November 5, 2007 - The Natural Dentist has teamed up with body language expert Patti Wood and created the Smile Personality Analysis: a way to determine someone's smile personality profile from his or her natural smile. Known as "The Body Language Lady," Patti has been studying, researching, writing and consulting on the topic of body language and non-verbal communication for over 25 years. "A smile is a reflection of an emotional state, only when it's natural can we see the true personality behind a smile," Patti.

First impressions are just as critical when on the telephone as when meeting a person face to face. Even in the current climate of electronic communication it is still estimated that 70% of business is conducted over the telephone. Telephone etiquette is critical as prospects are deciding whether to do business with you and customers are deciding how helpful and competent you are.

My female friend experience goes this way:

She gets particularly irritated with the inbound sales calls at home. She had one the other day from a bank selling a credit card. The man sounding bored at the other end asked for her husband. When she explained her husband was not available she was asked if she was the "little lady of the house." He then had the temerity to ask her "how was I today?" As if he had any interest, he was just following the script. At this point she ended the conversation deciding never ever to use this particular bank.

I am sure we all have similar examples or have been irritated by the endless "bad telemarketer" while being held in a queue with regular voice mail interjections-"we really care about your call." Do they really?

So the best way to get the most from any telephone call is:

Be pleasant and smile

Be sincere

Focus on the listener.

A pleasant greeting is essential to a successful call because it sets the stage emotionally. Listeners will often mirror the emotional states of speakers. So if we answer the call gruffly it is likely the caller will become gruff, and, conversely if we answer the call pleasantly the caller is also likely to be and we all know which one we would rather be speaking to. It is much harder to be irritated with someone who is helpful and pleasant than someone giving you the standard answers in a bored monotone.

One of the easiest ways to attain a pleasant emotional state is to use body language. You can change your state by changing your body language. If we carry ourselves with slumped shoulders frowning face, averted eyes we will probably feel a bit low. If we smile, breathe deeply, sit or stand upright and put our shoulders back and look ahead we will probably feel good. Avoid the saggy shoulder syndrome and let your smile be heard.

I am against scripted greetings and calls. They sound so insincere and the person on the other end switches off very quickly. By all means have an outline process to follow but if you are able to adapt it to you personally it will have far greater impact and will be and sound genuine. Always state your name when answering a call or calling someone else. Stating your name implies authority and that you are accountable.

Finally always focus on the person on the other end of the telephone. Turn away from the computer and the distractions of e-mails or that important document that you are working on. If your attention is split it will come across in the call and could impact on your pleasantness or your sincerity.

Telephones are a powerful part of conducting business-let your smile be heard.

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For further reference & training, please read the books by the author (ponijan@central.net.id):

1. The Art of Communication that Works - Komunikasi yang Berhasil.

2. Understanding Your Communication Styles - Memahami Gaya Komunikasi Anda.

3. Simplify Your Life with Zen - 35 Kisah Zen untuk Menyederhanakan Masalah Hidup.

4. Accelerate Your Success with Zen - 50 Kisah Zen untuk Mempercepat Sukses.

5. Unleash Your Inner Power with Zen - 50 Kisah Zen untuk Memaksimalkan Potensi Diri.

Penerbit : Elex Media Komputindo

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