
Ask HN: How can I be less awkward on phone calls with vendors/clients? - idratheremail
I recently became a product manager, and my job includes talking to vendors &#x2F; potential vendors, and the occasional client. I&#x27;ve always had a bit of phone anxiety, but I have a particularly tough time &quot;being smooth&quot; on phone calls with professionals I&#x27;ve never met.<p>I try to start with a brief introduction of myself (how long I&#x27;ve been at the company, what my focus is, etc), but sometimes I speak too quickly or not clearly enough. And because I don&#x27;t have any visual feedback, I sometimes don&#x27;t know whose turn it is to speak.<p>I&#x27;d really appreciate any advice on how I can be better on phone calls. I think I&#x27;m getting a bit better with practice, but I&#x27;m still stumbling over my words and finding that I&#x27;m much less clear over the phone than in person with coworkers.
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halfbrown
Three suggestions:

1\. Create an outline of all of the key points you want to bring up to the
person you'll be speaking with on the phone. The outline can be as detailed or
as sparse as you feel you need, but having something to use as a checklist of
sorts, along with any additional details that are pertinent to the
conversation, will help give you a boost when it comes to stumbling over your
words. And really go over your outline, because familiarity with what you're
speaking about will help you instill confidence within yourself, which will
help you sound "smooth."

2\. Work on leading the conversation without dominating it. There's a fine
line there, but with time and practice you'll get get the hang of it. Your
main goal here is to keep the conversation focused by sticking to your
outline. This will help remove any awkward pauses.

3\. Smile when you're speaking. Most people sound friendlier when they smile
when they talk, even if you're not sitting in front of the other person.

Hope this helps!

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cimmanom
Bring someone into the room with you (maybe a coworker at first, later a
rubber duck), and speak as if you're having a conversation with them, rather
than with someone you can't see.

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arikr
One suggestion:

Role play / practice.

Can be done with friends, partner, or in front of the mirror / with your
laptop camera / facetime camera.

