The
Busy Man's Guide to Phone Conversation
April 24th, 2007 by Tim Lovett
With
an average lifespan of 79 short years, our time is undeniably
valuable. And yet, being the fucked up creatures we are, we
keep phones on us.
Most of us have been in the following situation. Perhaps you
were taking a relaxing hot bath, enjoying a delicious sandwich,
or masturbating to a favorite porn video. Suddenly, the phone
rings and totally fucks up your groove.
It seems like
people are constantly calling us for stupid bullshit we don't
need to be bothered with. But the truth is, it's our own damn
fault! Most people are way too polite on the phone. It only
serves to keep our nuisances coming back for more.
A simple solution
would be to get rid of our phones, but it's not that easy
unfortunately. Not only would your family and friends accuse
you of being uncaring, people would also think you were weird
for cutting off contact with the world, myself included.
In order to
cut down on phone conversations, but still keep your phone,
one must learn proper phone etiquette:
1.)
Answering the phone- The very first words you say
into the receiver are the most important as they set the tone
for the rest of the conversation. Most people make the mistake
of saying "hello". Every time you say "hello"
in that friendly tone, what you're really saying is "Feel
free to fill my ear with endless bullshit, while I slowly
grow old and frail."
The best way
to answer the phone is with the word "yo". It provides
people with a greeting, but the uncivilized nature of the
word helps give the impression that you are not capable of
having a full conversation. As you will see, it's the perfect
lead-in to the rest of the short lived dialogue.
2.)
Only give one-word answers- The more words that you
speak to the person on the other line, the more material you
give them to talk about in return. Providing one-word answers
forces the other person to talk constantly, effectively creating
a one-sided conversation. Eventually, the person will run
out of things to say and end the conversation, allowing you
to get back to the more important things in life like watching
reruns of Married with Children or teasing your pets.
If you're good enough, try to answer with just grunts, as
this works even better.
 |
Speaking
with relatives doesn't justify missing classic television. |
3.)
Always Agree with the Person- Disagreeing with someone
will only lead to a debate or argument. Even if you win, you'll
still ultimately be the loser for having wasted your time.
Instead, simply give the other party the satisfaction of being
right in exchange for the imminent termination of the conversation,
it's well worth it. Observe the following example:
"I can't
believe this cold weather we're having."
"I know"
[Time elapsed: 5 seconds]
"I think
summer is the best season of the year."
"Yeah."
"It also
really pisses me off how Jews control the media. I fucking
hate Jews."
"Mmm-Hmm."
[Time elapsed: 15 seconds]
"If only
there were enough Neo-Nazis in the world to do something about
it."
"Yep."
"Well
it was nice talking to you, see you later (click)."
"(Sigh),
fucking finally." [Time elapsed: 25 seconds]
Now imagine
how long that conversation would have dragged on if I had
tried to change his mind about the Jews. It easily would have
cut into my nap time, and I simply won't have that.
4.)
I don't know = I'm not Worth Talking To- People who
call to ask for advice or information are the worst. Not only
is advice time-consuming, if you give it to them, they will
only come back for more. Positive reinforcement truly is a
bitch. The lesson here is to never, ever be helpful on the
phone. Use these examples below to practice for the real thing:
"Do
you have any idea how to hook up a DVD player?"
"I
don't know."
"Should
I get an abortion?"
"I
don't know."
"I'm
having chest pains, what should I do?"
"I
don't know."
5.)
Don't obligate yourself to do anything- Many phone
conversations have the goal of getting you to make plans to
go out of your way to do something. From my personal experience
alone, I can tell you that many wasted nights and weekends
have their origin in an innocent phone call. People never
seem to have a shortage of favors to ask or social events
to get you attend. Giving them a firm "NO" will
almost always get you in trouble. Therefore, the best course
of action is to always have a short list of excuses prepared
in advance for why you can't do anything. Write them down
and post them on your refrigerator if necessary. Here are
some of my favorites, feel free to use them:
"I
have other plans."
"I
have work to catch up on."
"I
have Pink Eye."
If you follow all of these guidelines, you should never again
have a phone conversation that lasts longer than five minutes.
If you work hard enough at it, people may stop calling you
altogether. Just be sure to spend some of your new free time
reading my site as a thank you.
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-4.24.2007
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