State Secretary Marcel Lemmen

Let our slogan be: “Make the call!”

Marcel Lemmen State Secretary

Zoom, telephone calls, or emails? The choice depends on what we want to accomplish. The pandemic has forced us to evaluate various communication methods and decide where they best fit into our organization. Regular meetings and council programs have been disrupted, and a small silver lining to this situation is that we have been knocked out of our ruts. In the past, when we weren’t meeting in person, too many of us, myself included, were using emails for everything else. Don’t get me wrong, emails are a great way of transmitting information, but they are not the best way of resolving issues and getting things done. Here are some drawbacks to the beloved email. First, we are flooded with them and they are easy to ignore or they get lost in the deluge. Often, a long back-and-forth email string spanning hours or days could be dealt with much more effectively in a ten-minute phone call. Emails that deal with sensitive or complicated topics can easily be misunderstood and lead to the lengthy email string I just mentioned. Finally, emails are impersonal and not good for building relationships. While face-to-face meetings are the best form of interpersonal communication, new technologies like Zoom and other internet meeting apps come a close second. They add the personal touch of being able to see the participants and read their facial expressions and body language. They also allow multiple participants and are easily scheduled in advance and added to electronic calendars. Add to this that the apps can run on any device: smartphones, tablets or personal computers. One drawback is that not all of our members are technologically savvy enough to use these apps. The most common technology that is available to all of our members is the telephone. Everyone has one. The phone is immediate and personal. During this pandemic, many of our councils have gone back to the good old phone tree to keep in contact with members, check up on their wellbeing, and inform them of activities. Despite these advantages, why are many of us reluctant to pick up the phone, especially to call someone who isn’t expecting it? (Calling someone who isn’t expecting it is known as a “cold call”.) The answer is that, like public speaking, “call reluctance” is a common phobia rooted in the fear of rejection. It is a very common problem in the sales industry, where “cold calls” are required, and has sunk the careers of many sales representatives. Happily, overcoming “call reluctance” is a well-studied topic with much helpful advice. The two most important ways of dealing with the fear of phone calling is to not take rejection personally, and to be prepared. You must realize that you are just doing your job for the good of the council or of the Order. Rejection is rare. It is not you personally that is being rejected, it is just your message or the timing that may be unwelcome. Preparation means knowing what you are going to say so that you’re not lost for words in the middle of a call. It ranges all the way from having a detailed script to just a simple bullet point list, depending on what works best for you. Anticipate the questions you may get and write down some talking points to address them. Be prepared to leave a voicemail and write down what that may sound like. Lastly, be pleasant and upbeat so that the person you’re calling enjoys the conversation. Based on what I have seen happening in Ontario over the past year, the telephone may be our best tool for contacting and engaging all of our members as we emerge from the restrictions of the pandemic. Let our slogan be: “Make the call!”