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3. If you want to practice, try calling your home/cell from a
different phone and leaving a message for yourself. Try it with and
without a plan for what you're going to say, and notice if it makes
a difference in how the message sounds.

4. If you mess up... really mess up... (like leave the wrong phone
number or forget to say the reason for calling), call back, explain
why you're calling again, and be sure you've got everything right
this time. And don't worry too much about it. Chances are, the
receiver won't care- and in the long run, it doesn't really matter.

5. A good rule of thumb is to have your message sound somewhat
like this:

 Start by saying who you are. If you leave a good message,
except for who you are there can be a lot of guesswork
involved, which the receiver may not like. Something good to
start with is (for instance) "Hey Chris, this is Randi,..."
 Why are you calling? If you are just bored and you wanted to
talk, do not bother to leave a message. No receiver wants to
waste space on their phone with a silly voicemail. If, for
instance you are having a party, tell the basic details. Make
sure you give enough but not too much information. Some
answering machines have a time limit for each message. Going
with the party example, it should sound something like "I'm
having a party and you're invited! Here's what you should
know..."

 Is there anything important that your receiver should know?
 Which number should the receiver call you back on? This is
extremely important and should not be skipped. Although most
home phones (and mobile phones) have caller ID, assume that
this person does not (even if they do). Even if they do, the
odds are high that they may not be able to check the caller ID
immediately, so just leave a callback number. Make sure you
leave it twice. Once when you are giving the message, and if
you were already ending the message with a callback number,
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