Regardless of your industry, the telephone has become one of the most vital tools in the business world. While e-mail ranks high as a means of communicating, take a look at how heavily you rely on your cell phone and you'll quickly realize that its import has heightened. As with any tool, we can always learn how to improve our skills and this article will take a 3-fold approach by focusing on tips, techniques and taboos.

TIPS:

When you initiate a call, more often than not, you'll need to leave a message either via voicemail or with the person answering the phone. Keep these points in mind:

1. Overall, listeners have a short attention span, so you want to say what the listener most needs to hear.

2. Listeners typically aren't prepared to recall information they receive from a voicemail. Think about what you can do to assist them.

3. Listeners don't have the advantage of seeing you, which means they're not getting additional visual cues (e.g. as it relates to how something is spelled).

4. Listeners may not be expecting your call and you may be interrupting a meeting or task; you could be inadvertently calling at a "bad" time.

5. When you leave a message for incoming callers, most listeners enjoy hearing something "novel," vs. the traditional ho-hum message. Try something new.

TECHNIQUES:

Thinking back over the aforementioned tips, these techniques will assist you in your approach when using the telephone.

1. Strive to make your message succinct; less is more over the phone and helps with the issue of listeners who have a short attention span.

2. Treat your phone call like a public speaking opportunity and be sure to prepare your message. Determine your objective for calling in advance, which helps you speak succinctly.

3. When you state identifying information like your name or your company name, remember that the other party may be unfamiliar with you. You can make things easier by spelling names and using word associations(e.g. my name is Dale Klein; that's D as in David, A, L, E and my last name is Klein; that's K, L, E, I, N as in Nancy).

4. When you offer your phone number, say it two times. This helps with better recall; twice is nice. After all, your goal is to have your phone call returned, right?

5. If you actually reach the party with whom you intended to speak, it's courteous to ask if they are available to speak with you. This saves you the awkwardness of starting to speak, only to be told you've called at a bad time.

6. While on the telephone, whether you're leaving a message or speaking directly to another person, try to visualize the individual. This is relatively easy if you've met them before, but even if you haven't, use your imagination. This is a great form of making eye-contact and makes you sound more interested.

7. Remember that the phone message you leave for incoming callers is a great opportunity to connect with them, so why not freshen up your message on a regular basis? Be creative and tell callers something new that you're doing or offering your customers.

TABOOS:

The third critical part to successful telephoning is understanding what to avoid. Some typical behaviors that don't serve us well include the following:

1. Resist the temptation to multitask while on the telephone. We may think the person on the other end of the phone won't know because he or she can't see us. The reality is that we will sound distracted; by the way, keypunching can be easily heard.

2. Most of us will cradle the telephone receiver between our head and our shoulder. This is very undesirable from an ergonomic standpoint and puts excess strain on the neck and shoulder. Instead, give consideration to wearing a headset so you can keep your head upright and have your hands free to take notes or to gesture.

3. A typical behavior is to pick up the phone and "just wing it" when leaving a message. The problem is that when we do this, we may sound unprepared and less professional. If you're thinking on the fly, you may also overlook having a call to action for the other party. The person you're calling must clearly understand what you expect to happen as a result of the call.

4. When leaving a voicemail message, don't do so when you're rushing out the door. The result is that you end up speaking too rapidly and this confuses the other person. Use a normal conversational rate to make it easier for your listener.

5. As stated earlier, attention spans tend to be short. Therefore, it's not in your best interests to give excessive information in your message. Keep it succinct and leave out the extra clutter.

Successful telephoning is an integral part of transacting business. With proper attention to these tips, techniques and taboos, you can have the impact you desire on those with whom you interact.