So many introverts have a hard time making phone calls, myself included.
If I’m calling someone I know, I’m fine, but I hate the prospect of having to call someone I don’t.
It doesn’t matter if it’s only a ten-minute call to make an appointment. The concept alone never fails to make my anxiety spike.
I would much rather go out of my way to speak to someone face to face than pick up the phone. But of course, that’s not always an option.
Phone calls are a pretty necessary part of life. As a result, it’s a good idea for introverts to at least be able to tackle them when needed, even if it’s never all that comfortable.
With that in mind, I’m today I’m sharing my top 8 tips for making phone calls when you’re an introvert who hates the phone.
If you have a few calls to make, spread them out
If you’ve got a few calls on your plate, spread them out as much as possible.
The idea of powering through and knocking them all out may be appealing, but it can be hard enough to gear up for one call, let alone the prospect of making three or four.
Cut yourself a break and spread your calls out as much as possible. Aim for no more than one per day, but even better is one per week.
Of course, if you’d really rather power through and be free of this task, by all means, go for it. But don’t feel like you have to get them all done at once.
It’s okay to knock out one and let that be your win for the day.
Schedule it
It can be really easy to procrastinate the calls you have to make–even if you’ve committed to making the call that day.
It might be on your to-do list, but if you’re anything like me, the prospect of actually picking up the phone can be so intimidating, that I’ll often prefer to tackle everything else on my to-do list before I go after that call.
And while it’s great that I’ve gotten everything else done, the call hangs over me all day like a black cloud.
In order to avoid this, I’ve found it really helpful to schedule the exact time I’m going to make the call at the start of the day.
This helps ensure that I get the call in, and it also keeps it from following me around all day. Once I know the call is scheduled, I can put it more or less out of my mind until the time comes.
I often try to schedule my calls in the morning so I don’t have to think about it hanging over me.
But if that’s not an option, just the fact that the time is set aside keeps my mind from fixating on the task all day. I’m often still very aware of it, but I can get done what I need to.
Pick a day you’re feeling good
If you’re able, make your calls on low-stress days you’re feeling well-rested and generally good about yourself.
If you’re tired or stressed about something else in your life, adding a phone call to your list might feel like a bigger stressor than usual.
One way to give yourself a leg up is to make the call when you’re feeling good and the call itself gives you a usual amount of anxiety/discomfort, as opposed to high anxiety/panic that sometimes comes when you’re stretched too thin.
Give yourself plenty of time
It often takes me some time to gear up to actually make the call, so I found it helpful to schedule plenty of time for myself to complete the task.
If it’s a ten minute call to make an appointment, I give myself a half hour. If it’s a problem that needs to be solved that I think should take half an hour, I give myself at least an hour.
Making a call can be stressful enough for an introvert in and of itself. If you feel like you only have a short window to get it done, that can add some unnecessary tension.
Take the pressure off where you can.
Write out/outline what you want to say and practice
If you’re very anxious about making that call, take a few minutes to write up a script of what you want to say.
If you’re just a little nervous, jot down a list of talking points you can refer to. This can help you ensure that you cover everything you need to in the call.
This also might make you feel a little more prepared going in.
And for a little added preparation, practice your part of the call once out loud. Just going through it once might help take the edge off.
Prepare any information you might need
If you might need a credit card, incident report, invoice number, etc, make sure you have them before the call.
Try to think ahead and be prepared with anything you might possibly need.
Having to find or pull these things out in the middle of a conversation you’re already anxious about is liable to make your anxiety worse.
The best way to avoid this is to think ahead and have everything need in front of you ahead of time.
And if you do forget something, try not to panic. Just let the person you’re talking to know that you need to track it down and take the time you need to find it.
Plan something after to look forward to
Plan 15-20 minutes after the call to do something you enjoy.
Maybe it’s watching a funny YouTube video, reading a chapter of a book, or just messing around online when you should be working.
Ideally, the prospect of getting to this activity will be enough of a reward to motivate you through the call and give you time to come down from it after.
Ask someone else to do it
Earlier, we talked about picking a day that you’re feeling good and the prospect of making that call doesn’t give you any more anxiety than usual.
But if you find that you’re tired, stressed, or the idea of the call is making your anxiety shoot way up, ask someone else to do it for you if at all possible.
There are some calls we need to suck it up and make ourselves, but there is a fair number that we don’t.
If you’ve got someone who can help you out with this task, there is no shame in asking for this kind of help.
Looking for more in-depth tips on how to build a thriving introvert life?
If you want to dig a little deeper into this topic, check out the Introvert Life Guide!
This guide was designed to help you build the introvert life of your dreams.
It will also help you embrace your introverted nature and build a life to help you thrive!
For more introvert life tips, check out the other introvert posts!
Sound off: What are some tricks that help you make phone calls as an introvert? Tell us about it in the comments!