Stand Up, Think On Yer Feet

Waiting around for the Ashes coverage to kick-in on the radio (Sunday 26 Nov 06) I happened across Off The Page.  They spent most of the time talking about the paradox between the uselessness of mobile phones and their inevitable ubiquity.  New York journa-cum-rent-a-quote ‘Joe’ opined men only use mobiles to arrange meetings and talk sport, and women natter on about the stuff they’d talk about when face-to-face.  Anyhow, one related tale was recounted by ‘Sophie’ who as a journalistic pursuit spent as much time as she could muster working in a call-centre.

One comment she passed on, was that when a vociferous complaint developed, they should stand up, and deliberately speak in a more assertive, yet remaining polite, manner.

This intrigued me, as many people have remarked on my own tendency to stand up in the middle of a phone call at my desk and move about.  Although totally subconscious to begin with, my personal belief is that being on my feet makes me more articulate, enthusiastic, intelligent even.  My advice is absolutely to stand up when you know you’ve got to be on top of your game to get what you want out of a phone call.