Remembering 9/11

Things I remember from the morning of September 11, 2001.

When President Ronald Reagan was shot March of 1981, I was a floor director at a NBC television affiliate in Texas and I remember running to the studio repeatedly, throwing on lights and cuing the anchor to interrupt programming every time we had a morsel of information. The first broadcasts varied, the president had been shot, no he had not been shot but someone else was, the president has really been shot. The newsroom and studio were chaotic again two months later when Pope John Paul II was shot.

School children gather to pray under a flag pole the morning of 9-11.

I remember when President Kennedy was killed. I was in first grade and our school walked to River Oaks Boulevard in Fort Worth, Texas to see the president and Mrs. Kennedy's motorcade drive by. An hour later we were kneeling by our desks fearfully crying and praying.

9/11 was like that for me without the crying, but certainly with the praying. 

I do not watch TV in the morning but woke early that morning and for some reason turned on the TV. I hurriedly called my editor while dressing and before rushing out the door to my newspaper office I watched the second plane hit live.

We are a community newspaper and only report how national events effect our area. I learned all schools and government buildings were on guarded lock down so I grabbed my camera and ran to a private school across from our office. 

There was an assembly outside at the flag pole and after speaking with faculty, took a photos of children praying under the flag pole and rushed back to met our deadline. I had box on the lower front page added to encourage readers to report gas gouging to a federal telephone number because some gas stations across the nation were raising prices tremendously to prey on the panicking public.

I also remember emphasizing that we get information correct, because many networks repeatedly referred to “…the attacks in New York and Washington DC.” However, the Pentagon is in Virginia, not nearby Washington D.C. which is across the boarder.

The next morning everything was different, and things haven't been the same since.

You can reach me at amosnews@yahoo.com

Business phone eitiquette

This is not a journalist-specific post, so share this with any office.

March 10, 1876 Alexander Bell spoke the infamous words, “Watson, come here. I need you,” through his experimental phone. What Watson said in response is not recorded in history because phone etiquette had not been invented.

Of all the digital tools and technology we have to make our work easier, the most important device is more than 100 years old, and by tweaking our phone habits we can be more efficient with it.

These are things I do:

1. Have a pen and something to write on before answering the phone.
2. Answer with a nice voice and don't make the caller feel as though they are an interruption.
3. State your name, even with your personal phone. "Hello, this is Christopher." Add your business to the greeting if you are in an office.
4. Repeat your first name before asking the name of the caller. If the person asks to speak with another person or department, you may say “My name is ___. May I tell them who is calling?” Offering your name builds a relationship between you and the caller.
5. When you inform the co-worker or department of the call, tell them the name of the caller and reason of the call. That way they can prepare for what is waiting for them on the line and they can use the information and name when they answer the phone.
6. If a person or department is not available, offer to take a message. Then tell the caller “I will give ___ the message.” Do not tell the caller “I will have her call you,” because you are promising something you can't guarantee.

If you are on the receiving end of a forwarded call, do not burden the caller saying "Hello" and making the caller start all over with what they just told the person taking the call:

1. Have a pen and something to write on before picking up the phone.

2. Immediately use the caller's name and refer to the subject. The caller will enjoy your courtesy and you will save time by getting right to the point. For instance, a call may be forwarded this way: “Stella, Kenton is on the line asking about rates and billing options.” You pick up the phone and say, “Hi, Kenton. This is Stella. I understand you have questions about our rates.” The caller does not have to repeat everything they just said and the two of you can get right down to business. Plus, the caller will think you are smart and efficient.

You save time, make customers happy and build relationships simply by the way you handle phone calls. Even an irritated caller can be softened by your professionalism.

Use your name with your personal cell phone if you use it for business. I do it even when friends call.

 

Also, no silly ring tones! Nothing is more annoying than ♫♪“I'm Your Boogie Man” or some stupid sound going off in the office.

 

You're welcome.

Christopher  amosnews@yahoo.com