I’m 63. I’ve never liked talking on the phone. In the days before caller ID and answering machines, you pretty much HAD to answer–UGH.
I like email and texting, although I don’t believe in carrying on entire relationships through email and text. I like to set up a date, coffee, or get together by text or email and then meet in person. I like texts for sharing random thoughts that aren’t major enough to justify a phone call but let the person know you were thinking of them. Or to share info with someone when a phone call is not convenient or warranted.
For business, email is a godsend! No more garbled messages taken by other people. No more incorrect memories of what you asked or what the OP agreed to do. You’ve got it in virtual writing. Your ass is totally covered.
I hate it so much. I hate answering the phone too. No clue why, but it is a big hang up of mine. I usually pray for voicemail. Texts and email have been a godsend.
This is true of me. I get really annoyed if someone uses e-mail to tell me something urgent or important or an action item with a deadline. If there’s something you want me to do or if you there’s something important you need me to know in a timely manner, I want a face-to-face conversation or a phone call. E-mail is not reliable enough or timely enough (you never really know if or when an E-mail message is going to arrive or be noticed or be read). And text messaging is for short and casual communication. If your office is on the same floor as mine, there’s no excuse not to walk over and talk.
Anyway, that’s the way I see things. Obviously everyone has their own preferences.
I don’t get nervous, really, and I don’t have social issues. I am a pro at making people feel at home, in person, actually, and am very good at chatting casually. But the phone is just so stupid.
For me I think it comes down to the fact that a lot of my tools I use to be a good social chatter and a friendly person are stunted on the phone. I can’t see their expressions or their body language and often the sound is tinny or unclear - forget cell phones, with the tiny little speakers and not very good sound. I don’t feel as comfortable as face to face.
I’m a 53 year old woman, and business-wise I’d MUCH rather email than phone someone. For one thing, if gives the person you’re writing the option to research the email subject matter if necessary, and then reply when they’re ready. Secondly, it’s much faster. Third, people aren’t always there when you call them, (therefore, see number one, they reply when they get it, and you’ve done your job by giving, or requesting information from them, so you can “check” that communication off of your to do list). Fourth, it creates a “chain” of said information, (great when you’ve got clients who are forgetful, there’s a chain that shows just what was said when).
Fifth, and this from a girl who’s friendly and talkative, it’s not always comfortable to make phone calls, some people can come across as less polite or friendly than they really are in person or (oddly) by email. Some people have “tones” when they speak by phone for some reason, and that can make for some discomfort when making phone calls.
Now, if this is about friends or family, then it’s kind of the opposite, I like to talk to them and hear their voices.
In addition to the advantages CanvasShoes listed, e-mail becomes much, much more convenient than phone calls or in-person visits if you need to tell something or request info from several people at once. Also if part of what you need to share with them or request input on exists in electronic form on your own computer (e.g. a Word document, or a link to a website).
The nervousness is specific to using the phone. (I’m 35, ftr). On Friday I was the host of a web-seminar for 100+ people, and speaking to a large audience like that is not scary. During the meeting the audio got screwed up so I had to call tech support - that made me nervous.
I don’t know what it is about talking on the phone that makes me nervous, but something does despite being okay with public speaking both over the internet and in person. I’m an introvert but not overly shy…unless you stick a phone in my hand.
Mortified of making a phone call. Once the conversation starts I am fine with talking to the person but the initial dialing of a phone is something I have to talk myself into doing. Good to hear that I am not the only person in the world that has this issue. I always thought I was strange. Well, I AM different, but not at least alone with phone anxieties.
I hated talking on the phone in my teens, but leaned to adjust as I got older. I still prefer to contact people by other methods (mostly email) when I can.
Specific to the phone, for me. Phone calls are just so intrusive. I’m big on email and texting cause they are asynchronous, and I happily talk to people in person.
I’ve been bound by phobias all my life. I had a phone phobia for years but I’m almost completely over it. I couldn’t make appointments or order pizzas and especially couldn’t handle reception at my office. I lost a good job once because I refused to do that. I am still rather shy about calling friends and family now because I don’t want to be a bother. I’ve been told this is foolish because they can just tell me if they’re busy, but in my mind I feel like if they have time they’ll just call me.
My oldest daughter has a horrible case of social phobia just like me and still can’t do the phone thing. I make as many calls as I can for her and I’m told I’m just contributing to her problem but if I don’t make her appointments or help with her school registrations they just won’t get done. How could I deny her that help when I see how well she’s doing in her classes now that I took care of the rest?
Anyway I hope she’ll eventually grow out of it like I did. It only took me 40 years. She’s got 18 to go!
I hate, hate, hate phones. Especially cell phones. The idea that I should be obligated to talk to anyone 24/7/365 just cause they call me really pisses me off.
I own a business where my staff is out on the road all day (I own a dog walking and pet sitting company) and it has SAVED my sanity to use texting to alert them of schedule changes or other important information. Some of my staff are REALLY REALLY chatty and I really don’t have the time or patience to make idle chit-chat with them.
I used to have phone phobia. I would have to go into a room alone, breathe deep, and psyche myself up to make even a simple call.
Then I got a job answering the phone. :eek: (I wasn’t a bit nervous during the interview, because I didn’t even want the job! Who knew they’d up and give it to me anyway?) I had to answer the phone and say “Diagnostic blah blah blah, Julia speaking” and I was worried my mind would just go blank when the phone rang, so I made up a little memory aid to help myself. What do I wish people would do instead of calling me? "DIE! Agnostic blah blah blah, Julia speaking.”
These days I don’t enjoy the phone but I don’t fear it, and I’m really glad I was able to break out of that. More social handicaps I don’t need.
I don’t really have a problem with making phone calls (most of the time) besides that I hate the feeling that I might be interupting something with my call.
My problem is leaving voice mail. I hate it so much. When I do use voice mail, it’s usually for work and I always feel nervous about it. It’s like I know I’m either going to forget something important I needed to say and have to leave another message or say something stupid that gets recorded and heard by someone I want to take me seriously.
Even worse, somehow, is changing my own outgoing message. I can never get it to sound quite right and end up forgetting something or slipping up and saying something wrong about half the time so I keep having to do it over. It’s almost to the point where I need to prepare a script.
I hate making phone calls and will put it off as long as possible. I hate to chit chat on the phone. I just say what I need to say and get off the line. Yes, I have unintentionally offended people on occasion by being abrupt.
I despise talking on the phone. The worst is making any kind of business call. I’m often ridiculously anxious that I’m going to be misunderstood somehow. Because of this, I put off calls I should make far longer than I should.
I hate talking on the phone. For one thing I have this ‘speech impediment’ where I either spoonerise things, or make up words, or get them in the wrong order*. Also my mother listens in, and starts talking to me as if we are having a conversation and I have to keep asking her to please stop talking to me as I’m on the phone, and she starts arguing back that she’s not stopping me talking on the phone drones on for ten minutes about not stopping me talking… which often makes the other person start giggling. Then I get all embarrassed and I start to stammer…
I tend to text people.
the tablets for my diabetes are giving me diarrhoea came out as “the tablets I’m taking for diarrhoea are giving me diabetes”, which is a completely different medical problem altogether