Dot Connector Blog

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80% of all project issues are communication issues.

Whether we are conscious of it or not, we create our own leadership “glass ceiling” through our communication. Improving our communication improves our connections with others, and ultimately, our ability to grow.

Enter voicemail. Voicemail is one of the most frequently used communication tools within an organization. And, it seems that the more senior the person you are communicating with is within your organization, the more likely they will favor voicemail over email.

If you work remotely, you know that voicemail is often preferred over email because you can “get personal” by injecting emotion and physiology of communication into your message, something that’s very hard to do in email.

To help you grow your communication abilities, here are 10 tried-and-true tips to improve your voicemails:

1. Always stand up and smile before leaving a voicemail. You’ll be amazed at the positive energy you bring to your message – it will definitely come through in your voice! (Be sure to do this when recording your outgoing voicemail message too.)
2. Write out important voicemails before you leave them. When doing this, be sure to simplify what you have written (twice!) before actually leaving the message. Also, be very tuned into how you are leaving the message, so you don’t sound like you are reading from a script.
3. Always start a voicemail with: who you are (“Hi, this is Regis Hadiaris…”), who you are sending the message to (“…with a message going out to Jen, Doug, and Melissa…”), and (in one statement) what your voicemail is about (“…about the decisions that were made in today’s team meeting.”)
4. Always end every voicemail with your phone number (or extension if calling within your organization). It’s a good idea to repeat this number twice.
5. Copy yourself on important voicemails (if possible, usually you can do this when you are using an internal voicemail system) so you can be sure to have a copy.
6. Assign your voicemail call-in number a speed dial “hot key” on your cell phone. The fastest way to dial your voicemail call in number (i.e. the number you use to check your voicemail messages) is to assign it a speed dial hot key in your cell phone address book. That way, if you are driving, etc. you can just hold down one button and it will dial your voicemail!
7. Enter any “login” data for checking your voicemail into your cell phone address book. Most cellphones support a “pause” feature that allows you to put you login data (extension, password, etc.) right after the phone number in your cell phone address book. That way, when you call that number (using speed dial – see #6), you will only have to hit one button and it will automatically dial this info for you. This is priceless when checking messages while on the go!
8. Forward all of your voicemail to one location. To simplify all of the places where you have to check voicemail, you can forward them to one location. Most of the wireless carriers support this functionality (for example, for Verizon you can hit *71, *72, or *73 to activate and deactivate their forwarding functionality).
9. Setup your organization’s voicemail to call you if you get a priority messages. Most voicemail systems support this priceless feature. Just enter a number (like your personal cell phone number) where you should be called when you get a priority message. That way, you will always be on top of your “hot” voicemails!
10. Check and reply to voicemail on “off hours” once in a while. Senior managers are always checking to see how engaged their team’s are. By checking and replying to voicemail during off-hours on occasion, you show your dedication and focus – a great way to build confidence amongst your leadership!

I hope these tips and tricks make you a more effective voicemail communicator!

Need help organizing your email?  Check out Dot Connector’s 3-part email organization series.

In Part I of this topic, we discussed some resolutions you have to make before embarking on a plan to take control of your email. We also talked about the fundamental ways to organize your view of your inbox, and the folders to use for processing and storing email.

In Part II of this topic, we covered how to manage your new email organization system, including tips and tricks for dedicating time to work your new system.

For Part III, the final installment in this series, we will cover tips and tricks for Microsoft Outlook that will help you speed up processing of email in your new system.

Setup Special Rules for Your New System

• As you probably know, rules in Outlook can be a powerful way to help you save time and process your email more efficiently.
• I do not recommend creating rules until you have worked the system for a couple of weeks. I know that may seem labor-intensive, but it will give you a great feel for what types of email you actually get. This is just like keeping track of every place you spend money when you are trying to create a budget!
• After a couple of weeks, it’s time to create some rules, so when you are spending your dedicated time processing your inbox, you don’t have a lot of “clutter” to deal with.
  • I recommend setting up a folder within your “Archive” called “Alerts/Subscriptions” or something similar. Then, create a rule to send any “alerts,” “automated responses,” and email newsletters to that folder.
  • That way, you have control over when you review those types of messages, and they are not in the way when you are working your system.
  • Of course, if you get critical alerts that you must see the second they come into your inbox, do not create a rule for them.

Flag Emails Based on Priority

• In a previous post, I discussed a simple, but very effective technique for determining priorities on a daily basis. I use this prioritization system for to dos, callbacks, as well as email
• Using Microsoft Outlook rules, you can “flag” emails with a colored flag. Since some emails are more important than others, this coloring technique dramatically helps you when working your email system.
• Here’s how I color my emails, based on the priorities I’ve previously outlined:
  • PRIORITY #1: Your Crew – Green flag: emails from my Crew appear with a green flag in my inbox
  • PRIORITY#2: Your Clients – Red flag: emails from my Clients appear with a red flag in my inbox
  • PRIORITY#3: Your Company – No colored flag: this allows me to focus on my “flagged email” first, and then my non-flagged, lower priority, email next

I hope these tips help you speed up the time it takes you to process your email. Good luck, and here’s to the freedom of an empty inbox!

I have a very simple, but very effective technique for determining priorities on a daily basis. This “philosophy” has been tested over 7 years in a variety of projects and 3 different companies. It’s especially useful if you manage multiple projects and have to juggle multiple priorities.

Here it is! Just group all of your “to-dos” this way, and you’ll always do things in the “right” order:

PRIORITY #1: Your Crew

(Examples: people who report to you, members of a project team you rely on, etc.)

Always, ALWAYS tend to Your Crew first. Leadership is about serving the team you lead. Project Management (at any level, and who DOESN’T manage projects?) is about leadership. Your Crew takes care of you, so you should always take care of them first. No matter what.

PRIORITY#2: Your Clients

(Examples: your actual clients if you are a consultant, the executive who sponsored a project you are doing, the people who use your website, etc.)

I see common “wisdom” practiced every day where project managers serve their Clients first, then their Crew. This makes no sense to me. Here’s why: if you serve your Crew first, they’ll help you serve your Clients in ways you didn’t even imagine! Plus, they’ll have your back whenever times get tough with your Clients (and they will), because your Crew knows you’ve got their back (and best interests) in mind.

PRIORITY#3: Your Company

(Examples: a request from the HR team to do some mandatory training, filing your invoices for payment by your Accounting team, etc.)

You’d be surprise at how long you can push off “mandatory” company stuff that bogs you down. It’s especially useful to report to someone who can take care of these things, or at least buy you time. Now, I know this might be an unpopular one (“But Regis, I want to be a team player”), but think about it: if you’re not doing #1 and #2 first, there is no need for an HR team or Accounting team. #1 and #2 grow your business and support all of those other “company” things. If you’re leading the way for your Crew and your Clients, everything else becomes secondary.

Next Steps

1. Sit down and look across your to-do list.
2. Who is YOUR Crew? Who are YOUR Clients? What Company stuff is on there?
3. Reprioritize using this new method you just learned, and reap the rewards!