Voice

messages, electronic e-mails, video conferences,

speakerphones and cellular/portable phones--all part of

the modern business world.

Unfortunately,

easier and faster does not always mean better or

acceptable--even if everybody else does it. Common sense

and courtesy are still important communication

ingredients.

Answering

Machines and Voice Mail:

Record the

outgoing message in your own voice. Keep it short and

businesslike.

The caller assumes you,re sorry you missed his or her

call

without

being told. Do not include comments of a religious

nature--these

can

possibly offend a caller/client. Stay away from clich�s

such as,

,,Have a

nice day.� Make the day nice for your callers with a

brief message

in a

pleasant tone.

When you

leave a message, don,t assume the caller will recognize

your voice.

State your name and, if appropriate, your company name.

Some

systems

automatically record date/time information, but you may

want to

state that

also if you feel it is important. Keep your message

brief.

Speak clearly and slowly when you give your phone number.

Someone

who has to

listen to your message six times in order to understand

the

number, may

not care whether he or she returns your call.

Speaker-phones:

Love to use

your speakerphone? Courtesy dictates that you ask the

caller for

permission before you activate the speaker function.

Also,

remember

that everyone within hearing distance may hear the

conversation

whether or

not they should.

If you use

a speakerphone to conduct a meeting, since the person

on the

other end of the line cannot see who is in the room

always introduce

everyone

present. This is not only good manners, but can help

avoid

embarrassing

situations. The caller may wish to monitor his or her

comments

according those present in the meeting.

Video

Conference:

Listen

carefully--a half-second delay in transmission can be

confusing.

Behave as though everyone is in the same room--you are

not

invisible

and the person(s) at the other location(s) are not deaf.

Keep

your

movements to a minimum. If you have the opportunity to

choose your

clothing

ahead of time, stick with solid colors. Choose light blue

for

shirts and

blouses.

Cellular/Portable

Phones:

For

business use, keep these tips in mind. When you accept an

incoming

call while with someone else, realize that the other

person may

not

appreciate the interruption of his or her time with you.

A client

especially

may feel a position of ,,second place� in this

situation. Also,

when you

conduct business within hearing distance of other people

someone

may

overhear information not meant for their ears. Last but

not least, be

careful of

what you say--someone with more curiosity than

manners/ethics

may tap in

and listen.

E-mail:

One of the

problems with e-mail is that it can cause an important

message to

seem informal and unimportant. E-mail is still business

correspondence--keep

it businesslike! Basic points: include a subject

line; do

not use uppercase for all letters (it,s harder to read

and comes

across as

yelling at the reader); check your grammar and spelling

(this

reflects on

you, even in e-mail); sign off with your name, company

name (if

applicable)

and a phone number.

If your

e-mail is a reply, even though the subject line will

provide a

general reference, include enough information to ensure

the

recipient

can quickly identify the reply. It is not always

necessary to

include the

entire original message in your answer.

Do not be

upset if you do not receive an answer

immediately.

People have other responsibilities besides reading

e-mail. If

you require an immediate response, it may be best to

simply

pick up the

telephone and call the person.

Avoid Anger

in Your Communication- A very big temptation when

speaking to a

machine or

dashing out a message on your computer keyboard because

you are

not face to

face with the other person. A knee-jerk message could

cause a

great

offense. You may wish you had not left the angry words on

someone,s

voice mail

or so quickly sent that sarcastic e-mail message. The

answering

machine or

computer will not respond to your angry message--but the

recipient

probably will!

Free by

e-mail/fax: If you would like a free article on how to

manage your

time and

your life, please fax us your name on your letterhead or

E-mail us

with the

words, ,,Time Management� to 770-760-0581/[email protected] .

Gregory P.

Smith shows businesses how to build productive and

profitable

work

environments that attract, keep and motivate their

workforce. He

speaks at

conferences and is the President of a management

consulting firm

called

Chart Your Course International located in Conyers,

Georgia. Phone

him at

(770)860-9464 or send an email at [email protected] . More

information

and articles are available at www.chartcourse.com.

Chart Your

Course International is a training and management

development

company

preparing people today for tomorrow's new business

horizons.

Gregory P.

Smith is the President, Lead Navigator and the Captain of

the

Ship. He is

the author of The New Leader, and How to Attract, Keep

and

MotivateYour

Workforce.

For more

information or for a free monthly newsletter call

(770)860-9464 or sail an email message to [email protected] .Visit our award

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