Proper Voice Tone During Phone Calls

Voice tone is a nonverbal factor that is involved during phone conversations or communication that can change or slightly alter the meaning of your verbal messages. Hence, you need to pay more attention to it along with what you are verbally saying to avoid being misinterpreted. In a business setting, the tone of your
voice can come down to be the most crucial element that makes the entire process effective – or not.

Crucial Elements To An Effective Phone Conversation

When you are speaking to someone over the phone, they are forming their own conclusion about a person on the other line, even when they have not even met before. According to research made by communication experts, only 7 percent of the spoken communication are comprehended. Meanwhile, another 38 percent of the entire communication process weigh on the tone of voice or the manner in which the spoken words are delivered. And finally, the remaining 55 percent is alloted to the body language and expression made on the person's face.

Since the latter does not apply during a phone conversation, the second element – tone of voice – is more important here than the actual words being spoken. So, the caller has to rely on that factor to reinforce the spoken communication. The next time you talk to someone over the phone, pay closer attention to how you relay the verbal messages to ensure that you are getting your point across.

Factors Affecting Tone of Voice

To better understand how you can achieve the proper tone of voice during a phone conversation, there are some factors that you need to consider. This is highly important for a business organization as part of your business communication ethics as it can also produce an impact on your reputation when dealing with customers.

Here are some factors you need to pay close attention to:

- The pitch of the phone callers voice impact the tone largely. For example, a monotonous voice can elicit lack of interest in a conversation or unwillingness to pay attention to what is being said.

- The volume of one's voice over the phone can send out various messages, whether it be of confidence, commitment to customers (for business organizations), and willingness to cooperate with the person on the other line.

- The way one person emphasizes certain words during a phone conversation help to highlight specific areas of the conversation and makes one realize the importance of this communication process.

- The way a person speaks over the phone can indicate a lot about their enthusiasm with the person on the other line, which can often be a result of the factors listed above.

Importance of Using Proper Tone

As repeatedly pointed out above, using the proper tone of voice is a serious issue when tackling proper etiquette during phone communication. If you are making phone calls for business reasons, then the least you'd want is to elicit a sense of indifference, annoyance, impatience, and lack of interest. Even the slightest inflection of your voice and injective you use can convey different meanings to the person on the other end of the phone.

The absence of physical contact during this form of communication will lead the person to rely on tone of voice, in addition to actual spoken words, to determine what is really being communicated here. And for customers speaking to a business organization's representative, it could imply the organization's willingness to address the needs of the consumer.