Have you ever had the experience of speaking with someone on the phone and then being surprised by their appearance? Has this happened to you as well, as a speaker?
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Have you ever had the experience of speaking with someone on the phone and then being surprised by their appearance? Has this happened to you as well, as a speaker?
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Yes, I can attest to the fact that I have had phone conversations with people who, when we finally met in person, surprised me with how they looked. This surprise is frequently caused by the tendency for us to form an impression of someone based on their tone, voice, and conversational manner. A soft, sensitive voice, on the other hand, would evoke the idea of a smaller, more fragile person, while a deep, confident voice might make me picture someone large and imposing. When these images in your mind collide with reality, it can be very shocking.
On the contrary, I have also had experiences when people, having spoken with me over the phone, were taken aback by my looks. It’s possible that their perception of me stems from the way I speak and express myself. For instance, based on my accent or vocal inflection, someone could think I’m younger or older, taller or shorter, or even of a different ethnicity. This demonstrates how individualized and subjective our views may become when we only pay attention to aural stimuli.
These encounters highlight the limitations of our senses and the conclusions we draw from insufficient data. It serves as a reminder of the variety of human voices and looks as well as the ease with which our preconceived assumptions can mislead us. It can be a wonderful experience to meet someone in person after having only heard about them on the phone. It can help us to overcome prejudices and see how different and interesting people can be.
There have been a number of times where I have had this experience and it has also happened to me a few times as well. I feel that having conversations over the phone and having a conversation in person face to face has many pros and cons to conversational style.
Tone of voice and choice of words can be more than enough for someone to base or formulate an identity or thesis about you. Pronunciation of words, word usage and accent or dialect can also be additional factors. With this considered, I can recall one time I had a phone appointment with a career advisor, This was during the pandemic so it was almost impossible to meet in person. As months, went by I finally got a chance to see her which by surprise she was around my age. I figured with her experience, expertise and how well she explained things on the job market, tailoring my resume, dressing for success etc. that she was much more older than I am.
There have been times where I have spoken to someone over the phone and in many cases frequently but never saw them in person. When I do, I often get that I sound much more older than I actually look. I sometimes wonder If I had originally spoken to a person face to face would they have a different reaction or response to me.
I have many times this experience, I was on the phone with people and few moments or few days later I meet the same person and I was surprised because I was looking for opposite sex or another ethnicity people. It was difficult for me to believe it was the same person I had met over the phone. Culture can influence how loudly it is appropriate to talk, the tone and level of expressiveness in the voice, and the speed of speech. Loud, fast, and expressive speech is common in some cultures but could be considered rude or aggressive in others.
The first time I went to deliver a speech in my church, it was disastrous. I struggled to deliver my speech effectively. A lot of stress was made regarding my way of delivering the speech. It was disheartening, my voice change and sometime the volume is down because I was my first time, and we have many visitors from another communities.
It’s important to note that people from cultures that tend to be more emotionally expressive may still think that it is inappropriate to discuss emotions with people who are not close friends or family.
I have had numerous instances where I am surprised by the appearance of someone who I had spoken with on the phone. There was once occasion where I spoke with someone who has an assertive speaking voice, high in pitch, one would assume the individual is a small petite older person when in fact the individual was the complete opposite. The individual was a fairly big (in height), younger person which shocked me.
Speech patterns, mannerisms, accents, dialect, pitch and tone play a major role in how an individual has a conversation. Vocal appearance highlights diversity and complexity of human communication.
I have not experienced individuals being surprised due to the difference in my voice and my appearance, and if there are instances, the individuals may have but chose not to speak on it.
Yes, I’ve had that experience a few times. I remember one instance where I was chatting with a colleague over the phone for weeks, and I had this mental image of what they looked like based on their voice and our conversations. When we finally met in person, I was surprised because they looked completely different from what I had imagined. It was a bit surreal at first, but also quite interesting to see how our perceptions can be shaped by just hearing someone’s voice.
This is an experience that I have often as a biracial person that has the ability to code switch comfortably depending on the who I am speaking with. I have been told many times throughout my lifetime that I “talk white” and have had people be surprised that I am not a white woman when they hear my voice over the phone and then see me in person. I honestly resent when people say that to me, because I do believe that the color of your skin should not come with expectations about how you should sound. Because of my own experiences I try not to make assumptions about people in this way.
This is a useful and important contribution. I have heard similar things from other students with a similar background.
the reaction to being surprised by someone’s appearance after speaking with them on the phone can vary widely depending on the individual and the context. Some people might feel momentarily taken back or even confused, especially if the disparity between the mental image and the actual appearance is significant. Others might find it amusing or intriguing.
my experience of speaking to someone on the phone and being taken a back by their appearnce was pure shock and confusion because i did not recognize the person i was speaking to it was pretty awkward at first but when i got to asking them questions as to why the change from appearance they gave me a poor reasoning but i eventually came to an acceptance and appreciated their honesty and simply told them this will not work and told them good day and hung up.
I’ve had many instances where i was surprised with the speaker when meeting them face to face. Sometimes a persons tone can throw you off especially when they look nothing how they sound. This has not happened to me as a speaker, however whenever I speak on the phone i am more respectful and and attentive throughout the phone call because I can’t see the face I am talking to. If I am able to communicate with them face to face I can be more monotone and laid back with the person.
I’ve had an instance where speaking with someone on the phone and then being surprised by their appearance. I had spoken to one of my doctors on the phone and was shocked based on their appearance. when speaking his tone sounded very different from when we spoke face-to face. when speaking on the phone I tend to picture in my mind what they would look like based on their tone, how they greet someone, their accent, and their voice. However, when I finally met him I was shocked he was different than how I imagined him. His appearance was different, his tone was slightly higher than I had imagined him to be older.
I had my own experience when speaking with someone on the phone and then being surprised by my appearance. my tone of voice is low and I tend to speak too fast. when I met an online friend during Covid-19 they thought I was younger than my age. Based on the individual and the context of the phone call people will begin to imagine what the person on the other line looks like, if they are tall, short, are they formal, or relaxed. We only view this based on the person’s voice and how we imagine them.