Does voicemail make you nervous?

Does leaving a voicemail message create performance anxiety for you? If it does, you probably are a millennial. There is good news and bad news about this. The good news is that you are early in your career, with lots of opportunities to make a positive difference in your world.

The bad news is that, if you are a millennial, you cannot afford to regard leaving voicemail messages as obsolete.

There are four generations actively participating in the workplace. This is unprecedented. It means that, while Baby Boomers are learning to text, millennials also must become adept at using voicemail.

Landlines continue to have a place in business and it behooves all of us to consider a refresher on voicemail etiquette.

Here goes:

Your own answering greeting should be short. Do not bother to say that you are not available to take the call. That is a waste of time, and there is no point in restating the obvious. Instead, simply identify yourself and ask the caller to leave a message.

•If you really mean it, say you will return the call as soon as possible. If you want to give another option to reach you, go ahead, but limit it only to one telephone number or email address.

•When you leave a voicemail message, be sure to identify yourself right away. Give your return phone number at the beginning of your message so that other people do not have to listen to you twice. Speak slowly and clearly. Say when you can be reached.

•Never use voicemail as a way to avoid speaking with someone. It does not help, and a person would have to be terminally dense not to figure out your game.

•When it comes to voicemail, we are being judged on our tone of voice and the clarity of our information.

•Remember that we can hear a smile in another person's voice, just as we can discern whether that individual is completely present and focused.

Smart people take advantage of this tool.