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November 16 -
Let your staff “play doctor” to identify and cure one of the most deadly afflictions in telephone conversations – the VERBAL VIRUS.
According to Susan Berkley in the book Speak to Influence, verbal viruses are really just filler words that can be distracting parts of your speech. Some are not even real words – just sounds we use to fill space like “ummm” and “aaaah.” These sounds and filler words like “ok,” “so,” and “hmmm” can make you sound unsure or even incompetent.
To reduce these verbal viruses, the first step is identifying when they happen. Form groups of 3-4 people to listen to calls and identify the worst verbal virus that each person has. Doing this in a small, non-threatening group can be a fun activity and make everyone more aware of how they sound on the phone.
Once the major viruses have been identified, each person will want to focus on eliminating their worst speech habit. Think about the words or sounds most used, and then concentrate on just replacing them with a pause between phrases or sentences.
Note: This tip is provided by Penny Reynolds, Founding Partner of The Call Center School. She may be reached at pennyreynolds00@gmail.com.