Making a good impression on anyone, whether they are prospective employers or prospective clients, is exceptionally important. Since the first impression usually colours any subsequent interaction with the people the impression is made upon, it is exceedingly important to present yourself to them in as good a way as possible. When the impression is made over a telephone, however, the process becomes a damned sight more difficult. There are however, things you can do to make sure that your vocal skills will favourably impress whoever you are speaking to.
When talking over the phone, one of the most important things to be aware of is the volume of your voice. If you hold your face too close to the telephone, then the volume of your voice will be magnified to po
tentially catastrophic levels. If you hold it too far away, then the volume can be so low that the person on the other end of the line will not be able to hear you. This can be a big problem if you work at, say, customer service line. Therefore, it is probably a good idea to check the volume of your phone beforehand, to gauge just where you should hold your head in relation to the mouthpiece.
Another very important factor when speaking over the phone is the tone and timbre of your voice. It's usually a good thing to have your voice at an even pitch, especially since it is possible to distinguish the mood of someone simply by listening to their voice. Therefore, it's probably a good idea to keep the tone and stress of your voice at a good, neutral level. Surprisingly, one of the best ways to do this is to smile as you speak. The particular configuration of your facial muscles while smiling carries across in your voice, and gives your voice a good amount of relaxation and ease.