WHY YOUR CALL GOT OFF TO A BAD START Most work calls fail in the first ten seconds, not the last. The opener does three jobs: who you are, where you're calling from, and why it matters to the person listening. Skip one of them and the other person spends the next thirty seconds trying to work it out instead of listening to you. Checking the time matters more than people think. "Have you got two minutes?" costs nothing and saves you from talking to someone who is half-listening while reading an email. If the call is unexpected, name it. "Sorry to call out of the blue" is not an apology, it's information — it tells the listener this wasn't planned, so they can adjust. And once you're past the opener, get to the point. One sentence, not three, is enough to say why you called. Perguntas: 1. What three jobs does a good opener do? 2. Why is checking the time worth the ten seconds it costs? 3. What does "sorry to call out of the blue" actually communicate?

Precisas de ligar sem aviso prévio a um contacto de outro departamento sobre um erro numa fatura. Faz a chamada: suaviza o facto de ligar sem avisar e vai direto ao assunto.

Situação: vais ligar sem aviso a alguém de outro departamento sobre um erro numa fatura. Escreve a abertura da chamada, suavizando o facto de ser inesperada.