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When leaving a voice mail for someone, take a deep breathe, then force yourself to speak slower than you would in normal conversation. Be sure to clearly annunciate your words. Voice mail playback is not always as clear as a live telephone connection, particularly if you are on a cell phone.

I'm working on a big conference right now and getting dozens of voice mails every day. The challenge with many of the messages is understanding the person's name or, even worse, their phone number. Most of us will stop for clarification if we miss something someone is saying during a conversation, but we don't have that luxury when listening to a voice mail. I often replay a message three and four times yet still am unable to understand what the caller is saying.

Of course, even if I can't get the caller's name, I still call them back, telling whomever answers the phone I am returning a voice mail but did not understand the caller's name. Usually I am able to get to the caller, but not always. Unfortunately, if I can't understand their phone number, I have no way to call them back and have to just sit back hoping they will call again.

Another good rule of phone etiquette to follow: Always leave your phone number twice.

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