By Jean Hollands

Jean on the Job

Nothing is more annoying than hearing the nurse say, “Your biopsy report is in. Call the specialist at 5*&-$*45.”

Or, “We want you for the job. Please call us at 673-5883-*%$$.”

Or, “Mary, we need you to call the school about your child at 7&8-%#55.”

Or, “Don, this is your high school chum, Harry, from Africa; e-mail me at #@$%@&*() or call me at 212-89#-@39&.”

Please, don’t expect even your dearest friends or your best company vendor to remember your phone number.

Our computer memories in our head sometimes just crash. We even have viruses that attack our brain cells and we can’t get the number of our best friend or our boss back into our dialing fingers.

So give your contact details slowly. Give each number some breathing room. Say your number or e-mail address in the early part of the conversation, and then again at the end. The last pronunciation of it needs to be even slower than the first one. Some folks try to type your phone number into their computer or put it in their PalmPilot as you speak. Some are hard of hearing or elderly. And some of them answer the phone while they are eating lunch, other people are talking to them, they are preoccupied, they are thinking about the stock market or Jennifer Lopez.

Jean A. Hollands is the CEO of the Growth & Leadership Center. Write to GLC, 1451 Grant Road, Mountain View 94040.