
I am a huge voice memo fan. I've been one for three years now, and I intend on using it forever. Just this morning, I sent a 57-second voice memo to my friend Lyla. It was a quick audio postcard, wishing her a great day and letting her know she crossed my mind and updating her on my family and inquiring on hers and her new job.
With voice memos, you get all of the benefits of a phone call: the warmth of the person's voice and inflection--without the downfalls of the phone call: having to be on the phone at the same time as the other person. It's an incredibly efficient method of communicating, when used properly. Like all things, there is an unspoken etiquette when implementing a voice memo. I shall speak it now.
Think about what you want to say before recording.
You don't have to write out a script before you click record, but please have a mental outline of what you're going to say. The highlights, the talking points. Nobody likes hearing "um," "like," and "so..." on repeat.
No pauses.
If you lose your train of thought, stop recording. You can send another voice memo when you remember. You should always keep this in mind: there will be another person listening to your voice memo at a later time. It's rude to make the other person wait.
Keep your memo below 4 minutes.
I'm being extremely liberal here. Most people won't tolerate voice memos longer than a minute. But I'm a patient(ish) person by nature. That being said, you HAVE to break up a voice memo if it's going to be longer than four minutes. Your recipient is a busy person. They have other things to attend to. If they take a break in your voice memo, they should be able to pick it up easily.
NO IMPORTANT INFORMATION OVER VOICE MEMO!
I really believe in this. If you are using voice memo to go over dates, times, information with specifics, it MUST be typed out. This is not optional. Do not make your recipient listen to your voice memo multiple times to find details that should be in text form.
Consider your environs.
If it's loud where you are, it will be loud on the voice memo. If you have to yell into your phone, it will be unbearable on the voice memo. Be considerate. Use common sense.
If the voice memo could be a text, let it be a text.
This is similar to #4 in that some things need to be a text, like pertinent information. If you're meeting someone for dinner, the suggested time shouldn't be in a voice memo. It should be in text form. Anything that is a request should be in text form. It should be easily glance-able.
This point also speaks to the fact that you should always ask yourself before recording a voice note--do I absolutely need to say what I'm about to say, or can I just type it? Texts will always be faster for your recipient to digest. But will your text relay all of the color of the conent? It depends. Be judicious in your memo'ing.
No chewing.
Do not send voice memos while you're eating. I guarantee whatever you want to say with food in your mouth is not worth it, and I don't want to hear it. Also, did your mother never tell you that you should chew with your mouth closed?
Think about your relationship with the recipient.
Text messages are abstract. They are words on a screen on a blue or green background of a little conversation bubble. You can text anyone. Meanwhile, voice memos personalize and humanize the sender. You may love voice memos, but does everyone deserve your voice memo? There's a certain level of intimacy with a voice memos. What I'm trying to say here is that it might be jarring for someone who you don't know very well to receive a voice memo from you. They may not be ready to take the relationship there. He who cast the first voice memo ushers the relationship into a more intimate space. Are you ready to get that up close and personal?
And to conclude, none of these rules apply to my friend Jill Rice whose voice memos I love unconditionally. She can send me anything she wants.
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