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Chapter 24

TELEPHONES AND
MESSAGES

Even when your parents deem it appropriate for you to have a cell phone, most families with children will still have a landline phone. Your older relatives probably have one too.

Your mom might have a funny story about the time when you were barely old enough to put a sentence together yet you answered the home phone and kept her boss on the line for five minutes, pleading, “Can you go get your mommy, please, and bring her to the phone?”

But that’s only funny when a cute little toddler does it, and only once. Anyone who is old enough to answer the telephone should know how to use it properly.

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That means how to answer a home phone, how to place a call, and how to take a message. Just because the person you are talking to can’t see you doesn’t mean you don’t have to use good manners.

YOU DO

Speak clearly and pleasantly when you answer.

YOU DON’T

Shout, mumble, or grumble into the phone.

Why

The caller should not feel as if his call is an imposition before he even states his purpose.

YOU DO

Say either “Hello” or “Hello, this is the Taylor residence.”

YOU DON’T

Say “Hey” or any other slang by way of greeting.

Why

Unless you have caller ID, you don’t know who the caller is, and anything less formal than “Hello” does not make a favorable first impression.

YOU DO

If the call is not for you, ask the person calling to hold for a moment while you quietly place the receiver down and get the person they are calling, or cover the phone while you summon that person.

YOU DON’T

Shout into the phone, “Mommmmm! It’s for youuuuuuuuuuuu! It’s Mrs. Adamssssss!”

Why

Mrs. Adams was not expecting someone to shout into the receiver and did not have time to move it away from her ear before you nearly ruptured her eardrum.

YOU DO

Let the person who answers the telephone when you have placed a call know who you are.

YOU DON’T

Ignore their greeting and abruptly ask for your friend Paige. Or even worse, say “Who is this?” to the person who answers the phone.

Why

You wouldn’t walk into someone’s house without saying hello and announcing yourself. The way you announce yourself to the person answering the phone depends on who the person is. If it’s your friend’s father, you say, “Hello, Mr. Holmes. Is Paige available?” If it’s your friend’s brother, you can say, “Hi Travis. Is Paige at home?”

YOU DO

Simply tell the caller that the person they are asking to speak with is not available; then ask if you may take a message.

YOU DON’T

Share that your parents are not at home or that your father is in the shower.

Why

It is not necessary to share that much specific information; it might even be unwise if you are home alone and the caller is a stranger.

YOU DO

Write the caller’s name and number on a message pad or clean sheet of paper, and place it where it will be found.

YOU DON’T

Write the message on your hand or a napkin or scribble it across the top of your little sister’s drawing.

Why

The point of taking a message is to deliver information. No one would think to look at your hand, a napkin will likely be thrown away, and you’ll be in big trouble if you ruin your sister’s picture.

A lady asks permission if she needs to use the phone in someone else’s home.

A lady returns the phone to its base and does not leave it wherever she last used it so the battery dies and no one can find it.

A lady does not chew gum, eat food, or drink beverages while on the phone.

A lady does not hang up on the person answering the phone if she has called a wrong number. She says, “I’m sorry to bother you. I have called the wrong number.”

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A lady does not call another person’s home before 8:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m., unless it’s very important.

A lady leaves a clear, short message on an answering machine, including her name, how she can be reached, and a brief reason for her call. She does not go on and on as if she is having a conversation.

A lady does not ask a caller what the nature of their call is.

A lady repeats back the caller’s number just to be sure it’s correct.

A lady does not scribble the caller’s name and number. She writes the information legibly on a message pad so that it can be easily read.