At PXL University College in Hasselt, making phone calls is part of the program. Not as a joke, but as a full-fledged skill — because teachers noticed that students simply aren't doing it anymore.

Lecturer Hervé Van De Weyer of the communication management program sees it daily: students always initiate contact through messages or email first. Making a call on their own initiative is no longer happening. "Calling has become a hurdle," he notes. And yet, in many cases, a phone call remains the fastest and clearest way to communicate.

Why has calling become so difficult?

The answer has everything to do with control. Calling feels too direct — young people feel they have no control over the conversation. With a message, you can think, rephrase, or wait a while. With a phone call, you can't. You have to respond on the spot, and that makes you vulnerable.

The loss of necessity

On top of that, young people today have so many communication channels available that calling is almost never necessary anymore. Until it suddenly is — in the workplace, during a job interview, or simply when arranging practical matters.

The good news: the anxiety disappears as soon as you do it. Van De Weyer observes that very often the fear vanishes when students are forced to call anyway. They then realize that a simple phone conversation can be quick and handy.

Experience over theory

That is exactly why practice is so important. Not the theory, not the tips — but the experience itself. Crossing that threshold once, noticing that it's not so bad, and remembering that feeling.

That is also the core of Cello. We let you practice in a safe environment, without consequences, until calling feels normal. Because phone anxiety isn't a character trait — it's a lack of experience. And experience is something you can build up.