Students are afraid of answering the phone, schools have to open classes to teach skills

(Dan Tri) - Nottingham University (UK) is opening a course to teach phone listening skills to students. The students who are encouraged to attend this class are those who are afraid of answering the phone.

Liz Baxter, a careers consultant at the University of Nottingham, said many young people today do not feel confident when answering the phone, especially calls that require good communication skills from employers.

Therefore, the school has opened classes to teach telephone listening skills, to help students interact more effectively when making calls. This is very necessary for students because they will go through internships, training, and trial work at companies.

Many young people today do not feel confident when answering the phone (Illustration: iStock).

If students do not have good interaction skills during phone calls for work purposes, this will directly affect their work results.

In her telephone etiquette classes at the University of Nottingham, Ms Baxter covers the basics, then students take turns role-playing as recruiters, asking a variety of questions in hypothetical situations.

Students are also encouraged to call stores and restaurants to ask about opening hours, or to inquire about certain products and services that they are interested in.

Sharing about this popular class, Ms. Liz Baxter said: "The stress of making phone calls is something that each of us has experienced. Some people even feel hesitant and try to delay the time to make the call, they feel anxious and stressed before, during and after the call.

Many people worry about what to say and how to say it appropriately. This phenomenon is appearing more and more among students of Generation Z (young people born from 1997 to 2012). Their symptoms are even more severe. Some students said they felt dizzy, nauseous, had a fast heartbeat, and shortness of breath... when they had to make or receive unavoidable calls.

Many students in the class said they felt anxious whenever their phones rang, because they were used to communicating via text messages. The sound of a phone ringing and the need to communicate directly through words made many young people feel anxious. Texting gave them a sense of more control, because they had more time to think about their choice of words.

There are students who even limit receiving calls, except for calls from relatives.

Many young people feel anxious every time their phone rings (Illustration: Daily Mail).

Victoria Bari, a recruitment expert in the UK, admits that many young people today, even though they are of age to enter the labor market, do not have good communication skills over the phone. Many of them only want to exchange information via email or text messages.

However, Ms. Bari affirmed that phone calls are still the most effective way of communication when parties cannot meet directly. Through phone calls, parties receive information faster, more, and more accurately than texting.

Ms. Bari encourages young workers to learn how to communicate effectively over the phone to achieve the best results at work.

As technology advances, we may be making fewer phone calls, but Bari insists that calls are still the ideal way for us to interact at work, especially in sales.

"Telephone conversations are still the most effective way to build relationships, which is the foundation of sales. Finding the right customers and their phone numbers is a skill that many companies focus on training new sales staff.

Many times, traditional methods still work better. Experienced people in consulting, sales or recruitment know how to make phone calls effectively and professionally. Young people should listen and learn," said Ms. Bari.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/sinh-vien-so-nghe-dien-thoai-nha-truong-phai-mo-lop-day-ky-nang-20250111122323502.htm