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.
client communication
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
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
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
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
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
“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
We live in a fast world. Messages are delivered in milliseconds. People expect answers instantly. And it’s easy to think that speaking quickly signals confidence or competence. But in real-time conversations, especially on the phone or in video calls, pacing is power. When we speak too quickly, we make it … Read more
Over the holidays, I had a lot of conversations. Some were on the phone, others were on camera and I enjoyed them all. And many of them included interesting communication challenges. This reminded me of a blog series I did back in 2018, which focused on difficult conversations. I began … Read more
Back in 2013, I answered a phone call from an intern at The Wall Street Journal. Anita Hofschneider was assigned a story on how phone calls had lost their value in the workplace. At the time, I was working onsite with a client, coaching their sales staff on the how … Read more
One of my full-time obsessions is improving my listening and conversation skills. I enjoy a variety of podcasts and radio broadcasts as a favorite way to do this. In the past year or so, I’ve heard one specific word far too often. Why? Because it’s a word that: diminishes, defames, … Read more
There’s a quote from a Canadian CEO who participated in my 2024 Report on Phone Communication Trends that I’m continually thinking about: “It can be confusing to understand when to call or text versus email or video calls … . People need help understanding where the phone fits in with … Read more
I’m currently spending time with an extremely diligent coaching student. Having never received any formal sales training, she reacts to new information and skills by using them immediately. This is a lot of fun. Each week she arrives with great success stories and questions to ask. And she’s also using … Read more
Long-standing clients are the best gift I receive from being The Phone Lady. Earlier this month I had the privilege of delivering a workshop with an organization that’s trusted me for more than a decade. So fun! As I was wrapping up the customer-service-focused afternoon, the supervising staff member said … Read more
Since March 30 I’ve been constantly thinking about an email I received from my dear friend and colleague, Natasha Marchewka. Natasha is definitely one of life’s constant learners and she’ll often send me things she’s discovered. In this case, it was a quote from James Clear, author of the best-selling … Read more
This past week contained a disappointment – for myself and others. What occurred was surprising and frustrating. Like a tightened knot I was convinced I could untie, I kept revisiting the situation, obsessing. This is always a sign that there’s a lesson to be learned. Uncovering it has resulted in … Read more
Here are some statistics that caught my attention this week: Worldwide, 23 billion texts (Forbes 2021) and 333.2 billion emails (Zippia Oct/22) are sent each day. Of those emails, only 18% actually get opened. And we know that “opened” doesn’t automatically indicate “read” – and certainly doesn’t mean a satisfied … Read more
In our quest to excel at storyfinding – uncovering what our prospects and clients truly want and need through conversation – we need to know that sabotage lurks in our intent. While it is essential to prepare for our conversations, and to know the outcome we seek, keeping our intent … Read more
Many years ago, while visiting a dear friend in Toronto, we decided to walk past a house in Kensington Market we had once owned and lived in together. A mom was working in the front garden with her young son nearby and we had a conversation. When she learned of … Read more
Several years ago, while working with a very enthusiastic group of salespeople in Toronto, something totally unexpected happened. We were all together in a beautiful classroom space in the city’s financial district. All the latest technology was available. The coordinator was charming and funny, the food throughout the day was … Read more
The details we can uncover about an individual or an organization through a website, a Google search or reviewing an internal file are all extremely valuable and they do support our ability to be a storyfinder. But often, they are only the tip of the iceberg. The deeper story is … Read more
“Curiosity is the engine of achievement.” Sir Ken Robinson Allowing curiosity to guide our conversations is the first step of storyfinding. With both prospects and customers, curiosity helps us clarify and deliver on expectations, reveal additional ways to serve and work together, and continually build on the all-important elements of … Read more
When it comes to things I’ve done to build my business, I’ve certainly spent a lot of time doing the wrong things. Some of them have been things that are perfect for other businesses but not right for me. Building online courses is top of mind. There are entrepreneurs that … Read more
As 2020 ended and 2021 began I found myself in the midst of an unusual communication challenge. In mid-November, the head of a medical team filled out my website Assessment Form, looking for information on phone skills for front desk staff. Through a series of emails and a phone message, … Read more
Earlier this week I spent the morning with a group of brand new, energetic business owners. In one of the exercises we did together, they each estimated the average annual worth of their average customer. This is not an easy number to figure out when you’ve only been in business … Read more
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 same word was used time … Read more
A few years ago I sat with two trusted colleagues and made numerous decisions about my company’s social media and marketing strategy. There were a few things that got added to the activities already in play. One of them, even though I was hesitant, was adding a company Facebook page. … Read more
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 have no idea what we … Read more
Twenty-eight years ago, on May 15, my then business partner gave birth to her first child. We were in our fourth year of growing our company and while we did manage to organize a (sort of) maternity leave for her, once that time was up, that wonderful baby came to … Read more
In mid-January, while doing errands early on a Saturday morning, I listened to a radio interview with a family living in lockdown in Wuhan, China. While they were well organized and optimistic, the strain was clear in their voices. At the time, I was foolish enough to think to myself, … Read more
It has been a difficult week here in Nova Scotia. While all of us were continuing to hang on to the roller coaster that is COVID-19, last Sunday morning news began to surface of unimaginable gun violence in our small towns and villages. Many of us have simply let go. … 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.