screw up.

~Kate

I need to call social security within the next couple of days and don't know if I'll be able to do it. I don't know what I'm going to need to say to them and applying almost seems pointless since so many people get denied.

I'm so glad other people have this problem! I can relate to pretty much all of the above. Sick calls are the worst, they terrify me!

I do that every time I try and make a call. Usually I end up asking a friend to do it for me or I'll write down exactly how I plan the conversation to go beforehand.

I do that too and in public. It really sucks. But I'm sure people understand.

WOW!! It makes me feel really good I wasn't the only person writing down what one planned to say over the phone.

I used to do that for every phone call when I was younger, I no longer do that, unless I'm making a call to a girl I'm interested in. It really helped that I worked in a position that required excessive phone use. I'm not yet an articulate or conversationalist phone speaker, but I feel more comfortable now in "ad libbing".

Thanks, to the original poster.. this i really related to.