Twitter colleague Dimitra Chronopoulos often shares her phone success with me, something I truly appreciate. In her last post, she also included a question, one that I often get asked but have never included here. So … today’s the today!
Here’s Dimitra’s post:
Had 3 fantastic phone conversations this week and was reminded how much I like (and need) to walk while I talk on the phone. It never fails to stimulate my thinking & can disperse nervous energy. Any thoughts on this @thephoneladyca?
— Dimitra Chronopoulos (@dimitra_c) March 8, 2018
I immediately thought about Steve Jobs and his well-known preference for walking meetings, something he shared with Aristole, Freud and other famous thinkers. As Ferris Jabr expressed in his 2014 article Why Walking Helps Us Think in The New Yorker: When we go for a walk, the heart pumps faster, circulating more blood and oxygen not just to the muscles but to all the organs—including the brain.
Walking, or pacing, while on the phone, increases our ability to listen, stay focused and access ideas, insights and creative solutions. It is my “go to” solution for those who ask me how to be less distracted on the phone (we can’t be enticed by incoming email on our computer screens when we’re walking), and those who want to be less nervous or anxious during phone conversations (as Dimitra noted, the movement dissolves nervous energy).
Most of us do this naturally but we’ve trained ourselves to stay seated, perhaps because we’ve been chastised in a traditional office setting. There’s no doubt we create an unappreciated distraction when we march past colleagues’ desks talking loudly on the phone. But know that simply standing up and doing a two-step pace will do the trick. And this allows us to stop at our desk when needed to take notes.
It also combats all the negative impacts of sitting, sitting, sitting.
Embrace your urge to move while on the phone. You’ll see an improvement in all your conversations.
Agreed! Most times I don’t even realize I do it, but when I’m on my cell phone while in my office, I often get up from my chair and walk around. I’m never far from my desk as I often take notes while I’m on the phone, but that little burst of movement while on the phone feels very natural (and helpful).
Thanks for posting!
Thanks, Nicole, for sharing this. I do believe it is a natural reaction for many of us – our body’s way of helping us focus and be thoughtful during conversations. I’m so glad that you are listening to the message!