Phone Etiquette for Kids

When children converse on the phone, they usually speak as they have been taught or from what they have picked up. Considering that, children will end up speaking to callers as they would to a classmate or buddy. Which is of course, not the appropriate way to converse and such behavior must not be encouraged. Conversing and interpersonal skills should be, ideally speaking, be developed at an early age and must be developed and sharpened over the years. It will also help them pick up a few key points on how to maintain manners, while conversing with people in general.

A well-spoken and well-mannered individual is in himself an asset, and is crucial for building goodwill for a business. Children are quick learners and teaching them this simple skill can help you, your kids, as well as your clients, in the long run. This article discusses proper phone etiquette for kids in simple and easy to follow steps.

Proper Phone Etiquette for Kids

#1 - Introduction is a Must
Teach your child how to introduce himself formally. This can be done by giving demos of how to proceed with the conversation as and when someone calls, or when you are calling others. The telephonic conversation must always begin with the following statements:

• "Hello. May I ask who is calling?"
• "Hello, This is the Miller's residence. May I know who is calling?
• "Please, hold the line/ hold on a minute please."

Gently help your child understand that starting the conversation with a "What", "What do you want" or "Yeah, tell me" is very rude and must never be repeated again in the future.

#2 - Withholding Information
You will also need to explain to your child as to why certain information must not be shared with strangers and some known people. Ask your child to never disclose his/her name or age to anyone, no matter what may be the case or who is calling. If someone does ask, instruct the child to HANG UP the call immediately! If you are too busy to receive the call personally, request your child to let the caller know that you are busy. For example:

• "Sorry, she is busy at the moment. I'll let her know you had called."
• "She cannot take your call at the moment. May I take down your message, please?"

Let the kids know that they should not mention, about your current whereabouts, whether you are at home or not, what you're doing at that point in time and what the other members of the family maybe up to. For all you know, it may be an unwanted person trying to extract information from a child. So, help your child stay alert and guarded. Install a caller-id on all the phones in the house as well as cell-phones, so that in case you are away, your child will not pick up an unknown number. Tell the kids to simply let the phone ring and not answer the call, if they do not recognize the caller-id. According to the cops, this is the safest way, to protect your child, while he/she is alone or with a babysitter.

#3 - Time Management
Help your child understand why it is rude to call someone up during meal times and during late evenings. Explain to them that it is disturbing and interferes with other people's lifestyle. Teach your child to never call after 7:30 pm in the evening. After which, it's considered too late and is usually the time when children are getting ready for bed and winding up with their day. Parents at this time are busy finishing their own office work at home, or spending quality time with guests, or with each other, etc. They must not be disturbed after a hard day's work, as they too are tired and need rest.

#4 - When to Not Call
Another important telephone etiquette, is to know when to make calls, and during what time in the day. Tell you child how irritating it is to have random and trivial phone calls being received on parent's personal cell numbers. Instead ask your child to call only on his friend's home number. If the friend is unavailable, there is nothing that can be done about it. Your child will simply have to wait until his friend is able to speak to him personally.

#5 - How to Dial for Emergency
You must make it a point to teach your kids, how to ask for emergency services. You both can practice this together on a toy phone, or on an extended call line. It is important that they mention their home address, name and situation in precise and concise sentences. This will help the emergency operator note down the problem instantly.

The above mentioned instructions can help ensure proper phone etiquette for kids. After the conversation is over, ask your child to say a polite goodbye and hang up. If a caller is pressing for information, instruct your child to hangup immediately, in such a scenario.