Brit youngsters are being given classes on tips on how to make calls as ‘telephone anxiousness’ takes over
Nottingham College is running coaching sessions on phone confidence and etiquette to support youngsters in overcoming their fear of speaking to people on the blower
Snowflake students are being taught how to make phone calls because they are too scared to ring people.
Many are now undergoing lessons in how to overcome their fear of making or answering phone calls, which is known as telephobia. Nottingham College is running coaching sessions on phone confidence and etiquette to support them in overcoming their fear.
They said calls were no longer the main method of communication for young people, who use text messages and social media instead.
Liz Baxter, careers advisor at the college, said young people “simply don’t have the confidence” to use the telephone in a formal manner, which was unfortunate as phone interviews were widely used by recruitment companies.
She said: “Phone anxiety is something we come across regularly.”
To help battle the issue of the blower they are now offering role plays of interview questions.
They are also encouraged to call restaurants to ask what time they open or to ring shops to ask if an item is in stock.
It comes after a Uswitch survey found nearly 70% of those aged 18-34 preferred texts, with 23% saying they never answer calls.
Student Evie Whitehead, 17, said she ‘hates’ taking phone calls.
She added: “The only people I’ll call are my mum or my dad.
“But anyone else, I don’t want them to call me because it feels quite formal, and that’s not something I’m used to.
“It’s unknown to our generation, we’ve grown up texting each other.”
George Heritage, client services manager at Express Recruitment, said phone call anxiety was affecting business.
He said: “We’ve definitely seen an increase in phone anxiety in recent years.”
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