how to use voicemail productively
There's a lot I don't agree with in Guy Kawasaki's recent post, Twelve Things to Learn This School Year (yep, there are 12, even though the title is 10 things, and I'm just the kid of prof to niggle you about stuff like that). Like his point #4, suggesting that students should never make time to go to office hours or work in study groups --I disagree, quite vehemently. I also have some serious quibbles with his assumptions in #10, though I agree with his main point that learning to be a team player is important. I have NO idea who he is talking about in #11; none of MY colleagues have ever pasted textbook passages into THEIR Powerpoints...
However I definitely agree with his point #12, learn how to leave a good voicemail:
"First, slowly say your telephone number once at the beginning of your message and again at the end. You don’t want to make people playback your message to get your phone number, and if either of you are using Cingular, you may not hear all the digits. Second (and this applies to email too), always make progress. Never leave a voicemail or send an email that says, “Call me back, and I’ll tell you what time we can meet.” Just say, “Tuesday, 10:00 am, at your office.”
Finally, I absolutely agree with his concluding comment. Go, read it. Then come back here and tell me which of his points you find compelling.
Comments
Prof,
I think you don't understand the point of his essay. Specifically, #4 isn't telling students NOT to go to office hours or to work in study groups. It's telling them that in the real world, you can't go to office hours or a study group to find an answer to your question, so you better be able to figure stuff out on your own.
Even in the real world, help is available. You rely on colleagues within your organization, superiors, experts with your field, and the network of people you build up throughout your career. It is rare that no support is available when needed.I did not attend Case, as I have an engineering degree from University of Akron and a Master in Library & Informtion Science from Kent State University. In my experience, group work was highly emphasized in my programs as employers are telling schools that students are having trouble working in teams. Here at Case, I supsect teamwork is pushed as well, based on the questions I receive in the library.
"How to figure out anything on your own."
By far the most worthwhile skill to acquire.
Another I would add to his list:
"They don't hand out grades. You always have to wonder how well you really did."
As a corollary to that lesson:
"You'll spend a lot of time convincing others that what you did is actually good."
In addition to voicemail, I would also clarify that in e-mail one should include a descriptive subject line as well as a signature with one's name and contact information. I rec'd an e-mail the other day that I almost pitched because the subj. was "to whom it may concern." Imagine my surprise when the message included a legitimate Web-related question.
I also agreed with point 10. If one is too critical of the freeloaders one can get a reputation as a complainer, and if said people rise above, you'll be a target. This doesn't mean that such behavior must go unchecked. One can do the opposite and praise those who put in the most effort, making it clear both to the boss and to these team members that their input was valuable.
In the long run the powers that be will notice that A and B are always complimented and we just don't hear much about C.
wow, what a bevy of comments on this post! Here are my responses:
Sameer, I think that Guy is implicitly putting students who make use of office hours down, and arguing that struggling through difficult tasks individually is always the best way to go. My contention is that he is forgetting about the value of strategic networking. Sometimes you can save yourself 10 hours of work if you know the right person to call, who can advise you how to complete a challenging or unusual request quickly.
Brian said it well -- even in the real world, doing everything by yourself is not always the best way to go. Learning to work well in teams is a key skill, as I am repeatedly reminded when I talk to the companies who visit campus to recruit our newest graduates.
Jeremy -- see above. I agree that this is an important skill, since no one can wear out their networks by constantly relying on others to get work tasks accomplished and still expect to have good relationships with others at work. However, I think that there are plenty of people out there who are willing to work ridiculous hours to figure out tasks on their own, and far fewer who have developed skill in figuring out who to consult, and when, in order to accomplish key tasks efficiently. After all, look how many people responded to Guy's challenge about syncing his contacts with his phone? Being able to get the work done on your own may not be enough to distinguish yourself from other, equally intelligent and diligent, job candidates.
I agree that the ability to convince others that what you have done is of worthwhile quality is another key skill. Perhaps we should write another 13 tips for students, and suggest that Guy up his list from 12 to 25? :-)
Heidi, I could not agree more about the importance of learning email etiquette. I have received many frustrating emails from rising sophomores this summer, stating their need to get an override for my course... sigh.
And I absolutely agree that it is valuable to learn how to send signals about the low performance of freeloaders in subtle ways. I also think it's really important to learn how to confront freeloaders directly, at an early enough stage in the process that they have a chance to change their level of contribution to the team. Of course, those confrontations should be 1) private, 2) phrased in concrete, behavioral examples, and 3) diplomatic.
I have definitely learned, as a professor, how important it is to listen for the absence of praise when I am trying to figure out if a team is having any difficulties working together on one of my course assignments.