Enunciate everything you say. Bad reception can distort your voice and cause you to cut out. Even an ordinary speaking voice can become muddled over the phone. The quality of your voice should appropriately reflect the manner of the call. For example, it’s alright to sound excited when you’re leaving a voicemail to congratulate your nephew on his high school graduation. If you’re offering condolences to a grieving friend, however, you should keep your tone solemn and respectful.
This step seems like a given, but it’s often forgotten by callers when they’re put on the spot. If you have a job title or a description of yourself that might prove useful to the recipient in a follow-up call, list it after your name, i. e. “My name is Dr. Holdsworth, senior radiologist at Sacred Heart Medical Center,” or “this is Gloria Carpenter, I’m Chloe’s mother from school. "
A simple way to offer your phone number at the beginning of the message is to say something like “this is (your name), my number is (your phone number),” or “my name is (name) calling from (number). ” Despite the prevalence of Caller ID features, it’s always advisable to leave your phone number in case the person you’re calling doesn’t have your number saved, or you’re requesting that they return your call at a different extension.
Try making a short introduction that will clue the listener in, such as “I got your number from Pat, who says you’re interested in selling your boat. " Even if you’re not making a business call, establishing a connection can help make your recipient more comfortable. “This is Bob, your neighbor from across the street” is more personable than “This is Robert Henderson. ”
For voicemails that are especially pressing or important, consider writing out a rough script ahead of time. If you catch yourself spacing out, just focus on getting out your name, callback number and reason for calling in a few words. Image that you’re sending a voicemail to follow up with a romantic interest about last night’s date. Mentally outlining your message before you record it can mean the difference between coming off as cool, calm and collected and a stammering, nervous wreck.
On the flip side, if you leave a voicemail that’s too short, your recipient may think it’s unimportant and delete it without even listening to it. This is especially likely if you’re calling from an unlisted number. [8] X Research source The point of leaving a voicemail is to compel someone to call you back, not to unload all the information you were going to share with them during the call.
You only have a short time to get your point across. If you beat around the bush, your listener may give up on the message before they arrive at any crucial information. It’s much better to deliver difficult news like “dad is in the hospital” point blank, and use the remainder of the message to console and explain, than it is to dance around the subject and cause your listener to worry.
Sounding like you’re reading from a script will give your listener the impression that they’re just another call you have to make.
Try phrases like “let me know how you liked that recipe I sent you” or “I’m interested in hearing your ideas about this proposal. ” People are more motivated to get in touch when you’ve singled them out with a request than if you simply say “call me back. ”
Spelling out your phone number more than twice at the end of a call is excessive, and could even be interpreted as rude. You may also wish to spell out your last name if the caller has never met you before. [13] X Expert Source Lynda JeanCertified Image Consultant Expert Interview. 17 November 2020. You won’t need to worry about this step if your message is a casual one for a friend or relative.
Friendly closings like “I look forward to hearing from you” are warmer and therefore more effective than generic, commercial ones like “have a nice day. ” Don’t recapitulate or summarize your message at the end. If the recipient needs to hear a certain detail again, they can replay it later.
