1. FIVE STEPS TO EFFECTIVE CALLS

2. 1. HAVE AGENDA (plán průběhu hovoru) Establish the direction of the call right from the start. Discuss what you want to get out of the call and add anything the other person thinks should be discussed: „John, I think there are three things we need to discuss about the deliveries – quantities, frequency and delivery points (místo doručení). Do you have anything you would like to add?“

3. 2. HAVE A TIME LIMIT We are all busy. So tell the other person how much time you think the call should take: „Hi, John. I’m just calling about the arrangements (záležitosti) for your visit. Do you have the time now? It should take about 15 minutes.“ This may not be appropriate if you are calling someone at a much higher level – the chairman of the board of your company, for example. In that case, ask the other person how much time he or she has: „John? Look, I have to be in a meeting in ten minutes. Can we cover the arrangements for the visit now or shall I call you back later?“

4. 3. ASK QUESTIONS You can lead a conversation by asking questions. By asking the right questions, you can focus the other person’s thoughts and start coming to conclusions: „What if we deliver to three warehouses rather than four? Wouldn’t that be just as effective?“ „Don’t you think the right way would be to deliver to only three warehouses in future?“ You can now use the answers to this type of question to move towards an agreement and conclusion.

5. 4. MINI-SUMMARIES Summarize the call at regular intervals. This is good telephone practice in any language, but it is very important when you are working in a second language: „So, what we’ve said so far is…“ „I just need to make sure I’ve understood everything you’ve said…“ After summarizing, get the agreement of the other person that your summary was correct: „Have I missed anything?“ „Was that everything?“ You might have missed something important that the other person can then add to your summary.

6. 5. E-MAIL FOLLOW-UP (potvrzující email) „I will send you an e-mail to confirm what we have just discussed.“ This way, you can check that you have both understood your conversation. By using these simple tools, you can make effective and time-saving calls. This is what you usually want in your busy working life – and the person at the other end of the line will also appreciate it.

7. GOOD LUCK!