The Hidden Step
www.necouncil.org/the
hidden
step
You have already experienced this in your interactions with other people.
For instance, imagine yourself as a frst time caller to the XYZ Company.
The customer service representative of the company answers:
“Thank you for callingXYZ. This isMark, how can I help you?”
(The tone is loud and aggressive, and the words are blurted quickly and pronounced
unclearly.)
Minutes later you call their competitor, the ABC Company, and their cus-
tomer service representative answers using the same word) but with a dif-
ferent tone:
“Thank you for callingABC. This is John, how can I help you?”
(This time the representative pronounces the words clearly and slowly, the tone is low,
not aggressive, and you sense confdence in his or her voice.)
Which company do you feel better about? If you are like most people, you
would say ABC Company. Get in the habit of changing your tone to sound
calm, caring, and relaxed.
monitor your tone of voice
preparation steps