How to Sound More Confident on the Phone

In business, portraying an air of confidence is 75% of the path to success. People naturally gravitate towards others that seem sure of themselves and their product.

To help you sound more confident when communicating with clients or customers, we’ve put together a list of five great tips to portray that air during phone conversations.

RELATED: Cold Calling Is Not Dead: How We Built 1.1m In Pipeline Using The Phone

In this article:

    1. Tell, Don’t Ask
      1. Sentence Structure
      2. Intonation
    2. Be Prepared
      1. Don’t use Filler Phrases
      2. Speak with Authority
    3. Smile
    4. Speak Slowly and Deeply
    5. Assume Proper Form

Sound More Confident on the Phone: 5 Tips

a business man talking on the phone | feature image

Tell, Don’t Ask

When you’re talking on the phone, you should know what you’re going to say and state it authoritatively. Doing so will help you accomplish two important things.

Sentence Structure

When you can, make your questions into statements.

Instead of asking, “So what do you want to do about this situation?” try stating that “So I’m wondering what you want to do about this situation.” It’s a small change, but it makes you sound a lot more confident and commanding.

Intonation

Many people have a habit of using a rising intonation at the end of many of their sentences, also known as “upspeak.” It’s perfectly fine for questions (sentences that would be punctuated with a “?”), but it should never be used for statements if you are trying to sound confident.

Upspeaking during statements can make your tone sound more inviting and less formal, which might be a useful tool during friendly exchanges. It also discourages interruption and seeks reassurance. In business, though, it is definitely a no-no.

Be Prepared

Don’t Use Filler Phrases

Using “um, “uh,” “y’ know,” “well,” and other filler phrases kill your credibility. Whether your listener is aware of it or not, they will think of you as nervous and ineloquent.

Going over what you’re going to say over and over again will drill it into your mind, so you won’t have to trip over your words with filler.

Speak with Authority

Make your audience believe you are an expert in everything you talk about. Be prepared with statistics and anecdotal evidence that back up each of your points. If you always have something else to say on deck, you’ll never feel unconfident.

RELATED: Sales Tip — Confidence vs. Intellectual Laziness

Smile

Studies show that people can hear a speaker’s expression in their voice. If you are smiling while you say a phrase, for example, it will sound distinctly different than if you say the same phase through a frown. This is true even if you are trying to use the same intonation.

And people respond much better to a speaker who is smiling. They feel a happy orator is more confident and trustworthy.

The point is, you should try to smile while speaking on the phone. It will inspire trust and confidence, and it will make you feel better about the message you’re delivering too.

Speak Slowly and Deeply

People who leave space between their words come off as more confident in the message. Spacing out your words allows your audience time to digest them, and it conveys that you have taken the time to deliberate over each one.

People with deeper voices are also seen as more confident-sounding. This one is a bit harder to control than slowing down your speech, but try to avoid pitching your voice up into the higher registers.

Assume Proper Form

power pose for maximum confidence, although you might feel a bit silly posing like a superhero during a business call.

Good posture will also help with the depth and clarity of your voice. As we noted above, a strong voice is another key to sound more confident.

Whether in a social situation or business, confidence is king. It makes everyone gravitate towards you if you get it right, and learning how to exude confidence over the phone is a huge step in that direction.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER TIPS THAT HELP YOU IN SOUNDING MORE CONFIDENT OVER THE PHONE? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW!

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