Hold the Phone

I am not a phone person.

I was the girl who when I babysat would call my mom and ask her to call Papa John's and order pizza for the kids. I was the sibling who ran away from the phone when it rang rather than run towards it. The first time I called my now boyfriend I tried to find a way to leave a voicemail without his cell phone ringing. (It didn't work.)

On my first day of my first internship my new boss told me I had to called 150 women and schedule make-overs for them. I was terrified. I sat in my cubicle and talked as quietly as I could but that's hard when you have a high-pitched phone voice like mine. My usual alto voice shoots right up to a high soprano when I'm on the phone with someone I don't know. I hate it but I don't know how to stop it.

That project and sitting in a very open office have helped me with my phone fear but that doesn't mean I enjoy the phone. Especially at the office.

I am an email person. An email, instant message, text-message person. When my guy boss says "WG1, call so-and-so about that promotion," I email so-and-so about that promotion. I'm all about the email. But he is more about the phone call. Sometimes I think his mentality is that a phone call will make whatever needs to happen, happen faster. In today's world, I think an email is more efficient.

It may be a difference is working generations or just a personal preference. Either way, I'm sticking to email.