The Phone Lady's Blog

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Coaching Tips for Phone Anxiety

By Mary Jane Copps | January 29, 2023

Both making and taking phone calls require skills. Whether you are managing a team responsible for these tasks, or you’re coaching yourself, you need to be able to distinguish between phone phobia/fear and phone anxiety. According to Harvard Health Publishing, a phobia is a persistent, … Read more

4 Ways to Help Others Hear You

By Mary Jane Copps | October 31, 2020
man listening

“Communication is not saying something; communication is being heard.” – Frances Hesselbein We’ve all had the experience of speaking to someone and, much to our surprise and/or frustration, they don’t hear us at all. Even in a quiet setting, when we’ve chosen our words carefully, … Read more

Practical Advice for 4 Common Communication Challenges

By Mary Jane Copps | October 17, 2020

One of the things I love about my work is its diversity. This past week I delivered webinars to global, North American, national and local audiences. Fun, right? What stood out for me was the similarity in the feedback on all of these presentations. The … Read more

One Word or Two?

By Mary Jane Copps | October 10, 2020
woman buying coffee

In Canada this is Thanksgiving weekend, a  holiday also celebrated by our US neighbours (in just over 6 weeks) as well as in Brazil, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, Leiden in South Holland, Norfolk Island and Puerto Rico. It stems from a tradition of celebrating and … Read more

What’s In A Name? Everything!

By Mary Jane Copps | September 19, 2020
nametags

It’s happened to all of us. We’ve called somewhere, perhaps a customer service centre, or a government department, or a company we are thinking about hiring. A person answers, or we reach their voicemail, and their name is so muffled, said so quickly, that we … Read more

If You Dread Creating a LinkedIn Profile…

By Miriam Jobin | January 8, 2020
man logging onto LinkedIn

Early in my career, I had very little interest in creating a LinkedIn profile. With Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat already on my phone, I felt like my social accounts were taking up enough of my time and I didn’t quite understand the value of LinkedIn. … Read more

Your Job Search Super Power – Step 5: Brush Up On Your Phone Skills

By Miriam Jobin | November 28, 2019
phoning about a job

Picking up the phone and speaking with the appropriate managers and supervisors at the companies you’ve researched is the best way to tap into the hidden job market. But it can be a big challenge. When I send texts, emails and DMs, not only can … Read more

The Journey (so far) of Miriam Jobin

By Mary Jane Copps | October 13, 2019

Dear Readers and Phone Lady fans: First, thank you so much for taking the time each week to read and share this post. It is an amazing gift that I don’t ever take for granted. That’s why I need to update you on a change … Read more

Job Search Super Power – Step 4: Who Ya Gonna Call?

By Miriam Jobin | September 28, 2019
talking on the phone

When looking for a job, listing companies of interest is a great start. Then you need to move to the next step – phoning them. But the next question is… who ya gonna call? In my last post, we got started on your research journey. … Read more

Your Job Search Super Power – Step 3: Research Begins

By Miriam Jobin | August 17, 2019
doing research

Can you think of a company that is not yet online? Neither can I because very few exist. And this is good news because you can now easily gather all the necessary details to craft the perfect pitch for when you call your potential employer. … Read more

Your Job Search Super Power – Step 2: Making Your Company List

By Miriam Jobin | August 4, 2019
logging into LinkedIn

It was October 13 – my birthday. I was seated at a candle-lit table at the rotating restaurant in the Calgary Tower with my beautiful mom and a view of the entire city. The next day she would be dropping me off at a huge … Read more

Your Job Search Super Power – Step 1: What Do You Want?

By Miriam Jobin | July 21, 2019
phoning about a job listing

“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”― Mark Twain As a child and adolescent, I must have had the same conversation with adults hundreds of times. You know the one: “What are you going … Read more

5 Steps to Igniting Your Job Search Super Power

By Miriam Jobin | June 2, 2019
job search

You may not be on the search for a job, but the truth is … we’ve all been there at some point in our careers. Whether you’re fresh out of school, leaving a job, looking for something more, or maybe unexpectedly finding yourself out of … Read more

How Do You Say Goodbye?

By Mary Jane Copps | October 8, 2017

At a recent workshop, I was asked for advice on a challenge I’ve never encountered. While I certainly have some thoughts and suggestions, I’ve decided to share this challenge with you. Have you also experienced this challenge? Please share your ideas and feedback in the … Read more

Learning is Uncomfortable

By Mary Jane Copps | November 15, 2015

“To be outstanding, get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”  Alrick Koundenburg I’m reminded of these wise words every time I face a room of young students, some of them with pens poised, others with fingers hovering over keyboards. They are hoping I will say the one … Read more

The #1 Reason We Don’t Listen

By Mary Jane Copps | September 20, 2015

“People hearing without listening.” Simon & Garfunkel, The Sound of Silence This is something we all do – every day. We hear the people around us speaking – family members, co-workers, customers, prospects – but we don’t really listen to what they are saying. Why … Read more

The Phone Loves a Tight Deadline!

By Mary Jane Copps | December 9, 2013

For this, my 174th blog post, I am delighted to introduce my first guest writer, Maureen Farmer of Word Right Career & HR Consulting This is the story of Hanipe. Originally from Africa, Hanipe came to Canada after completing her combined business and IT degrees … Read more

One Small Word

By Mary Jane Copps | August 23, 2009
man speaking on phone

When I started my first company, at the tender and overly self-confident age of 28, one small word got in the way of my increasing revenue consistently. That word was “just”. I used it in my telephone conversations, like most people do, to be polite, … Read more

ABC News
The 'phone lady' made a career out of teaching people how to speak on the phone. She's in high demand. Find out more.
How to revive a retro technology called the telephone that can still work wonders in these modern times. Find out.

Phone Phobia Hits the News

Phone phobia, or telephobia, has been getting a lot of attention in the news recently. See what Mary Jane has to say about it...
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
22 Minutes correspondent, Brandon Hackett, figures out which end is up on this thing called a telephone, with help from The Phone Lady. Watch Telephone Lessons for Millennials.
The Wall Street Journal.
Banks Curtail Employee Use of Voice Mail: Voice mail is viewed as an expensive vestige of a bygone era. See what The Phone Lady has to say.