How To Start A Phone Conversation With A Stranger?

How To Start A Phone Conversation With A Stranger?

In this article we are going to talk about the How to start a phone conversation with a stranger? Talking to a stranger in itself feels like a hard task to do. You have to watch yourself while talking and behaving in a desire to make a good first impression. Your body language says it all. What vibe you are getting from the stranger and how you like would to proceed with the conversation. You can end up having a tough time deliberating about how to approach and talk to someone who is a complete stranger to you. It can also have a chance to turn awkward after just a turn of formal greetings and introduction, not knowing what to talk about. But it can also turn into a full conversation if you vibe with that person.

How to start a phone conversation with a stranger?

When you are talking to a stranger in person, it still has a less chance to turn into something awkward as you can see their expressions. But when you have to have a telephonic interaction with a stranger, it can either turn out to be a disaster or a moment where you both know what you want and then hang up. Informal or formal, a phone call with a stranger for sure makes you a little bit hesitant. It can happen to anyone, even extroverts can be reluctant to start a conversation at times. But in this world where the new normal is meeting people through technology, you have got to make it one of your strong points. Here, these ways might help you out a little.

1. Agenda

Agenda

Before even calling that person, you start mentally preparing yourself for the conversation you are going to have and what you would say. If you call a person and then give a pause for thinking in your mind that what you had to talk about, it would look weird on your part. So before actually calling the said person, make it clear in your own mind first about the reason you have to talk about. If you are getting too nervous about talking to a stranger, then rehearse the whole conversation in your mind before starting the call. Be prepared for the kind of reactions they could have after listening to your reason of calling. It is important to have a clear agenda even more if the conversation is going to be a formal one.

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2. Disturbances

Disturbances

Another thing you have to ensure before starting the conversation is that you have picked a quiet place to carry out the phone call. You should not have any disturbances from your background. Also ensure that you have reliable network as it is a common problem that arises nowadays. If you are the one calling and you only have such kind of disturbances on your end, it would not look professional and the conversation can turn out to be unclear to both parties and the agenda of carrying out the phone call can remain unfulfilled. So make sure of this before calling the said stranger.

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3. Let them say hello first

Let them say hello first

After you have dialled their contact and are waiting for them to pick, you can play out the agenda once again in your mind, start to end. When they pick up, let them say hello first, even if you get to know that they have picked up the call. This will give you a chance to greet properly and introduce yourself first. If you start speaking about your agenda right after saying hello, it would give them an impression that you are trying to rush through the conversation. Even if you are in a hurry, do not let them know that. After they have said their hello, you also say hello politely and start with the conversation for which you have called them.

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4. Don’t rush

Don’t rush

Sometimes it can happen that you have called someone in a hurry, but even then, don’t try to rush through the phone call and have a proper conversation with them. If you try to rush through the whole thing, it can be possible that you misinterpreted their answer or information that they conveyed or it is also possible that you were not clear in your words and they heard something unclear and since you both are strangers, they didn’t ask you to repeat and answered without understanding your complete question. There are endless ways this conversation can go into and turn into utter failure if you try to rush through it. So be clear in what you and let them answer accordingly.

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5. Introduce yourself

Introduce yourself

Since it is a stranger you are talking to right now, make sure to give a brief and formal introduction of yourself. Let them know that you are a relevant person in their life, even if only professionally. Tell them the relation you have with them and also about how you got hold of their contact information. It is to let them know that you are not some random stranger who got their contact by chance and have called them to pass your time. If you are actually a relevant person, you would automatically have their attention to start speaking further. It is important to introduce yourself right at the starting of your call as some people don’t even like to pick up unknown numbers.

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6. Listen carefully

 Listen carefully

A conversation works both ways. If you want to be listened, you should also listen to them carefully. If you just try to talk only and not let them speak, they could get bored or even annoyed that you called them and now you won’t even let them speak. So after exchanging introductions and stating your reason of calling them, listen carefully to them speak about themselves so that you also get an idea about the kind of person they are and also get accurate information about something that you called about. Since they cannot see you while talking, so give your inputs in forms of humming or saying okay so that they know that you are actually listening and they are not just talking to themselves. This would also convey that you are interested in listening to them and they would be more open.

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7. Be polite

Be polite

Since you both cannot see each other through your phones, unless it is a video call, you have got to make an impression for yourself through words only. Even if you are not going to talk to them ever again, it is nice to be kind and polite to everyone. To make this first and last impression of yours, make sure that you are talking politely. Remember that they are a stranger and not your friend with whom you can talk freely. Set those boundaries you have to stay within and speak in such a way that you don’t offend them in any way possible and they want to talk to you further. Even when you are introducing yourself, try to be as humble about the information you are providing as you can. Remember that your tone matters a lot since they can’t check your expressions.

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8. Small talk

Small talk

To get their attention on you, it is important to introduce yourself and speak politely. But if you want to have a long conversation with them, make a little bit of small talk in the beginning, after the introductions. A simple “how are you?” would suffice. In the current situation, where everyone has face a difficult time with themselves or their family because of the deadly Coronavirus, it would be good and kind of you to ask them this simple question. Another small talk question can be “is everything fine at your home and with your family?” so as to know that you have not called at the wrong time. It is important that you ensure that it is a right time to conduct the phone call. This small talk is just to break the ice between to complete strangers.

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9. Get to the point

Get to the point

It is good to have a little bit of small talk just to break the ice between you two, but make sure that you are not stretching it till long. Get to the point quickly after you both have exchanged courteous pleasantries. If you keep eating around the bush, they can get bored and even annoyed that you are passing their precious time with your irrelevant talks. Everyone is very busy nowadays, no one has time to talk to a stranger who called out of nowhere and then started talking nonsense. So get to the point for which you have called and get over with the agenda. If the conversation flows in that direction, you both might end up talking informally as well, but make sure that they are also up for it and it is not one-sided.

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 10. Say goodbye

Say goodbye

Unless it is not totally unavoidable due to some network or disturbance issue, do not hang up abruptly. It is very rude of someone who called you and then hung up on you while you were speaking. You wouldn’t feel good about the call as well as that person at all. So try to keep yourself in their position and bid proper goodbyes to end the call. It is possible that you both have to have a conversation again in some time, but in any case, you should say bye properly. This would be the last straw of you making a good impression; that you ended the conversation just as politely as you started it.

These can help you in difficult times of anxiousness that arouse in you when you have to be the one starting a phone conversation with a stranger.

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