Have you ever had to make an awkward phone call? I know I did.
Every day, thousands of people like you have to endure making awkward phone calls.
That’s because phone calls are still regarded as one of the best ways to deliver a message fast.
But how do you turn such a phone call into something that won’t haunt you in your dreams?
Let’s find out.
The Lucky Outcome – You are Sent Directly to Voicemail
When you have to make an awkward phone call, one of the luckiest things that could happen to you is that your call is sent through to voicemail. That’s because, technically, you’ve called the person, and you’ve tried contacting them, so that means that you are now free to deliver the message.
Unfortunately, there aren’t that many people who use voicemail anymore. It’s a dated technology that’s been largely replaced by voice memos on WhatsApp or iMessage. With that said, voicemail still counts as a great way to deliver a message without having to hear back from the other person immediately.
Of course, this can lead to more thoughts than it should as you wait for the other person to realize what’s lurking in their voicemail, but at least you won’t have to go through the mental stress of facing them personally. If they call you back, you’ve already done your part – now you just have to listen.
The Expected Outcome – The Awkward Phone Call Goes Through
Most likely though, people on the other side will pick up the phone and answer your call. Don’t panic, you’ve got this. I for once have learned how to deal with my own fears when making awkward phone calls like resignations or break-ups. The quicker they go, the better you’ll sleep at night that day.
When the other person picks up the phone, you should never say something like: “I have to tell you something,” or “I have some (bad) news.” Try to avoid talking about what you have in mind for the first thirty seconds so that you won’t be affected by it once it comes out naturally.
Make sure that the person on the other end has enough time to listen to your thoughts without rushing through them and clear your voice as much as possible. I know, extremely hard. But if you’re able to achieve this, then your message will hit the nail on its head, no matter how awkward it’ll be for you.
The Not So Lucky Outcome – You Get Into a Fight
Having a fight over the phone is the worst possible scenario you could picture in your mind when it comes to handling an awkward phone call. Be it a break-up or resignation call, or simply something that you know will probably make the other person lose their calm.
In these cases, don’t act protectively. If you’ve done something bad, or if you simply don’t know how to get out of an awkward situation, accept the fact before you make the call. This way, even if the other person does get riled up because of the news you are delivering, you won’t have to defend yourself.
That’s when things start getting very, very awkward. Make sure that you are always on the same page as the other person and never allow them to raise their voice by accepting the fact that you don’t know how they’ll react. They might just hang up for example, which isn’t a good sign obviously.
Surely better than someone screaming at you.
The Easy Way Out – You Ask Somebody Else to Make the Call
Finally, if you want to know how to turn an awkward phone call into a walk in the park, you can simply ask somebody else to do it for you! It might not be the most professional way to handle things if it’s a work-related call, but when you have no other options, it’s easier than you think.
Simply ask them to talk on your behalf, like a spokesman would for a large corporation or a decently sized company.
After all, you are your own business, and if you don’t want to handle something face first, why should you? You have a choice.
Write something down for the person who’s going to make the call on your behalf and ask them to be as formal or as informal as possible, depending on what type of call you are making. Always be straightforward with them and compensate them for what they do. After all, they’re taking the stress on your behalf.
Easy, painless, done!
