1 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:09,479 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office, 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: new world of work, where location and hours are more 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to learn 5 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:23,799 Speaker 1: the phonetic alphabet. It's just a little trick, but it 6 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:26,639 Speaker 1: will have a big impact in helping you be understood. 7 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: When you work virtually. You soon notice this. You spend 8 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: a lot of time on the phone, and while sometimes 9 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: your cell services sparkling clear, sometimes it isn't. If you 10 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: have a hard to spell name, or you're relaying particular 11 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 1: codes or websites or anything of the sort, miscommunications can 12 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: be common. I know I have had to track down 13 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 1: all sorts of things that have come to some version 14 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: of Laura Vanderkam, even though I thought I spelled my 15 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: name clearly. But there's a simple solution to this. As 16 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: a listener named Lindsay recently pointed out to me, now 17 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,320 Speaker 1: that we are all on the phone more often, it's 18 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: a great time to leverage the official phonetic alphabet. She wrote, 19 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: this is the list of twenty six words that start 20 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: with each letter of the alphabet and make it very 21 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: clear which letter you mean as an alpha, B as 22 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: in Bravo, SI, as in Charlie Diaz, and delta. Just 23 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: google phonetic alphabet and you'll get the list. This alphabet 24 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: was devised for radio communication, which was plagued with fuzziness 25 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:37,320 Speaker 1: long before modern sophisticated cell phones developed the same problem. 26 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: When I used to drive into the office, I sat 27 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: beside the support team that assists our retail store teams, 28 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: Lindsay says. One day I heard my desk neighbor rattling 29 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: off a series of words to convey a ticket number. 30 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: Lindsay recognized that her neighbor was using the phonetic alphabet, 31 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: and she saw how useful this was. She also realized 32 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: that her name, which is not the traditional spelling of Lindsay, 33 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: by the way, was different enough that she needed to 34 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: spell it to people, and there might be miscommunications, So 35 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 1: she decided to commit the phonetic alphabet to memory. Fast 36 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: forward about three months, and here I am working from 37 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: home and on the phone a lot more, she says. Now, 38 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: instead of stuttering around trying to think of a random 39 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: word for each letter of my name, an acronym, or 40 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,679 Speaker 1: whatever else I need to spell, I can rattle off 41 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: this universal code. It makes me feel super confident, and 42 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:31,239 Speaker 1: it really beats just accepting that people think my name 43 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: is Nancy. I think this is a great idea. You 44 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: probably know many of the words already echo foxtrot, golf, 45 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: but if not, give the phonetic alphabet a look today 46 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: and figure out if there are any letters you always 47 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: find yourself repeating. For instance, my last name is vander 48 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: caam V A N D E r k A M 49 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: as in Mike, not an N. But it's hard to 50 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: tell the difference if the kids are shouting in the background. 51 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: The phonetic alphabet means people get it right. In the meantime, 52 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: this is Laura, thanks for listening, and here's the succeeding 53 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: in the New Corner Office. The New Corner Office is 54 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit 55 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 56 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:23,959 Speaker 1: get your favorite shows.