Requerimientos no funcionales

Meanwhile, back in the primitive 1990s, the telephone in its present in-carnation is one of the strongest allies and greatest nuisances business-people have.

Salespeople have learned that the telephone can save on tires and shoe leather. By using a city directory that is cross-indexed for telephone numbers and street addresses, they can locate and reach the people they want to reach. If they spend three minutes on each call, they'll reach twenty prospects an hour, which is hard to do if you're communicating by car, cab, or plane.

Executives have learned that conference calls, even without the video dimension, can often eliminate the need for meetings that require people from far-flung places to converge on one spot.

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You Can't Fax a Smile

The voice phone remains the businessperson's communications medi-um of choice while we await the technological refinements that will en-able us to debut before the eye of the videophone. And it is a powerful and useful medium.

Fax machines and computer modems have expanded our options for transmitting information, but they still haven't eliminated the need for the immediacy and the intimacy of voice communication. Nor are they likely to eliminate the telephone call—with or without pictures—as a preferred method of getting in touch across distances. Telephone con-versations don't have to be typed or punched into word processors. And you can't fax a smile, though you can convey one over the telephone by voice quality.

As a matter of fact, phone calls can often eliminate the need for writ-ing. You'll usually save time by picking up the telephone instead of the dictaphone. You'll certainly save time for your secretary, which means that you're saving your company money. After you've made your call, make notes of what you discussed and keep them organized for ready reference.

With all its advantages, though, the telephone can become a tyrant, monopolizing your time, interrupting your transactions, and breaking your concentration. But only if you let it.

Let's look at some ways to make your telephone your ally instead of your nemesis.

There's No Substitute for a Live Voice

First, remember that for a good, positive impression by telephone, noth-ing beats the sound of a live voice that speaks from a knowledgeable mind.

Answering devices can fill in on weekends, on holidays and after hours, but they can't provide the warmth and flexibility of a good tele-phone receptionist. Nothing is quite so frustrating as to dial a business number and get a synthesized voice that runs down an itemized list of peo-ple or departments you can reach if you "touch 1 now." What if the an-swer is none of the above"1. Your caller has wasted a lot of time listening to the entire list and must still press a button to reach a live person who can route the call to the proper party. Many people resent it when they call long distance and find themselves at the mercy of an answering system.

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Even when the videophone marries computer and telephone tech-nology, it's a good bet your callers will welcome a live face and voice to welcome them to your corporate world.

Have Your Calls Screened

That doesn't mean that you have to be at the beck and call of your tele-phone every hour of the day. Your secretary or receptionist can screen your calls, connecting you immediately with the people you need to talk to and holding other calls for you to return at a more convenient time.

(It goes without saying that your secretary or receptionist should be ar-ticulate, friendly, and familiar with your organization.) Designate a cer-tain time of day for returning telephone calls, and at that time answer all the phone calls that have come in. You may have to make adjustments for callers who are several time zones away and exceptions for callers who are in other parts of the world. But a good secretary or receptionist can make those judgments for you.

Take Control of Your Time

When you do place telephone calls, take control of your time. If you have a lot of frequently dialed numbers, an automatic dialer can save you time and money. You can punch a single button to dial the number without having to look it up. If you use a desktop computer, you'll find many software programs that allow quick and easy retrieval of fre-quently called numbers.

Decide what you want to accomplish with the call and make a list of the important points you want to cover. When you reach your party, get quickly to the heart of the subject, cover the points efficiently, and end your call as soon as you can without being discourteous.

Body Language by Phone

When you communicate by sightless telephone, remember that your voice must convey meanings that would be conveyed by a variety of vi-sual clues in a face-to-face conversation. So make full use of the voice qualities covered in chapter 6: power, pitch, pace, intonation, stress, and juncture.

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Here's a suggestion: When you speak by telephone, act as if you were speaking face to face. Stand as if you were facing your caller across the room. Smile, just as you would in the presence of the other party.

Practice the same body language you would practice in direct conver-sation. When you do this, your voice will automatically convey the non-verbal nuances.

Your voice conveys more power when you speak from a standing position. It is more natural and less strained when you're not using your neck and shoulder to cradle a telephone. The telephone picks up on smiles and scowls and conveys them through subtle nonverbal clues.

Start your conversation with a rising inflection. This injects a note of warmth and cheerfulness at the outset of the call.

Identify yourself promptly. This applies whether you're the origi-nator or the recipient of the call. If you're calling someone you know, don't assume that your voice will be recognized. Your voice may sound different over the telephone than it does in person.

Identify Yourself Fully

Identify yourself fully, pronouncing your name slowly and distinctly.

Don't say, "Hi, George, this is Julie." While you're going into your mes-sage, George's mind will be racing as he tries to recall all the Julies he has known and trying to decide which one you are.

Assuming that you and George are on first-name terms, say, "Hi, George, this is Julie Gladstone at Cosmic Enterprises." If George doesn't recall you immediately, at least he'll know what company you represent.

Speak directly into the mouthpiece, using the natural volume you'd use for a person sitting across the desk from you. This gives you the lat-itude to vary your volume to suit the message you're trying to convey.

Use the other person's name frequently. This provides a personal touch that compensates for the lack of eye contact.

Know What You Want to Accomplish As you talk, keep in mind the reason you're on the telephone:

• You want the person on the other end to hear you and understand exactly what you mean.

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You want your conversational partner to agree with you, or at least give you a sympathetic ear.

• You want to accomplish something. You want the other person to understand what you want done, why it should be done, and when it should be done. And you want your listener to act on what you're saying.

You want to understand the person at the other end of the line.

Think about these objectives each time you speak by telephone. It will help you in planning your calls and in making them both effective and efficient.

Closing the Conversation

If you're the recipient of the call, use questions to determine quickly the purpose of the call and what the caller expects from you. When the call has accomplished its purpose, bring it to a close quickly and courteous-ly. Summarize what you've discussed and the conclusions you've reached. Review the things each party has agreed to do. End with a friendly comment such as "It's been nice talking with you." And let the other person hang up first.

Don't Let It Bug You

When you're off the phone, be sure you've actually hung up. Laying an open receiver on your desk is like bugging your whole office. And don't assume, while talking on the telephone, that a hand over the mouthpiece will keep your voice from carrying to the other end of the line. Always assume that the other person can hear everything you say.

Technology also means that secrets can pass through electronic cracks. Most executives have little reason to fear electronic eavesdrop-ping, but reasonable precautions should be taken to keep sensitive com-munications away from prying eyes and ears. Make sure that your in-coming and outgoing fax messages are not exposed to unauthorized eyes. Remember that cellular telephones rely on radio transmissions, which can be intercepted by anyone who has a radio tuned to the prop-er frequency. And hackprop-ers considprop-er it a challenge to penetrate corporate computer networks and feast on confidential data. The modem

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tive need not be paranoid, but it's always wise to have somebody on staff who keeps abreast of the latest technology and can advise you on the best ways to use it effectively while avoiding its pitfalls.

The revolution in telecommunications is so fast and comprehensive that it takes your breath away. But remember: The technological ad-vances are simply means of conveying your voice and image across dis-tances. Learn and practice the verbal and nonverbal skills that serve you well in person-to-person interaction. They'll provide the basis for the skills you'll need in tomorrow's high-tech world.

Not all twenty-first-century communication will require space-age technology to convey messages across oceans and continents.

Much of the work in the business world is still done by people sit-ting in the same room, often around the same table, sharing information and ideas. The ability to conduct effective meetings is a powerful lead-ership trait—one we'll explore in the next chapter.

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GETTING THE MOST