Praticticing Phone calls. Who to call?

Post Reply New Topic

Hey Guys and Girls.
I have a lot of anxiety surrounding making and taking phone calls. You might even call it a phobia. I'm looking for work so it's really an issue right now.

I'm trying to be pragmatic so I've been reading stuff on CBT. Anyway I want to start making more calls, if possible in a semi buisness scenario (ie. No friends or family). Does anyone have an ideas. the only one I can think of is the Cenema and the end goal are phone job interviews. Bonus points is their free or cheep to ring.

Thanks for any help in advance.

Who to call? Ghostbusters.

This may sound silly but have you tried friending anyone in an activity group online and having an online conference to discuss an agenda? It's a start.

Perhaps you could try making appointments (genuine ones, obviously) over the phone instead of in person. If you deal with bills and utility things via email you could call customer services instead. Calling places you intend to visit (shopping centres, museums etc) and asking about their opening times is acceptable too. You don't have to rush out to make lots of calls, just make sure that if there is an opportunity to use the telephone that you take it.

This piece of advice is going to sound ridiculous, but it worked for me. When I have to make a call that I am worried about I always make sure I look OK before I make the call. It's tempting to just wear your pyjamas but I find I feel more confident if I am dressed nicely with my hair fixed. I used to be quite nervous talking to strangers on the phone, but with practice I got better and eventually I ended up working in a call centre. Also it's OK to actually smile and nod while you are talking on the phone as if you were talking face to face, I find that makes it feel less unnatural.

@Silky
Yes, calling utility companies and insisting on speaking to people instead of automated helped me a lot over the years. Funny really, easy to dismiss daily things like this after a while

I have no choice but to speak to a real person because I have a Scottish accent, and the automated systems can't seem to understand me at all! It is frustrating but it's all good practice.

Pay a stranger $15/hr to talk to you on the phone. Go you your local college and put up the offer on the "help wanted" bulletin they all have. You'll probably find some starving students who would be happy to talk to you for as long as you like.

Who can afford to pay $15/hr let alone just $15 heck I'll do this for $5 an hour!

Let's see... hmm. Businesses are a good bet, and the people are used to routine conversations.

Call the local library and ask a reference librarian if they have a certain book by your favorite author. Or, if they already know you well (quite likely if you're an Aspie) ask whether they have yet received a newer book that you've been wanting to read.

Call a supermarket and ask whether they have a pharmacy; or whether they carry a certain item; or whether they are open on an upcoming holiday.

Next time your family goes to a nice restaurant, ask to be the one to call them and make reservations. Or, call and make reservations for yourself and a few friends.

Next time you need a repairman or or a serviceperson of some sort, ask to be the one to call them.

Yes that's true, some with the Scottish accent can run into difficulty when it comes to others understanding. Funnily enough I've never had any bother with my own. Even in other countries people that speak english are still able to understand me, due to having what my friends call a "posh glasgow accent"

There you go robot, he's in the UK and willing to take dollars.

Try some of those chat lines they advertise in the back of magazines.

Is there anyone who you like talking to in person who will be willing to talk with you over the phone instead?

A call-in show if you happen to like sports or ET/paranormal stuff, or if you have opinions on current topics. Look for items on craigslist and ask if they are still available, 2 birds 1 stone

Well, one thing you can do is, just find companies of products you're interested in, and just call their contact numbers and ask them for information about products. I'd do this with car part people, I've even had really good conversations with the owners of some companies, really really cool.

I found that ordering pizzas and making appointments got me back into using the telephone, although I really hate it.

friends might be a good place to start, but making appointments is good training indeed.
perhaps you can find some "find a friend" lines; i know that there are several in multiple languages here in europe, and most are free to call if you need a listening ear.
these are trained in listening, so they will make great practice for your phone skills at no cost at all