A note on voicemail…
Not everyone can have a sterling phone voice, not everyone can easily organize a series of thoughts into a brief, but cogent message. Many people grow nervous when they find a recording inside of a live person at the other end of the phone.
However, everyone can learn the following simple process for leaving a voicemail message that is easy for the recipient to return.
1. Clearly and slowly, say "Hi, my name is <name>, I can be reached at <phone number>."
2. State a simple, cogent statement of the issue requiring resolution. [The professional approach]
OR
2. Long, rambling discourse recapitulating a variety of irrelevancies, misstating conclusions reached in prior meetings, occasionally losing track entirely and not talking for a second or two. [A less-desirable alternative, but still viable]
3. Clearly and slowly, say "And again, this is <name> calling, and my number is <phone number>. One more time, <phone number>." [The professional approach]
OR
3. Rapidly, while turning your head away from the phone, say "OK, you can reach me on my cell at <area code> buh ruh duh vuhvuh duh," and hang up. [Again, viable, but definitely your second choice.
Many people who leave voicemail, particularly building contractors, don’t seem to realize that the whole point of leaving the message is to get the person to call you back. The contact info is the soul, the heart, the vital essence of the message, and the rest is dross. The beauty of this approach is that when you’re starting the message, you’re not nervous about how long you’ve been talking, so you can concentrate on saying your name and phone number clearly and slowly.
Then, even if you completely fuck up the rest of your message, the person you’re calling will be able to find out what your fucking question was, and give you your fucking answer.
Damn it.
