Comments on: Bring Me The Head of Alexander Graham Bell

By: Amber

Amber — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:51:47 +0000

OMG I have the phone phobia as well and blogged about it recently as well. It is the most ridiculous feeling in the world, yet I haven’t been able to shake it either. Texting has saved my ass many times!

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:30:43 +0000

Ah the phone is such a scary thing since the whole sms thing has taken over our lives!

Phone phobia is real!! telephobia.

The only way i can think of you being able to work through the fear is by possibly using skype or something video based so you can see the other person? it may help to get used to it again.

Goodluck!

By: Elle

Elle — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:28:12 +0000

I know how you feel. Have a week left of Reception work and then I’m phone free. oh JOY!!! For more about my feelings on the subject, read my post “Thank you for calling…” at http://www.loveand-stuff.blogspot.com

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:40:25 +0000

I used to work as a receptionist for several years and I HATE talking on or answering the phone. So does my other friend who is a receptionist. I don’t even like ordering pizza on the phone. Now I have a desk job where I can ignore my phone and it is HEAVEN… until it comes time to call people back.

By: Gina

Gina — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:16:38 +0000

I definitely understand your issue with phones! I was the same way – I could talk for HOURS as a tween/teen, but became phone-a-phobic during college (but only for work related things). But, once you’re in a real position and not a receptionist position, and the phone calls are for you specifically, it becomes much, MUCH easier. I think receptionist type positions are nerve wrecking and cause phobias. They’re too general and impersonal. Plus there’s all the phone rules – about how certain people need to be paged, others don’t take phone calls, others may yell at you for transferring a call, yadda yadda. The stress, I believe, causes the phobia.

By: PinkNic

PinkNic — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:09:53 +0000

I don’t like talking on the phone much either. Especially if it’s with someone important, or I’m calling someone for the first time. It’s the lack of visual clues that’s the problem. Face to face is a lot better.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:35:05 +0000

Just found you via 20SB. Great post!
You have no idea how relieved I am to read this and see that I am not the only one! I absolutely hate the phone. It seems as though we are in the beginning stages of generations who grew up with the fabulous technology better known as the internet. I rarely even used the phone in high school! All of my conversing was done via ICQ (remember that?) and msn.
As for work, I refuse to answer the phone unless it rings for me. To make that a little clearer, we do have a receptionist, however when she takes breaks/lunch/leaves early/has a day off, the phone goes on what is called ‘night line’ and rings on a certain few phones throughout the building. Thankfully it doesn’t ring on mine. However, there is a way to still answer it. I get pushed all the time to answer it or sit in for the receptionist, but I flat out refuse. When asked to call someone to ask about something, I always tend to use email as my form of comunication over the phone.
I don’t know why I’m like this. When it comes to my boyfriend or immediate family, I can call and talk for hours. Anyone else = no can do.

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:22:46 +0000

I’m awful at leaving voicemail messages. Someone somewhere has a message of me starting off making relative sense, before rambling about just witnessing a bird being hit by a car…

By: Keith

Keith — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:19:12 +0000

The advent of voice mail, or I should say the answering machine originally, was probably the worst thing ever in the history of stuff. Sure having a conversation with an important person is panic-inducing, but for anyone with performance anxiety, leaving a voicemail is probably the most daunting assignment imaginable. I picture the person totally at ease in his office, awaiting a poised, professional, and pithy message, only to be amused repeatedly upon numerous playbacks of my derailed train of thought and total loss of voice. I cannot leave anyone a voice mail in fact. Even when calling friends about meeting up later in the day I am pleading with them to answer the frigging phone. That’s it, I say, this ass hole gets a text message. While taking messages and directing calls totally sucks the big one because it also requires some technical knowledge and conversational skills, I say leaving voice mail has it beat because it’s a one man show. Either way, the phone needs to go the way of the dodo.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:49:31 +0000

People reading your post take more than your personal dislike toward Alexander Graham Bell, a Canadian and father of the modern telephone, versus a born American and ally of not only communication, but modern telecommunication, Thomas Edison. Unlike Bell, an ally of sound and a profound elocutionist, Edison supported growth and prosperity through American research and experimentation. During a time of research and growth, industrialization and American ingenuity, Edison’s use of American materials, support an American idealism and pragmatism no longer seen or envied today. Edison’s excitement in STEM areas: science, technology, engineering, and math energized American society like no other. We see it today as young people text versus pick up the phone and use new technological devices such as computers to email, instant message, and comment on numerous websites. It is instant communication through words we see today. We gravitate and hold on to words not sound as a means of communication. Out of curiosity, how many elocutionists exists today? Do you hear young people excited to speak in front of a crowd of people? Unlikely. We have seen more and more people explore new methods of communication, integrating texts and writing into all facets of presentations. Is Rachel right then: was Edison right? Mass communication supports Bell’s initiative to listen and hear; but Edison’s thought process and introduction of new technology has left the world wanting more. Whether or not you agree with Bell’s initiative or Edison’s technological growth, we owe it to both, but Edison’s vision and patent is more obvious in modern society.

Hmmm….or maybe I’m speaking out of my butt and a Jersey girl loves the fact that he grew up in New Jersey. Something to wonder.

By: Taktix®

Taktix® — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:29:12 +0000

I feel you on that.

I still shudder when I recall responding to a broadcasting internship opportunity, during which I had a massive brain fart and kept saying the wrong callback number, then stopping, trying to correct myself, and giving the wrong number again. This repeated about 6 times before I just hung up…