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Call me a millennial, a lazy youth of today or simply an awkward person but I have never been very good at phone calls. For that reason, I can find them stressful.

I’m sure we’ve all had that nerve wracking experience of having to call a landlord, apply for a job or speak with someone important on the phone and we need to play it cool. In these circumstances, I always seem to stumble my words, get too deep into conversation or cut them off too soon. I never seem to know the right social protocol for the phone and the right times to use it.

Unfortunately, I am also forgetful and a procrastinator. If I have to make a phone call, I’ll find I put it off longer and longer which just increases the worries and anxieties I have about making the phone call. Although challenging, I have found a few thinks help me overcome these challenges.

1. Pick a time

I try to set a time to make the phone call. I tell myself, “No matter what, you are making this phone call at 12pm’’ and then I try to force myself to call at that exact time. I find it adds a deadline and helps to stop procrastinating. Oddly, I found it can help give me the courage to pick up the phone and get it done.

2. Write it down

If I ever find myself becoming unnecessarily stressed or anxious over a phone call, I find it helps me to write out a little script. Nothing too big (not a movie script) but just a few intros or pointers. I have found that even writing out just an introduction and conclusion has helped me sound more confident and structured. I have found the more I have done this, the more practiced I have become. I’m still not a wiz when it comes to phone calls, but I like to think that I am not as much of a bumbling socially awkward person on the phone.