Does anyone else hate talking on the phone?

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I usually like talking to people in real life, but I hate talking on the phone--regardless of how nice the person I'm talking to is.

Yes, I hate talking on phones.

My mother's boyfriend, who thinks I'm a saintly genius (:oops:), refused to believe that my Asperger's was disabling in any respect until he witnessed the foul horror of me trying to have a phone conversation with someone.

Yes.

YES!! !! ! I can't stand it..

Overall, I despise it. I do better if I am initiating the phone call (I can prepare myself for the communication)-- I even "rehearse" the call sometimes, going over in my head possible responses to what I am saying, reviewing my replies so I feel more comfortable. All of this is draining at times, so I often find I procrastinate at returning calls. I'm better with email (I've even pushed for the increased use of email at work as opposed to phone calls to our office, under the guise that email is more efficient, particularly if you have to look up information and call the person back, which I feel is true; however, my true motive is to get out of talking on the phone).

On the otherhand, when I am receiving a call, I tend to not answer, wait for the voicemail, take a deep breath, rehearse, then call the person back (or not, if I am particularly out of sorts).

Though I'm fine when talking to my boyfriend, so go figure (probably because I am relaxed with him). =)

Phones suck big time.... They're an intrusion that come come out of nowhere... and ring when you least expect it.
Even worse, you usually don't know who is on the other end until after you've spoken...

I usually don't answer the phone but let it go to messages. If anyone really wanted to talk to me, they'd send an email.

My wife loves the phone though - it's a nuisance for me - since she picks it up always - even when we're busy watching a film. Then have to put out movie on pause for an undetermined time - and I'm expected to sit still and wait - for 5 minutes - or for 105 minutes .... who knows how long the call will last.

Yes.

'I usually don't answer the phone but let it go to messages. If anyone really wanted to talk to me, they'd send an email.'

I don't use mobiles, but I have a land line. I similarly, sometimes, let it ring. I then use the option to recall the number, to see who called, after the I intentionally miss the call. If it is someone I am comfortable speaking with, like my brother, I will call back.

It is not the nuisance, it is not knowing what to say and when to say it. I find it very difficult to initiate a phone call with a stranger, I stutter and 'um...' a lot, kinda blanking. So if I have to call a stranger I would write down everything and get it done.

Yeah, I rely on emails in principle and I am so grateful for it. But then again, most people prefer live contact, and emails go ingnored. That use to annoy me a lot, because I thought it was rude, arrogant and insensitive. But I am working on myself, so it doesn't bother me, because in reality I would be angry with me being scoffed, and that is pride on my part. The ideal situation is just to be impersonal in all our interactions and learn from the behaviour of others, lest we make those mistakes. Because these mistakes build up and we can pick them up, until it is habit and then we will lose our own moral integrity.

I hate talking on the phone to most people, but I have a friend who I seldom have contact with other than on the phone...and for that reason, I have sorta gotten used to it...I have have my akward moments though...and then I get really self-conscious....

I can't stand using the phone I prefer face to face conversations.

I don't perticularly like talking on the phone, and prefer e-mail to phone calls, BUT, I like text messaging even worse. It's great for recieving automated alerts (of which I periodically get several), but it's a royal pain to send. I have a hard time with face-to-face conversations. I generally will prefer a phone call to a face to face conversation, as it is a little less work, as I don't have to worry about mis-reading their body/facial clues.

The strange thing is I used to work in tech support, so I was tied to a phone 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. This was different, though, as even though I didn't know the person calling, there was only about half a dozen things they could be calling for, and I basically created scripts I kept in my head. I could almost sleep, and still take care of the calls. The only problem was my boss kept telling me I sounded too much like a robot on the phone. Eventually, as a joke, I found clipart of a computer with arms, holding a phone to it's "head", and put that in my signature for internal e-mail. She got a kick out of it.

Absolutely hate it.

I hate picking it up when it rings.

More than that, I really hate being the one to dial.
Sometimes it takes me hours or days to prepare.

Sometimes it's good once the conversation gets rolling, depending on the person.

Then, no matter who it is, if it goes on too long,
I get tired and can't think of a way to get out of it.

Except my sister. She really has the gift and knows how to draw me out without being offensive. I'll never understand how she does it.

I hate talking on the phone. I never know what to say and I always feel like such an idiot whenever I say anything. It's gotten so bad that I wouldn't even pay bills because I was so afraid to talk on the phone. I am getting better at it, though, because I make myself do it. I'm definitely not at the point where I can make a social phone call, but I can do it to make appointments and pay bills.

I like/am okay with talking with my best friend, my parents and my psychiatrist on the phone. That's about it. For most other people, I find email or IMs preferable. At least phones do leave out some things like body language and appearance, so it's slightly easier than meeting people in person.

Don't all us Aspies hate it? I actually hate dialing up anyone especially a buisness, i have no problem anwsering the phone or talking ONCE i;ve dialed but man hitting the digits of someone i don't know REALLY REALLY well is just like pulling teeth. lol