ROSHINI'S BLOG

Not that we in Minnesota doubted summer would arrive.  After all, above-normal temps and humidity have been major realities the last couple weeks.  But let me take a moment to pay homage to summertime…

When everyone looks a little healthier, when the sun stays up past my mother’s bedtime, when rooftop happy hours can happen well past 5.  So even though our friends in California may not get as nostalgic for this season, I’m here to say celebrate!
 
As we cheer, let me also take a moment to point out specific challenges summer brings for public speaking.  Sure that ice cream cone looks great, Mountain Dews go down fast, and margaritas tend to flow.  Enjoy!  But remember timing with your imbibing.  Drink lots of water to stay hydrated in preparation for public talks and interviews.  Avoid sugary drinks within an hour or more before you present.  Stay away from dairy before that big keynote or sales meetings.

May Summer 2007 go down as your most fun yet!

In response to Voice Mail Speaking (June 4), Marketing Director Sharon Grazioso of Boston, Massachusetts, writes in with a great point.  She reminds us all to smile when we record our voice mail messages.  I do tell my presentation clients to physically portray the verbal message they want to send.  So guidance with portraying confidence is a natural part of my trainings.  Thanks Sharon for reminding me and my readers how part of this portrayal comes through if we just smile.

When you do anything with your voice, your facial behavior and body movements inform nonverbally.  How does this work with the specific smile idea?  You don’t need to be freakishly grinning as you record.  Just keep the natural positive look on your face you might have when speaking with a client face-to-face.  I have a friend whose business voice mail is rather sad.  It’s just not indicative of who she is as a business professional or as a talented, fun person.  Why?  She sounds rather tired and serious.  She’s probably thinking she needs to be serious because this is, after all, her business voice mail.  But what it conveys is someone other than the person I know her to be.  It doesn’t really make me want to do business with her.  Luckily, I don’t’ have to make that decision.

And forgive me, but I haven’t actually made the decision to suggest a re-recording.  But I do suggest this:  call yourself at work sometime and listen to your voice mail message.  Do the same with your cell or home phones.  Do you like the person you hear on the other end?  Do you want to do business with her or let him into your social circle?  Your answers will help you decide whether you need to smile, tone it down, or even stand up in order to project better.

You listen to them.  You interact with them.  You rely on them.  So why don’t more people understand the need to record effective voice mail messages…both for themselves and to others?  Voice mail as a topic is a hot button for me.  So I finally decided to let off some steam…and hopefully help people be more pointed and powerful with this everyday part of our world.

Your business voice mail :  Does it stand up as a great first impression?  Does it say, you definitely want to do business with me?  Does it make people understand who you are and why they should bother leaving you a message?  Think of your voice mail as people’s first impression of you.  That should help you sit up straight when recording:  Speak clearly, don’t mumble your own name, be brief but interesting.  I recommend you do not say, I’m either not at my desk or out of the office.”  Your caller has picked up on the fact you’re NOT available for some reason.  Don’t be redundant.  Do be interesting, informative, witty…or even a combination of those three.

Your message to another :  How many times do you get a voice mail message you don’t understand?  Or, the phone number whizzes by?  When you are calling people in your professional and personal spheres, the rules aren’t much different than for your own outgoing message:  Speak clearly, be brief, and by all means, state your number twice.

When you realize voice mail really does speak to people, try to say something that really talks!