Voicemail: Keep It Crisp

Phone conversations should either be a) completely social or b) have a point. When my phone rings, I make this assumption. If I can answer, I do. If I cannot, I will assume that if you have a point that you will leave a voicemail. If it is an important point, you will leave a voicemail AND follow-up with a brief email. Why follow-up? Voicemail communications isn't perfectly reliable. Cellphones make this even more true.

There is an art to leaving a voicemail. Do not treat my recording as a proxy for me. Long voicemail is terrible. Normal format is appropriate:

1. Greeting – Be polite, but brief.
   
2. Name -- Clearly and slowly. No matter how well you think you know me, you have to do this.
   
3. Short Point of Call –Do be pointed. Two sentences or maybe three if they are short.
   
4. Call to Action
   
5. Contact Number slowly
   
6. Contact Number slowly AGAIN