When you are engaged in a communication or sending a message, always concentrate 100% of your attention on that task alone until it is finished. Trying to do two things at the same time, such as checking your e-mail while you are on the phone, slows you down, causes mistakes, and divides your concentration.

Observing good manners and being considerate of others is just as important in using the telephone as they are with any face-to-face meetings. When you are on the phone, you are projecting a personal image by what you say and the tone you use, even in the way you leave messages for people not there. The first impression you make with any phone contact is likely to leave a lasting impression with that person.

To make a positive, professional impression, follow these recommendations regarding placing telephone calls:

Keep these points in mind concerning taking calls:

Here are some suggestions regarding phone messages:

Your manners on the telephone are important. Always be courteous and professional by practising the following principles:

Observe these points concerning telephone calls and meetings:

One final point of caution — whenever you are dealing with anyone on the phone about a business transaction or real estate matter and that person is an agent, broker or middleperson who may receive a fee from the transaction, always be careful about what you say, agree to do, or authorize. Afterwards, carefully document in writing exactly what was said and the date and time of your conversation. The same applies to any meetings where such matters are discussed. Share your notes soon afterwards with your colleagues so everyone is aware of what transpired and has an opportunity to add or object to what was covered.

Since it has become relatively easy to send documents via e-mail or cell phones, the use of fax messages has significantly declined. Faxes are, however, still ideally suited to sending detailed information, documents and printed material that cannot be sent by e-mail or cell phones because of their confidentiality or length but need to be received right away. Faxes can also be used for sending and returning agreements and contracts that need to be signed. As e-mail recipients become more hesitant about opening any e-mail attachments, fax usage will continue albeit much less frequently.

Unless you know someone is standing by the fax machine waiting to receive your document, always use a standard cover page with all faxed messages. The cover page should have the recipient’s name on it [To: Barbara Jones] and contain your name, your organization’s name and all of your contact information, including mailing address, phone number, fax number and e-mail address. The cover page should be dated, have a subject line and indicate the total number of pages being sent, including the cover page. In addition, the cover page should have a designated space for you to write a brief message to the recipient, including any action you are expecting to be taken with the faxed message, such as “Could you please get back to me re: the attached.”

When you are faxing anything of a confidential or sensitive nature to someone in an office where the fax machine is likely also used by other people, call the recipient beforehand so that individual has an opportunity to stand by the fax machine as your message is being received. If you mistakenly receive a fax intended for another person, send the fax either to that individual or back to the sender with a note saying you received it by error. You would appreciate the same treatment if this happened to you.

In the case of sending faxes of some importance, it is always a good idea to call the recipient afterwards to confirm that the person actually received your fax. This especially applies to larger organizations where the odds of your fax being misplaced are higher.

Increasingly, documents and other printed materials are being scanned for the purpose of sending them either in the body of an e-mail or as an attachment to an e-mail, including when signatures are required. This is replacing the use of faxes.