Telephone phobia/difficulties?

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talking on the phone requires alot of courage for me, it's extremely difficult most of the time.
even if it's from someone i know like a coworker i have alot of trouble answering the call.
it's terrifying to call someone i don't know, such as calling a company about a product they may have in stock. i think the issue is not being able to see them while i talk, i have no issue starting up a conversation with a stranger in person.

its so bad it severely debilitates my ability to work in any environment that involves making or receiving phone calls, even if it's a once per month kind of thing.

i'm scared of misunderstanding someone- i have trouble recognizing and processing spoken words and it's really the in person talk that helps me out processing whatever they're saying as they say it.
i'm also scared of saying the wrong thing in the wrong tone of voice, i have good control of my tone of voice but it still scares me nonetheless not being able to see the instant reaction of someone to my words.

For me, it all depends on whom I am talking on the phone with. If I am calling to schedule an appointment with a doctor or something like that, I know what I have to say and am therefore not stressed. If I am talking to a friend or a family member whom I'm excited to talk to, then I'm okay as well. However, if it's someone I don't really want to talk to, then it's kind of hard. The thing that is frustrating for me is silence within a phone call. I don't like awkward silence during phone calls, and I feel somewhat guilty if I tell the person on the other line that I have to go.

I very much dislike talking on the phone but I can make or take a call OK if it serves a purpose. What makes it so difficult is the fact that I have a hearing disorder (auditory processing disorder (apd)), which makes it sometimes sound like people mumble or I can't hear through background noise. I've had this problem my whole life. I also have a hard time with small talk. Thus, I often let calls go to voice-mail if I don't recognize the number or know what the person wants of me. I'll then decide if a return call is warranted.

I mostly dislike taking on the phone, and I dislike it now a lot more than I used to, because of the cumulative bad experiences I've had with phone calls. I am notoriously difficult to reach on the phone and people always comment on that and sometimes get mad over it and eventually give up trying to call me at all.

I hate answering the phone not knowing why the person is calling, and especially if I don't know who it is, so I usually don't answer and just call the person back later, or send an email or something. I also hate the way certain people call and just start talking non-stop without finding out if I actually have time to chat or not.

Vice versa when I call someone I have trouble ascertaining whether or not they are busy or not and I don't want to interrupt them in the middle of something. And it's super confusing when a person keeps saying they have to go but every time I start saying bye they start talking about something else so I don't know whether they really want to get off the phone or not.