Effective Telephonic Communication becomes very important in today’s world. People tend to opt for telephonic conversations over meeting someone in person. Effective telephonic communication in English might also seem difficult if English is not your first language, especially for business calls. So, when you are put in the position, it might get a little overwhelming for you. But do not panic, here is a helpful guide to effective telephonic communication.

Preparing before the telephone call

It is always good to prepare everything before the telephonic call if you already know about it. It can be an office meeting, a meeting with a client, or an interview. 

• Keep a pen and paper with you to note down important points.
• Prepare all the documents and resources that you may require during the conversation.
• Find a good spot with good lighting.
• Check if the devices are working properly.
• Make sure you get a good signal on your phone.
• After you are prepared, sit back, relax, and join the call. 

During the telephonic communication

You must follow the proper etiquette when you are in a telephonic conversation with someone. Here are some Do’s and Don’ts that might help you conversate better

A telephonic business conversation might seem a little overwhelming and maybe stressful. However, if you learn the key phrases that are commonly used over the phone, it becomes so much easier. Here are some phrases that can help you in transcending your ideas better during a business conversation on the telephone.

• Greeting the person on the phone during effective telephonic communication

It is always advised to greet the person on the call. By doing that you are being polite and can start the conversation on a positive note. Some of the phrases that you can use to initiate the conversation are;

“Hello / Good morning / Good afternoon, (thank you for calling ABC company) How may I help you?"

“Hello / Good morning / Good afternoon, this is XYZ from ABC company”.

• Asking for somebody

When you initiate a call there might be someone specific to who you would want to talk. So you can use the following phrases to ask the receiver about that.

“May I speak to XYZ please?”

“May I please speak to XYZ?”

“I would like to speak to XYZ please?”

• Taking a message for another person

It happens that sometimes the person on the line has called for some other person who is unavailable. So in order to ask for the purpose of the call, use falling phrases

“I am afraid they aren’t available at the moment. Can I take the message?”

“I am afraid/sorry they aren’t available at the moment. Could I ask what you're calling in regards to?”

• Leaving a message

It often happens that the person you called for isn’t available to take the call. So to leave the message, you may use the following phrases;

“Could you please take the message? Tell them that….”

I would like to leave a message for them. Could you please let them know that….”

• Asking questions or help

It is important to sound polite when asking others a question or to help you with something. The following phrases could be used in that regards

“Would you mind telling me/ helping me with…….”

“I wonder if you could tell me/ help me with…….”

• Asking to repeat the information

There are instances when you do not understand what the speaker has said or you missed out on something they said. In such situations, use the following phrases to ask them to  repeat what they said earlier

“I couldn't catch your words. Could you please repeat what you said?”

“Would you mind repeating what you said? I couldn’t hear you properly”.

• Giving/Asking for suggestions

In order to pitch in your idea about a certain topic or ask others for suggestions, you can use the phrases as follows,

“May I suggest…?”

“Would you consider…?”

“What would you suggest?”

• To politely decline

It is always good to learn to say ‘no’ to decline certain things that you may not be comfortable with. In order to do that, you may use some phrases like

“I am afraid I can’t help you with that.”

“Thank you so much for thinking about me. But I am afraid it is not possible.”

Closing the call

Always end the conversation by asking if there is anything else they might want to discuss. And after summarizing the conversation, thank the other person for calling or helping you.

“Thank you for helping me out. Have a great day.’

“Thank you for the amazing discussion. Have a great day.”

Common expressions to use during business meetings and discussions

Effective telephonic communication for business meetings and discussions is a common practice. Here are some expressions that you can use during a business meeting on phone (or in general)

“Shall we get started?”

“Has everyone read the minutes of the last meeting?”

“There are some important points on today’s agenda.”

“Let’s deal with the urgent matters first.”

“We can later move on to the less pressing points.”

“Does that meet with everyone’s approval?”

“I have no objection to that.”

“I believe that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks.”

“May I interrupt you there?”

“I am afraid I can’t go along with that.”

“Should we go back to the matter in hand?”

“Let’s put this one to the vote.”

“Could all those in favor or against reply to the poll?”

“To sum up, the majority approve.”

“Is there any other business that needs to be discussed?”

“Let’s wrap up then, shall we?”

Follow Up after the call

After the call is ended you should always volunteer to write down the key aspects of the meeting. Always do a follow-up call or email checking on the issues discussed or the decisions taken during the conversation.

Effective telephonic communication could be made more effective if you put in all the effort needed. Try the tips above to enhance your performance in your next business conversation on the phone.

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