trouble using the phone?

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b/c I really hate talking on the phone, i have always had a really difficult time with it.
I have the hardest time expressing myself especially if I need to explain something really complicated...I just get confused, stutter, blank out, & make a mess of what Im trying to say & the other person ends up not understanding me at all...does this happen to anyone else? by the time Im finished I feel physically & emotionally exhausted. When I know I have to make important phonecalls I dread it so much & get very anxious.

yes i get nervous using the phone like if its a call for my mom and its one of her non-english speaking friends i grab the phone and hand it to her asap because i dont want to have to deal with it. and i feel akward talking to people i dont know or if its not for me. so my habit is not saying hello when i pick up the phone in a panic.

yes, I have a real problem with the phone, but I learned a little trick about it that makes it not only easy to use, but it is a wonderful way to communicate!!

I have to hear myself back through the headset to be able to hear what I am saying! when I can hear my voice back through the headset I can concentrate on the call.

when I can hear my voice back through the headset, I am in charge of the conversation! the other person is in my world, no facial expressions, no body language, no questioning looks, no nothing! They are on my turf, now! My experience on concentrating on that 10% of human conversation - words- makes me Queen of the Hill ! I am erudite, concise, and very verbal. . .I can take a yelling frustrated person and treat them just like I would like to be treated and they are putty in my hands by the end of the call!

your mileage may vary, but I have been using my little trick for 18 years now, as phone computer technician, customer service, member services internal and external. I am considered an accomplished professional in my craft

oh, and I detest talking on the phone out side of work. I have a trac phone and only turn it on to hear various messages reminding of doctors appointments or what have you. I have no phone in my home. I detest them!

I default to voicemail and answering machine. I cannot stand talking on the phone except to my mother or husband. I feel awkward, uncomfortable, I stutter a bit, my voice goes much higer and I pace and fiddle with things if I have to. My worst phone nightmare is talking to someone on a non-portable phone where I can't pace. It's awful. I never know when it's my turn, I cut people off despite all my best efforts. I HATE the phone!! ! The exception is making appointments or answering questions, where the purpose and my turn are clear-cut, straightforward and not social.

I hate the bloody phone.

Sometimes with phonemessages Ill do alright straight forward,maybe,but I get all self-consious/outside of the phone message/"describing-commenting " upon the PM...

Most phone conversations give me a sorta stress-panic reaction....as a result I do not always have the very best phone manners, even if I really try..what is worse is when a person on the phone (like a customer) is angry...instead of kissing their ass like I am supposed to I go on the defense and say something really blunt....

I feel utter resistance to having to call people on the phone for any reason. I hate having to give driving directions (because I don't drive) etc...etc...etc....drives me nuts it does.

Ironicly, i have had switchboard/reception jobs where I did really well (one of my longest -held jobs)..I have also been a somewhat decent telemarketer...don't ask me how...

I actually like talking on the phone if it's a social call. I don't have to leave my house, break my routine, or worry about the way that I look to the other person. I'm kind of a hermit, so the phone is most of my social life...
BUT, if it's a call to the doc, store, ect... I HATE it. I procrastinate almost until it's too late to make the call, well sometimes I do put it off too long. I get all flustered, and I have to rehearse what I'm going to say about a thousand times in my head before I call. I also have some sort of answering machine phobia. I very rarely leave messages. If I absolutely have to I usually will write down my what I want to say, and try my hardest to try not to make it sound like I'm reading it!

I agree. If I want something accomplished at the store or bank these days you simply have to go in person.
I also like personal calls on the phone. I can doodle and listen and I'm not distracted by a new enviroment.
Although I only have a cell phone it never leaves the house.

I hate talking on the phone with anyone, whether they be friends, family, telemarketers or strangers. I even hate listening to the phone's ringtone - it just creeps me out. I prefer text messaging, email or even talking to the person face-to-face.

Listen. i never use the phones unless i absolutley have to, why put yerself in such a terrible situation to begin with? uhh no thanks

I'm usually okay with answering the phone...I dislike telemarketers calling my house but I don't mind chatting with family members.

However, I don't like to call people. I get nervous and flustered when I have to call someone whom I don't know very well, and often I will wait until I know that I'll get an answering machine or voice mail. I've never been one to just phone someone and initiate conversations or plans to get together.

I wonder how many times I have been rude to someone important, thinking they were a telemarketer because of the formality of their speech.

I don’t touch the unholy thing.

I don't like it and email or text where possible. If I have to make an important call I get nervous, forget half of what I was going to say and half of what the other person said. At least in an email you can refer back. I usually let my husband answer the phone at home. The fact I have a bipolar mother in law and a very strange mother who has been known to ring me up just to scream in my ear - these reasons only add to my reluctance.