I've spent 20 years teaching people to communicate. Phone anxiety has never been worse. I see it most often among younger employees entering the workforce, and the issue is more complicated than it seems. Find out more.
sales
Effective conversations rely on confident words. I often get asked, “How did you become The Phone Lady?” I’ll tell the story about a colleague and friend of mine, Sean McDermott, who insisted (back in 2004) that I needed to teach people how to improve their phone conversations. I resisted, but … Read more
What do others take away from their conversations with us? Part of the work I’ve done the past 20 years has involved auditing other people’s conversations. I’ve listened carefully to sales calls, customer service requests and receptionist greetings. The purpose is to provide skills and ideas to improve these interactions … Read more
Clarity delivers confidence. Ambiguity breeds confusion. Think for a moment about the following statements, which we’ve all heard more than once in our lifetime: “We’ll try to get to it this week,” “Your work is generally fine, “We’ll be in touch,” or two of my favourites, “I’m just calling to … Read more
Listening is not hearing words; it’s giving someone your full attention. One key finding from our 2026 Real-Time Business Conversation Index is that organizations place enormous value on real-time conversations. Yet many struggle to conduct them effectively. This has me constantly asking, “Why?” One obvious answer relates to the most … Read more
Curiosity turns conversations into connections. One of the most striking findings from our 2026 Real-Time Business Conversation Index wasn’t that organizations value conversations. 98% of the senior executives who participated agreed that conversations are critical to their business success. It was that only 11% believed their business conversations were extremely effective. … Read more
Our cherished relationships often started with small talk. Summer’s here and with it there will be lineups for concerts and ice cream, barbeques with people we may not know, and possibly delays at an airport. These are all perfect places to engage in small talk with a stranger. And before … Read more
While confidence is not a prerequisite for having conversations, it is essential for continually creating better conversations. One of the most common barriers to effective real-time conversations isn’t a lack of knowledge; it’s a lack of confidence. For over a decade now, we’ve spent the majority of our time composing … Read more
One of the things I’m always doing as “The Phone Lady” is paying attention to my phone experiences, especially those that relate to customer service and sales. A Small Customer Service Mystery Several weeks ago, something strange started to happen when I recorded my personal voicemail message. You know what … Read more
I’ve always found there’s something seductive about email. When I read a message, even when I have questions or want to clarify something, my fingers are already poised above the keyboard. In some situations, this can be a dangerous moment. Something that could be resolved or decided in a matter … Read more
In my early years of managing a sales team, I hired amazing people. They were a good fit at the company, enthusiastic about what we were creating, and full of energy. Yet some of them lost all those characteristics when they spoke to a prospect or client. This damaged morale … Read more
For 20 years, I’ve worked with new business owners, helping them map out the growth of their companies. Consistently, regardless of their product or service, they’ve told me the same thing: They don’t want to sell. This was echoed recently in our 2026 Real-Time Business Conversation Index when one respondent shared: … Read more
Have you experienced this in your organization? An issue arises with a client or prospect. There are meetings, conversations, emails — and yet … the issue remains. One respondent in our 2026 Real-Time Business Conversation Index described it this way: “Issues don’t get resolved effectively. They drag on and client … Read more
In our 2026 Real-Time Business Conversation Index, one respondent shared a challenge I’ve witnessed in many organizations: “Mindset prior to engaging in a real-time conversation and how that mindset delays initiating the real-time conversation.” This hesitation most often comes from an assumption we make prior to each conversation. We tell … Read more
In 2013, I worked part-time as a sales manager for one of my favorite clients. The youngest and most energetic team member had a very challenging deadline and the hardest quota. This, combined with her enthusiasm for both her prospects and her clients, led her to talk too fast. I … Read more
We can tell in seconds when a conversation – or an email – is about a transaction or about building a relationship. The transaction is quickly deleted, forgotten. But when someone is interested in us, fully present, asking thoughtful questions and listening to the answers, we drop our defensiveness. And … Read more
There is a communication challenge that happens to all of us at work, at home, even when we’re shopping. We explain something clearly to someone else. We believe we’ve spoken with complete clarity and we move on. And then hours, days or weeks later, we realize the other person understood … Read more
You’ve been in this conversation: You’re speaking, and the other person is already responding. Their words arrive before yours have fully landed. While it may not feel disrespectful on purpose, it does make the conversation less enjoyable, less expansive. Truly listening is an active choice you make in real time. … Read more
Think about the last call you hesitated to make. Not because you didn’t know the number, but because you weren’t sure what might happen once someone answered. Most people don’t fear the phone itself. They fear the unknown on the other end. Will the other person sound rushed? Will you … Read more
A client’s name shows up on your screen. You pause, for just a second, before responding. This pause is the moment where you bring care into the conversation. You might remember something meaningful from your last meeting. Or your voice carries warmth and calm instead of sounding frantic or rushed. … Read more
Trust isn’t created in a single moment. It grows quietly through the way we show up, call after call, conversation after conversation. It begins with the sound of our voices, the tone we choose, and the pause that lets someone else speak. Think for a moment about the last time … Read more
“The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.” — George Bernard Shaw Clarity is one of the most underrated communication skills. When our message is rushed, vague or incomplete, we create doubt in the minds of our prospects and clients, leading to hesitation. Clear communication … Read more
As part of celebrating 20 years of The Phone Lady, we’re revisiting what truly makes communication meaningful, one quote at a time. Each week in 2026, we’ll share a bit of wisdom that reminds us that small shifts in how we speak, listen and connect make a big difference. This … Read more
Why do some voicemail messages result in a return call and others don’t? While there are many reasons, one of the biggest contributors to the unreturned call is the detailed message. The role of a detailed message is threefold: To provide information to someone you already know or are already … Read more
This lesson adds more information to my last video on team members avoiding conversations due to a fear of the outcome. Providing team members with a process that can serve as a template for all their conversations is one way to give support and improve both sales and customer service … Read more
“Why does every issue turn into a 40-message Slack thread when one phone call would solve it in five minutes?” This is a sentiment I hear often from business owners and executives. Despite the abundance of communication tools at our fingertips, too many organizations are slowing themselves down by avoiding … Read more
“Where there is no reciprocity, there is no need for listening.” — Ursula Franklin On a Friday evening years ago, I heard Franklin explain how technology can strip away reciprocity, the give-and-take that creates real communication. That idea still guides my work today. When we rely only on emails or … Read more
In our 2025 Survey on Phone and Video Communication Trends, CEOs and senior executives shared honest insights into how their teams are using voice and video today. Alongside success stories, two persistent challenges appeared again and again: A deep reluctance to contact prospects because of fear of the outcome. A … Read more
In my last post, The Truth About Scripting: Why Your First Sales Calls Should Be Shaky, I shared why those early, awkward calls aren’t a sign of failure but rather an essential part of finding the best possible script. Now, let’s talk about what happens next. Because while the first calls … Read more
Even after decades of cold calling, I still get stage fright. It doesn’t matter that I’ve designed the script, thoroughly researched the product or service, and have a solid list of qualified leads. The nerves are still there. My heart beats faster. My mind races with the unknowns. And I … Read more
When Selling Feels Uncomfortable Many of my clients are people who never, ever imagined themselves “selling” anything. They are: Owners of startups, passionate and knowledgeable about the product they’ve created, but now facing the reality that they need to generate revenue Franchisees with deep knowledge of their product or service, … Read more
To celebrate 20 years of The Phone Lady, we're revisiting what truly makes communication meaningful. Every second week, we'll share a bit of wisdom to remind us that small shifts in how we speak, listen, and connect make a big difference. (You'll also receive access to our Exclusive Resources, including 4 ebooks.)
Remember party lines? Switchboards? Yellow Pages? The traditional telephone is almost gone, but its cultural impact deserves a ringing endorsement. Mary Jane weighs in.
A fresh phone hell in the office: Younger workers who don’t say hello when they answer a call need to know it’s a problem. Mary Jane weighs in on generational phone challenges - read here.
Bosses and employees are wrestling over whether voice calls have a place in the hybrid era. The Wall Street Journal recently spoke to Mary Jane. Find out more here.
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.