Another thing to avoid is calling someone when you only have a couple of minutes to talk. It’s upsetting when someone calls and a couple of minutes later she says she’s reached her destination and has to go. Once again it doesn’t make the person being called feel respected.
Please don’t call someone when you have distractions. For example it’s so frustrating when you’re trying to have a conversation with someone and they’re talking to their children or spouse at the same time. I’m going to say this one especially for men because many of us seem to lack the ability to focus on two things at once like some women can do, but try not to multi-task when you’re on the phone (like watching TV); as it’s not fair to the person on the other end of the line. I definitely know I can’t do two things at once successfully; I only hear half of what the other person says and it has burned me several times because I missed something important.
Whether it’s an email or voicemail please make it as short as possible. I’ve had messages on my voicemail that dragged on and on and it drives me crazy. I stop paying attention to the message after a while and figure all just call the person back and get the information. It's the same thing with a long email as I end up just skimming it. With today’s crazy lifestyles you can communicate more effectively if you get to your point as quickly as possible.
There’s certainly other things but let me wrap up with this; when you call someone ask if it's an okay time to talk. Some people call and jump right in to the conversation and the other person isn’t really hearing anything because she’s busy doing something. Most people try to listen for a break in the person's talking so they can interrupt to say they'll have to call back. It’s a lot more respectful to check with the person you’re calling to see if it’s a good time to talk. Believe me she’ll appreciate it.