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Hearts & Minds - Information for ChangeSM
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& Minds Blog
Personal
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Tuesday,
April 20, 2010
Expanding Our Comfort Zone
- how to get and give more in life
 Here
at Hearts & Minds we need to make a lot of phone calls. We respond to
people who express an interest in
volunteering with us, and potential donors.
We also call organizations where we can run our free
Youth for ChangeSM
and Seniors for ChangeSM,programs,
in addition to the organizations we're already working with.
Phonaphobia?
Many people are uncomfortable making calls.
At our all-volunteer organization, no one is
pressured to do anything they don't want to do. But I gently encourage
everyone to go beyond their comfort zone.
I might say something like, "This is a valuable
skill. We'll show you ways to be more effective. Being comfortable and
effective on the phone will help you in future job searches. It can even
help your social life. Would you like to try it? If you’re getting too
nervous or just tired of it, you don't even have to explain why, we’ll
switch you to something else."
Hearts & Minds volunteer, Lorraine gives personal
advice on finding a level of comfort when speaking on the telephone.
“No Fear” Phone Calls
Making phone calls was a necessary part of my daily
requirements at my very first job. I was aware that I had to do this,
but I couldn’t help being nervous and shaky before picking up the
receiver. I was afraid to make mistakes or say the wrong thing so much
so that I did in fact butcher my first introduction.
In the call I just described, the person on the
line heard my nervousness and was amused to my surprise. This
immediately put me at ease.
My experience shows the power of expectations,
something you can turn to your advantage in life.
Please don’t feel intimidated when making phone
calls, just take a deep breath, remain calm, and be yourself. The people
you are calling most likely want the information you have to offer, so
they will probably be kind and give you their full attention.
In the rare case when someone is rude, it’s
usually their problem, and no reflection on you. This insight can be helpful throughout
your life.
Specific techniques
- Take a deep breath before dialing.
- Be yourself, sound pleasant.
- In the rare chance that someone is
irritated/angry remain in control by maintaining a calm/pleasant
demeanor.
- If you do slip up, don’t allow it to negatively affect the call.
Instead correct it tactfully and move on.
- Always have in mind what you want to say…write it down if
necessary! (But don’t sound like a robot!)
Making calls gets easier with time and practice.
It's good to expand your comfort zone in many
ways:
Why good things are outside our
comfort zone
We hesitate to do good things because we think we'll embarrass
ourselves. We assume that others will resent what we do or that it's
just something we can't do well.
After thinking it through, if we decide that this
is something where both others and we can benefit, there may be good
reasons to move beyond our comfort zone.
How to move expand your comfort
zone
It's actually fairly simple. Think about what you and others
can gain. If it makes you nervous or you just don't feel like doing it,
set yourself the goal of doing just a few minutes. You can offer
yourself a small reward for this. Then, do a bit more and continue
building on your growing comfort.
The
advantages of this
As we move outside our habitual comfort zone, we'll get more
comfortable with new activities. With practice we'll also get better,
and our prospects for success will grow. We'll gain the confidence to
extend our comfort zone in other valuable ways, as well.
A higher level of comfort
zone
It's easy for any of us to get caught up in our day to day
lives, our jobs, families, the usual activities around the house and
some time for leisure. That's all good, but we can be thinking beyond
that, searching for and finding ways to have an even better life in a
much better, more sustainable and beautiful world.
As I'm learning, there are shortcuts to help us
attain more of this more quickly. More on that in upcoming in this blog,
updated each Tuesday.
A way you can can make a very big difference:
Help
End
Global Hunger and
Poverty
Join us today! Together, we
can change the world.
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by Bill Blackman,
president and Lorraine McMaster, volunteer, Hearts & Minds
Copyrights:
Website © 1997 - 2010 by Hearts and Minds Network, Inc. This
entry © 2010 by Bill Blackman section by © 2010 Lorraine Hearts & Minds at http://www.heartsandminds.org/blog/blog44.htm -
blog started September
28, 2006, this entry online April 20, 2010, latest changes April 27, 2010
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