5 ms·
Maybe I'll be in the minority here, but these are all problems with YOU, not with the telephone. Observe: > 1. I don't like synchronous communications. Ok, s
by imgabe 14y ago
Maybe I'll be in the minority here, but these are all problems with YOU, not with the telephone. Observe:
> 1. I don't like synchronous communications.
Ok, sure, if you're "in the zone" or something, just turn off your phone until you're done. Sometimes doing your job means responding to things synchronously. I don't think there's any careers out there that involve 8 hours of sitting in your cube uninterrupted.
> 2. I hate making small talk.
Boo fucking hoo. You have to express an interest in another human being's life for 5 minutes. Cry me a river. You're an introvert? So what? That doesn't give you a free pass to forgo all human interaction.
> 3. I have a really hard time saying “no”.
Grow a pair. It's one little syllable. "no". Practice it in front of the mirror if you have to.
> 4. I'm pathologically polite, and just can't get the timing right.
Talking to people is like any other skill. If you practice it, you'll get better at it. Maybe if you didn't avoid talking on the phone at all costs, you'd improve.
> 5. I'm absolutely terrible at ending a call.
Again, grow a pair. "Well, it's been great talking to you, but I have some work I have to get back to. Goodbye" It's not that difficult.
I'm as introverted as the next guy. I hate talking on the phone too, but as an adult in a business environment, sometimes you have to. You can spend some time developing a valuable skill, or you can whine about it on the Internet.
- handelaar 14y ago> Boo fucking hoo. > Grow a pair. > Cry me a river. > So what? > Again, grow a pair. > whine about it on the internet Knock that right off, please, and do it right now.
- gfodor 14y agoI dunno I'd tend to agree with this analysis. HN is about pulling people out of their comfort zone, and if your comfort zone is so isolated that you literally cannot get on a telephone call with another human being without being overwhelmed because you need to ask how someone's day is going, you probably do need to figure out how to get over it.
- greyboy 14y agoI wholeheartedly agree. Rarely are people confronted about such things, nowadays. It's OK for someone to put on their Big Boy/Girl pants and take some criticism (tactifully, sure). Plus, civility and such are different for everyone.
- imgabe 14y agoWell, I've finished typing the post and submitted it, so that activity has been effectively knocked off. Do you have a particular objection you'd care to enumerate or do you just generally feel you have the right to tell people not to post anymore?
- philh 14y agoI'm pretty sure his objection was that you were being a dick.
- handelaar 14y agoRight there in the very first line of what you should not do here in comments, is a description of what you're doing here. In spades. http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- imgabe 14y agoI think you're being over sensitive. This is nothing I wouldn't say in person to anyone displaying the level of solipsism in this post.