How to Teach Phone Etiquette to Teens
Teach your teen to be respectful.Communicating over the phone is not much different than communicating in face-to-face interactions., Explain to your teen how to place a formal call., Work with your teen to improve the quality of their...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Teach your teen to be respectful.Communicating over the phone is not much different than communicating in face-to-face interactions.
Remind your teen that being polite, using language that does not deliberately offend or anger the other speaker, and waiting their turn to talk are all important habits that contribute to healthy, positive communication on the phone as well as off.
Share the “Golden Rule” with your teen.
This rule describes a course of action in which you treat others the way you’d like to be treated.
Always practice the Golden Rule and direct your teen to do likewise.
If your teen has trouble communicating respectfully off the phone, they will probably have trouble communicating respectfully on the phone.
In this situation, teach both skills together. -
Step 2: Explain to your teen how to place a formal call.
If your teen is trying to call a business, make a doctor’s appointment, or get information from an official agency, they cannot use the familiar tone and language that they might when talking to their friends or family.
In order to be taken seriously by potential employers, college advisors, and other authority figures, they should use a more direct, businesslike approach on the phone.Demonstrate formal telephone conversation.
Offer a simple script he or she could use.
For instance: “Hello, this is .
May I please speak with ?” Remind your teen that if the person is unavailable they should always ask, “Can I leave a message?” or “When would be a good time to reach him/her?” Teach your teen to thank the person they spoke with before ending official calls.
Tell your teen to always state their name, number, and reason for calling when leaving a formal voicemail. , What your teen says on the phone is as important as how they say it.
Teach your teen how to have an engaging and informative conversation on the phone.You can play a game where you challenge your teen to answer questions with more than one word.
Challenge them to answer questions with more than just "yes" or "no." Teach your teen to ask questions if they did not hear or understand something.
Instead of answering with silence or "I don't know," they can say, "I'm sorry.
I didn't catch that.
Could you say it again?" Try roleplaying conversations that the teen might have on the phone.
This will teach them how to handle these conversations. , In these cases, it’s okay for your teen to speak up a bit and ask their conversation partner if they can hear them better. ] -
Step 3: Work with your teen to improve the quality of their conversation.
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Step 4: Encourage your teen to speak up if necessary.Explain to your teen that phone microphones are often poorly made
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Step 5: and the audio on the other end might not be audible.
Detailed Guide
Remind your teen that being polite, using language that does not deliberately offend or anger the other speaker, and waiting their turn to talk are all important habits that contribute to healthy, positive communication on the phone as well as off.
Share the “Golden Rule” with your teen.
This rule describes a course of action in which you treat others the way you’d like to be treated.
Always practice the Golden Rule and direct your teen to do likewise.
If your teen has trouble communicating respectfully off the phone, they will probably have trouble communicating respectfully on the phone.
In this situation, teach both skills together.
If your teen is trying to call a business, make a doctor’s appointment, or get information from an official agency, they cannot use the familiar tone and language that they might when talking to their friends or family.
In order to be taken seriously by potential employers, college advisors, and other authority figures, they should use a more direct, businesslike approach on the phone.Demonstrate formal telephone conversation.
Offer a simple script he or she could use.
For instance: “Hello, this is .
May I please speak with ?” Remind your teen that if the person is unavailable they should always ask, “Can I leave a message?” or “When would be a good time to reach him/her?” Teach your teen to thank the person they spoke with before ending official calls.
Tell your teen to always state their name, number, and reason for calling when leaving a formal voicemail. , What your teen says on the phone is as important as how they say it.
Teach your teen how to have an engaging and informative conversation on the phone.You can play a game where you challenge your teen to answer questions with more than one word.
Challenge them to answer questions with more than just "yes" or "no." Teach your teen to ask questions if they did not hear or understand something.
Instead of answering with silence or "I don't know," they can say, "I'm sorry.
I didn't catch that.
Could you say it again?" Try roleplaying conversations that the teen might have on the phone.
This will teach them how to handle these conversations. , In these cases, it’s okay for your teen to speak up a bit and ask their conversation partner if they can hear them better. ]
About the Author
Lisa Richardson
Specializes in breaking down complex organization topics into simple steps.
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