Does anyone else have a phone phobia?

[catweazle]

I've always hated using the phone and I find it quite disabling. I can ring my mum and DH with no problems but I don't even like ringing friends. I hate it when I want to organise something and I'm just given a phone number. I avoid ringing where I can, and it's been great having email and texts because it means there is usually an alternative.

At work (Govt dept)they are on a huge drive to get us to ring "customers" rather than write, as has always been our way. I've managed to avoid it where possible but have had some nasty moments when I've had a message through that someone I've written to has phoned and wants a call back. It makes me feel physically ill.

My biggest problem is I can't think quickly enough so people either "catch me out" or say something nasty and I can't think of a reply that is (a) reasonable and (b) polite!

Does anyone else have this problem and how do you get round it?

my best friend was like this for a long time. then was at her house recently and she phoned the taxi for us...took me a second to go your on the phone????

she started making herself do it, first with family then friends/her boyfriend etc.

I am like this- I hate using the phone unless it's to DH.

I find it very difficult in my job I am a project manager, and there is a lot of telephoning to do. Sometimes it makes me feel ill.
My manager knows how much I hate it, though she thinks I manage it completely professionally.

For me, it's not about being caught out being dim... but I have a hearing problem, and I am never sure I have understood people correctly. I find it very difficult having telephone conversations without the visual cues.

I have never been like this with DH though

The best way to get over it is
*don't put off the call- just do it.
*if you haven't understood/heard, say so at the time, get them to repeat it. Even several times if necessary (you can always say you're partially deaf or something) and make sure you repeat back to them so you know you have the details correct.
*pretend you are someone else (like an actress, I mean...not your boss!) it can give you more confidence. I don't mean put on a silly accent, but it just helps make me feel more confident if "the project manager" is ringing rather than EPPM IYSWIM
*if it's all going tits up...hang up and pretend you got cut off

Having to phone anyone other than DP leaves me with a feeling of dread.

A lot of mine is not knowing if you have interrupted or disturbed something when you phone unannounced.

I was a charity shop manager before having dd and had to make multiple calls daily, quite often I left making calls so long people were phoning me to chase things up

Yep, I don't ring nor answer the phone unless I know it's my DH on the other end.

Ahhhh, scary, phone is ringing now...!! how freaky. Obviously I'm not answering lol.

If I have a call I am stressing about then I write down what I want to achieve at the end of the phone call and what I am going to say.

If I get a bit flustered then I can always rely in my notes.

Catweazle - the thing to remember with work phone calls is that you are phoning Catweazle from Government, not as you. Any nastiness is directed at the Govt not you personally. Also if you are asked something you don't know then say so and promise to find out and let them know (and then actually do it).

I'm glad it's not just me. I can't even ring "private" phonecalls.. I wanted to take DD to baby swimming and I was given a mobile number. I never could manage to ring them and was relieved to find a website for a different company, and was able to book online.

Got a callback request again today at work.. It's an area of work I only agreed to take on on the understanding that I would be responding by letter. If you ring they expect you to be able to answer all their questions and always manage to trip me up. I sent it to my boss and asked her to give it to someone else