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  4.49 (Worth a try) from 56 votes (5044 Visits) |
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Phone Manners 101 |
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by jenlemen  (October 2006) (rank 17th) |
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Learning how to be polite (and safe!) on the phone is a social skill that will serve your children well their whole lives through. Children who are old enough to be interested in the phone can often be taught what to say and how to say it with your gentle coaching. Little children can start by playing pretend with a toy telephone; school aged children can progress to the real deal once you're convinced they're ready. Here's a telephone script for kids with some helpful safety tips for parents, too:
- Hello! This would be obvious, but it seems that once kids understand that real live people are waiting on the other end of the line their first instinct is to say "Who is this?" Decide what an appropriate greeting will be for all age-approved phone picker uppers. Growing up I was taught to say, "Hello, Hammond's, Jennifer speaking." One mother I know asked her children to answer with "Hi, this is ________." At our house, a simple "Hello" in a normal speaking voice is considered just fine. Establish who answers the phone when mom or dad is out. At our house, we've agreed to let the machine pick up when the kids are home with a babysitter just to be safe.
- May I ask who's calling? It took awhile for Madeleine to remember this one, but I helped her along by giving her lots of chances to answer the phone while I stood beside. I'd mouth the words to her, and she'd repeat them. Before long it became a habit that continues to delight our callers. Reassure your children that it's okay if they don't understand the person's name the first time around. There's nothing wrong with saying, "Excuse me, I didn't catch that" in order to give it one more try before passing the phone to mom.
- Just a moment, please. This catch phrase is important as children sometimes will put the phone down before alerting the caller that they are indeed on their way to find you. Children can also use this sentence as a convenient exit strategy if they prefer not to make small talk with a chatty caller. Remind your kids that they do not need to engage in active conversation--especially with someone they do not know. It's preferable to politely pass off the phone as soon as possible.
- I'm sorry, she's not available at the moment. Would you mind calling back in ten minutes? Few callers have much confidence in the message taking of little children. For those moments when you can't come to the phone (shower, pottybreak, conversation with a neighbor at the front door) ask your children to gently ask the caller to call back. Older children who can take notes quickly and neatly can be taught to utilize a message-taking center by the phone where pens and paper are readily available. Explain to your kids that the details of your whereabouts do not need to be shared. Manners tend to stick when kids are taught to stay on-script.
In the interest of safety, I ask my children to not answer the phone when I am not home, and I keep the cordless phone nearby at all times. My purpose in teaching them phone manners is to give them an opportunity to learn self-confidence and social skills under close supervision. Feel free to add your own suggestions for helping kids answer the phone in the comments below. |
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| ADVICE RATING |
4.49 (Worth a try) from 56 votes |
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 Related keywords: manners, phone, polite, skill, social
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