Stop saying "Hey" "What" and "Beg your pardon" - Use the Phonetic Alphabet !

A tip for better communication - Use the Phonetic Alphabet

Of course communication is a big deal, So without re-inventing the wheel familiarise yourselves with the phonetic alphabet.

Trying to speak to people on the telephone networks can sometimes be very frustrating due to accents and the various different languages spoken in our country. As English is the official working language in South Africa the phonetic alphabet can be very useful, it reduces those stressful phone call enquiries and helps us all just get on with business.

For me the most frustrating thing is to try and get a persons email address over the phone, and when you say “I will sms it to you” it usually takes forever or you are forgotten thanks to the pace we move and shake.

Most people with a military or policing back ground will be very familiar with the phonetic alphabet and for me when someone uses it, it actually raises my respect for the person when they use the alphabet and so makes me listen a bit more intently to their pitch. Basically its just another work tool to help us all communicate better and who doesn’t want that.

Try it, its very easy  and I can promise you it will mean less mistakes in making future contact with clients, colleagues and friends

I often use the phonetic alphabet when reciting my addresses or contact info over the phone, suprisingly not many people are aware of the code and will come back to you with their idea of a code, such as M for Mother, D for Donkey, F for Freddy and so on.

The alphabet code is simple:

A – Alpha

B – Bravo

C – Charlie

D – Delta

E – Echo

F – Foxtrot

G – Golf

H – Hotel

I – India

J – Juliett

K – Kilo

L – Lima

M – Mike

N – November

O – Oscar

P – Papa

Q – Quebec

R – Romeo

S – Sierra

T – Tango

U – Uniform

V – Victor

W – Whiskey

X – Xray    

Y – Yankee

Z – Zulu

1 – Pronounced - WUN

2 – Pronounced - TOO

3 – Pronounced - TREE

4 – Pronounced – FOW-ER

5 – Pronounced -  FIFE

6 – Pronounced - SIX

7 – Pronounced – SE-VEN

8 – Pronounced - AIT

9 – Pronounced – NINER

0 – Pronounced – ZEE-RO

Try it… it's fun 😎

Definition: The phonetic language - also known as the 'spelling alphabet' or the NATO phonetic alphabet - is used by professional communicators, especially police, military and other emergency and armed forces, to identify letters precisely, either when communicating initials, abbreviations or spellings of words.