EYE ROLL ON THE TELEPHONE
Rolling your eyes conveys annoyance. And sometimes contempt. Psychologists point to the eye roll as a predictor of divorce. Happy relationships can be hurt by even small doses of eye rolling.
When care and service are being provided via telephone, what’s the equivalent of the eye roll?
The sigh.
The “I don’t have patience today” sigh.
The “I’m too busy for this” sigh.
The “They don’t pay me enough for this” sigh.
The “Are you really this clueless” sigh.
You may not be aware of how often you’re sighing. One woman counted her mother’s sighs and reported 80 sighs in one hour.
There can be physical reasons for frequent sighing and you would want to check on that. For this Caring Minute, we’re focusing on habitual sighing.
You may simply be a shallow breather, but when you sigh on the phone, it sends a negative message to your patient. A sigh is like a verbal eye roll.
Here are 5 tips to stop sighing when you’re on the telephone:
• Ask a trusted friend to signal you whenever you sigh.
• Find a focused breathing exercise and practice it just before you place a telephone call. YouTube offers focused breathing exercises from professionals at respected medical organizations.
• Check your posture. If you are hunched over with your chin jutting toward your computer screen, you will be more likely to sigh.
• Smile as you speak. Please don’t roll your eyes at this smile-school suggestion. Smiling as you speak gives you more energy, which reduces shallow breathing and a tendency to sigh.
• Create a visual reminder to prompt better breathing:
