The telephone conversation is, by its very nature, reactive, not reflective. Immediacy is its prime virtue. The immediacy delivers quick company, instant stimulation; the stimulation is cathartic; catharsis pushes back anxiety; into open space flows the kind of thought generated by electric return. The letter, written in absorbed solitude, is an act of faith; it assumes the presence of humanity; world and self are generated from within; loneliness is courted, not feared. To write a letter is to be alone with my thoughts in the conjured presence of another person. I keep myself imaginative company. I occupy the empty room. I alone infuse the silence. 
ATTRIBUTION: Vivian Gornick (b. 1935), U.S. sociologist and author. 

Discipline is an important telephone skill.  Not only do you 
need some structure, but you also need to know how to make 
or accept a call, and how to end one quickly, yet politely. 
Since 50 percent of all phone calls involve one-way 
communication, it is important we get our message across 
accurately once we reach our party.  Seventy percent of all 
phone calls placed are not completed.  So it's important to 
realize how precious our time commitment is.  There are some 
problems connected with the phone and they are not to be 
minimized, but they can certainly be handled.

If your party is not in, be sure to leave a precise, clear 
message, and ask to have it repeated.  If you find you're not 
receiving your messages (although with voice mail it's much 
easier), devise a system where all your calls are logged into a 
separate book, which you drop off and pick up each time you 
leave.  If the messages are incorrect, spend some time with the 
person taking the calls so they understand why they make the 
difference in bottom line profits for the company and better 
service for your customers.

The person you're trying to reach may not always be available. 
But if you're assertive yourself, you can usually find someone 
else to help you.  On the receiving end, it's easy to avoid 
troublesome calls, and they do cause interruptions, but the 
advantages to those interruptions far outweigh any 
disadvantage.  You get immediate alerting of a problem so you 
can give it prompt attention and a possible quick solution. 
 

http://www.gaylecarson.com/quiz.htm