How to Teach Phone Etiquette
Phone etiquette is an important part of good manners. Children should learn this skill early so that it becomes automatic in daily communication. It is easy to teach phone etiquette if you are clear about your expectations and allow the student to practice her new skills in face-to-face conversations before using the phone.
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Instructions
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Be a strong role model. Children learn from what they see around them. If you are polite and calm on the phone, your child will learn to do the same.
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Encourage an appropriate greeting. Surfnetparents.com suggests that proper greetings include, "Hello," "May I ask who is calling please," and "That person isn't available right now." Also, teach your child how to greet someone when they are the ones making the phone call. Explain that they should say hello, identify themselves by name and then politely ask for whomever they would like to speak with. Role-play this greeting before using the telephone. Take turns playing the caller and the person who answers the phone.
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Explain how to correctly pace a phone conversation. The middle of the phone call is just as important as the greeting and closing. Teach the student how to politely explain the reason for the call and how to listen actively to the response. Emily Post outlines basic phone skills. "Good phone manners include speaking clearly, identifying themselves, taking messages, and not dominating phone use." These are all skills that can be practiced through role-play before using the actual telephone.
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Practice closing the phone conversation. Usually, the person who makes the phone call is the one to initiate the end of the conversation. Appropriate closing words are "bye," "good-bye," or "I'll talk to you soon."
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Include cell phone etiquette in your lesson. Because cell phones are such a large part of today's culture, everyone should be aware of proper etiquette. According to thephonecoach.com, proper cell phone etiquette includes turning off a cell phone when a ringing phone would be distracting, not interrupting face-to-face conversations with a cell phone conversation and speaking quietly.
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Tips & Warnings
Instruct a child on what to do if there are no adults present in the house when the phone rings. Perhaps you would like them to say that you are taking a nap, showering or busy, so as not to give away the fact that the child is home alone.
