How do I get friends/family to stop leaving me long rambling voice-mails?

Question

On my home & cell phone you can't delete a message until you've listened to the entire thing. On my message I say, "please leave a BRIEF message" but yet certain people still ramble on and on. I've even asked these people to just leave their name/number yet they still ramble on and on! It drives me nuts!!!

Answer 1

You leave a message like this..."You've got 3 seconds to make your point - after that you get deleted"

This should get the message acrossed. Good Luck - I hate that too!!!!

Answer 2

I know what you mean about the annoying message! My grandma is the worst b/c she talks so slow on top of everything! LOL I used to sit the phone down and come back in a couple minutes and see if it was over. Every time I tried to delete one when it wasn't finished it wouldn't let me either. But one time a friend had accidentally called me (like it was in pocket or something) and when I didn't answer there was a voice mail that went on forever! of nothing just staticy stuff. So, I called my phone company b/c I had listened for 15 minutes but still nothing so I had no idea how long it would last and they told me what to do to delete messages midway through. It is something weird not just press this number but it works. Maybe you could tell them something like that happened and see what they say. Also, you could call the people back and tell them you didn't have a chance to listen to the entire msg so eventually they'll get annoyed with you not listening to them when they took the time to call you LOL and stop doing it.

Answer 3

well actually most cell phones you can delete a message before hearing the whole thing, you just have to know how. I believe the "universal delete button" is 7. Pushing it once usually doesnt do anything, if you push it twice fast, it usually deletes the message and goes to the next. As far as a home answering machine i have never had that problem i start to hear the voice, know what its about and just hit delete, if it is a home phone voice mail that you have to call to get, im not sure, try doing the same with the cell phone hitting the delete button twice. hope that helps

Answer 4

I can relate but if you get voice message through your phone company then you can skip through on them. I do this by hitting 3 on the dial. Find out if your phone company has this feature.
Leave a message saying "Hi, leave a short message with your name and phone number and I will return your call. Sorry, but all messages over 7 seconds are automatically deleted." Good luck!

Answer 5

"Hi, uh, this is Joe and I was calling because, uh, I wanted to ask you about, uh, x. And, uh, I wondered if you could call me back, because this affects, uh, y. And, uh, I'm getting a lot of questions about y, so if you could call me back, that would be great." I try not to hesitate so much in my messages, but hey, at least I don't say "like" every 5 seconds. (Replace "uh" with "like" in the message above and tell me which is more annoying.) I usually don't leave long messages either. Unfortuanately, I do not have call display at work, so I cannot screen my calls and I cannot tell who called if they don't leave a message. Sometimes I will ignore the phone because I am busy with something and don't want to lose my train of thought and later when I check, I find that no one left a message. Guess it couldn't have been that important. Probably just the wife calling to ask when I'll be home. c00l

Answer 6

This article was just out there today:) You might want to send it to your relatives!

Leadership by Example
by Jim Citrin


The Art of the Perfect Voicemail
by Jim Citrin
Utility Links

Printable ViewEmail this PageWednesday, January 17, 2007
In the age of email, there are still times when you need to let your voice do the talking. You may be initiating contact with a prospective client, soliciting advice on an important project, or trying to secure an interview for a job.


In these cases and many others, your initial outreach will inevitably require you to leave a voicemail. What you say and how you say it will, in large measure, lead the listener to decide in a split second whether or not to return your call.


Six Tips for Effective Voicemails


Sometimes leadership and performance has to do with broad notions and momentous issues. But sometimes it's about the granular and the practical. Since it will determine whether or not you make progress on an important task, the art of leaving an effective voicemail is very much a case in point.


Here are six tips to keep in mind when leaving voicemail:


• Be clear about the goal of the message.


Don't try to do it all -- close a sale or get the job. The objective of the message should be to get your call returned.


• Be authoritative yet upbeat in your tone.


Your communication sends a clear signal about who you are and how important you are. You need to portray a sense of confidence, authority, and respect.


People also respond better to an energetic, positive-sounding person than to a bore. But at all costs, avoid being obsequious -- there's nothing more annoying.


• Find a bridge to the person you're calling.


People feel comfortable if there's a familiar connection from them to you. This can be someone who suggested you call, a mutual acquaintance, a shared affiliation with an organization (such as your alma mater), a hometown, or any number of things. Do your homework and be creative in finding a link.


• Be brief.


Everyone's busy, so keep your message short. Your listener will resent it if the voicemail's recorded announcement says, "New message received at 7:45 p.m.; five minutes."


• Be specific in your request.


People are much more likely to get back to you when they know that the conversation will be confined to a clear topic.


Request an answer to a specific question with the promise of a well-defined timeframe, rather than introducing an open-ended issue that the caller may fear will turn into a black-hole conversation.


• Leave your contact information slowly and clearly.

This sounds painfully obvious, but you'd be surprised by how many people rush through their phone number and email address so fast that you have to replay the message three times before you can understand them.

Since many people check their voicemail when driving, the easier the number is to hear and remember, the greater the likelihood that you'll get the return call immediately. Also, leave your email address and invite your caller to start the dialogue via email. This can be less threatening given its more detached nature.


Which Calls Would You Return?


To bring these points to life, here are three actual voicemails that I received (all personal details and contact information have been changed):


• Caller No. 1: "Hello, Mr. Citrin. My name is Dick White from Bain and Company. I'm a third-year associate and I'm looking to make a move out of management consulting into general management, either in technology or media. I understand you work with executives and clients in these areas. I would appreciate it if we could get together to discuss my background. My number is [phone] and my email is [e-mail]."


• Caller No. 2: "Hello, Jim, this is Kate Peters and I'm calling regarding a reference for your former colleague, Tony Thompson. We're speaking to Tony about potentially joining our company. Can you please call me over the next two to three days so that I can get your views on his strengths, weaknesses, and potential fit with our organization? If it's easier, I can have my office schedule a call with you so we can avoid phone tag. My office number is [phone]."


• Caller No. 3: "Hello, Jim, this is Dennis Lions. I'm a fellow Vassar grad from the class of 1998 and I'm currently working at a small Internet company in Palo Alto. I have a difficult decision that I need to make in the next 48 hours. Can I run it by you? It'll only take five to seven minutes of your time. My office number is [phone], my cell is [phone], and my email is [e-mail]. Thank you very much in advance."

Who Got the Callbacks

Which calls do you think I returned?

I returned the calls of callers two and three, but deleted No. 1 with only a small pang of guilt. His call promised to be a black-hole conversation, there was no specific bridge to me, and he sounded fairly junior (meaning unrealistic but not necessarily young) on the phone.

Pagination
< Prev12Next >

Answer 7

I KNOW!!! I'm constantly telling people i dont like messages yet my family leaves these 5 min long ones. I got them to stop by calling them back and saying hey I saw you called. They always ask if I got the message and i always say i didnt listen it was easier to call. eventually they stopped leaving messages all together.. And I'm very happy about that.

Answer 8

That's why I dont give my cell to anyone except for family!! And they know not to run up my minutes!!! And on my landphone, I hate "Answering Machine's" so I just have caller ID........this way if its someone I'm not in the mood to talking too, I just let the phone ring, & ring!!! And get back to them at a better time!! Especially if its long distance family!! I dont want them to rack up their phone bills if I'm not in the mood for chit chatting, you know!! Just tell them all to quit leaving you such long messages!! And get you a land-line, for that with caller ID!! Good-Luck to you, hun!!! Smile, just talk to them all !!!!

Answer 9

Contact your telephone provider and see if they can limit the amount of time available for messages. Then, modify your message to say something like, "Please leave me a brief message of 60 seconds or less." That should get them good!

Answer 10

On your recorded message just say, "Leave name and phone number, you have l second to do so". Then cut your recorded time down to the smallest number. Mine happens to be l minute.