What is Basic Telephone Etiquette?
Some bemoan the lack of basic telephone etiquette both in personal and professional calls. Telephone etiquette offers a way for people to function politely together in a society, eliminating frustration and communication mishaps. However, telephone etiquette works best when all know the rules. Start early teaching children telephone etiquette. Don’t let a child pick up a phone unless he or she has a working knowledge of what to say. No one wants a frustrating conversation with a barely conversant one year old. Instead, train children who are about three to five, depending upon their speech ability, to learn how to answer a phone politely. Answering a phone begins with a simple “Hello.” For children, basic telephone etiquette includes politely asking who the caller is. The person on the other end of the line should identify him or herself, but frequently this is not the case. Instruct the child to listen for an introduction before asking for one.
Some bemoan the lack of basic telephone etiquette both in personal and professional calls. Telephone etiquette offers a way for people to function politely together in a society, eliminating frustration and communication mishaps. However, telephone etiquette works best when all know the rules. Start early teaching children telephone etiquette. Don’t let a child pick up a phone unless he or she has a working knowledge of what to say. No one wants a frustrating conversation with a barely conversant one year old. Instead, train children who are about three to five, depending upon their speech ability, to learn how to answer a phone politely. Answering a phone begins with a simple “Hello.? For children, basic telephone etiquette includes politely asking who the caller is. The person on the other end of the line should identify him or herself, but frequently this is not the case. Instruct the child to listen for an introduction before asking for one.
