Lately I’ve been interested in studying different phobias that people have.
Does the thought of a chicken give you cold sweats or a nauseated feeling in the pit of your stomach? You might be suffering from alektorophobia.
You might have already heard that the fear of public speaking, or glossophobia, is one of the most prevalent fears, not just in America, but across the world. After numerous international studies conducted over what scares people most, the fear of public speaking usually comes out on top, even more so than the fear of death! But why? As a genuine people person, why is it so hard to break the idea that speaking to a person or even multiple unknown people is a terrifying ordeal?
As a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) for Incept, I literally talk with hundreds of people a month that I do not personally know. If you work in any type of telecommunications field or customer service industry then you already know the importance and positive effects that being conversational in your calls can bring. However, if you are someone that struggles finding the right thing to say, can’t quite clear that conversational hurdle in your head, or are just plain scared silly of public speaking or speaking to new people, then you are reading the right blog.
Easy Ways to be Conversational With People
When it comes to the wide world of telecommunications being conversational in your calls won’t just make you or your company look professional, but people will also enjoy being spoken to in a more personal manner as well. Here are a few things I do personally in my work on the phones at Incept as a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) that give me the ability to be conversational with people to a very effective degree.
- Ask “How are you?” before going into anything.
Before I even consider talking to a donor about donating I make sure to always ask them how they are doing. It’s a very simple practice, indeed. By asking someone “How are you?” you immediately get a feel for the tone of who you are speaking with, as well as an idea of what is going on with that person. This simple step benefits you in two ways. It makes the donor or customer feel at ease about talking with you and begins the process of building immediate rapport with them.
- Don’t be afraid to talk about what is going on in your donor’s life.
There are many times when I hear a donor’s dog barking. I often take this opportunity to ask, “What kind of dog do you have?” in an effort to simply be conversational. If I’m talking with a younger donor that is in college, and they let me know they busy due to their hectic college schedule, I’ll find myself asking, “What is your major?” When you have the ability to pick apart what you are hearing while in conversation, things have a tendency to naturally start flowing. People love talking about themselves and the details of their lives, and when you enable someone to do that the conversation tends to build itself with little to no effort.
- Identify with your donor, and show empathy.
Part of being human is the fact that we all long to connect with like-minded individuals. When someone feels like you are on their side, they are going to give you the time to talk and will – more than likely – listen to what you have to say. If they are telling you something that’s going on, do not be afraid to actually be a real person to them and verbalize that you understand what they are going through (to a point). Ifyou can identify a trend in these pointers, more than anything, it is simply just being real.
Being conversational with your donors isn’t about trying to get them to “drop their guard.” It is about making your conversations with them genuine. Doing so will allow the conversations you are having become more of a dialog between you and your donors, rather than someone reading a script at them. This is a very small insight on how to strengthen the relationship through meaningful conversations.
What are other ways you make conversation while building positive rapport with your donors?
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