If you’ve ever called someone, unexpectedly received their voicemail greeting, and then stumbled through a rambling message that was truly cringeworthy, then you know how embarrassing it is to be unprepared on a call. While stammering through a voice message to your grandmother is not ideal, at least you know Nana will always forgive you—and will simply think you’re totally adorable, no matter how klutzy you may sound.

However, doing it in a work setting can be embarrassing—and possibly damaging to your professional image. If you develop a reputation for leaving amateurish messages for your co-workers, you lose credibility; and if you leave an awkward, ill-prepared message for a customer or client, you could lose a sale, or maybe even the client. In a world where customers have dozens, if not hundreds, of potential vendors and service providers just a click away online, why take a chance on looking unprofessional?

Gen Xers and Gen Zs don’t love the phone

I do a lot of speaking around the country at colleges and universities, and I’ve gotten to know the Millennial Generation pretty well. (By the way, I love Gen Xers and I even wrote an article for Entrepreneur, defending Gen X against the slings and arrows of public opinion. But that’s another story…) From listening to the concerns of my audiences, I know that from the mid-20’s age range on down to Generation Z, these groups generally dislike talking on the phone—they’re much more comfortable sending texts. Therefore, when they must call someone in a business capacity, many Gen Xers and Gen Zs actually get knots in their stomachs from becoming nervous. If you’re in that group (or know someone in that group, like a son, daughter, sister or brother) send them a link to this post and let’s see if we can ease that stress.

Here are a few tips for leaving professional and courteous phone messages that will be well received—and happily returned.

1. Plan it out

Before you pick up the phone, pause for a second and do a mini-rehearsal (either in your head, or aloud, if you can manage it without bothering your co-workers). Narrow down the purpose of your call to one or two sentences. More than 50% of calls go to voicemail, so formulate what you’ll say if the person you’re calling doesn’t pick up. You should be prepared to leave a concise voicemail message that states your purpose and doesn’t waste anyone’s time.

2. Always, always, always introduce yourself first

Begin every voicemail message by introducing yourself (even if you’ve spoken many times before), so the recipient immediately knows who’s calling. It should include your full name and company name. Example: “This is Lucia Garcia from Datapro Engineering, calling for Timothy Sutton, regarding your recent order.”

Make sure you know how to pronounce the name of the person you are calling; you don’t want to insult them before you’ve even spoken with them. Here are a few suggestions on how to do it, provided in an excellent article from themuse.com.

3. Speak normally—but with a couple modifications

Speak slowly enough so the person receiving the message can hear every word—for many people, this may be a bit slower than your normal pace. It’s very frustrating when you go to retrieve a message, only to find that the other person is speaking too quickly to be understood. You’re forced to re-listen to the message, sometimes over and over, until you can comprehend everything correctly—which is obviously a time-waster. And make sure if you’re leaving a callback number, you repeat it twice (both times, slowly) so the person can jot it down. Furthermore, speak loudly enough for your voice to be picked up in the recording, but not so loud that the person retrieving the message has to turn down the volume on their phone. The goal is to create a pleasant, easy-to-listen-to message that the other person will be glad to receive.

4. Speak clearly into the phone

Speak directly into the mouthpiece of your telephone in a clear and adequately modulated tone of voice. Don’t hold the phone between your cheek and shoulder so that the mouthpiece is positioned by your neck. That’s fine while you’re dialing or while the phone is ringing on the other end, but not once you’re connected—you’ll sound like you’re mumbling inside of a tunnel! And if your job entails making a lot of calls, make your life easier by using a hands-free headset. The better ones are designed to carry your voice more sharply and loudly than a regular telephone receiver.

5. Be brief

Don’t try to jam every detail of your message into a voicemail. State your name and callback number, your reason for calling them (briefly), tell them either that you will call them back (and when), or that you would like a call back at their convenience. Alternatively, if you’re working on a time-sensitive project, you can give them a deadline to call you back. (Pro tip: make sure to give yourself enough time to do something with the information you need from them when setting their deadline.)

Remember that most corporate phone systems have a one- to two-minute time limit for leaving messages before cutting you off—an excellent reason to keep it short and succinct. Also, most of them give you the option of listening to your message again before sending it on, so take advantage of this option and listen to yourself. This will give you a chance to hear what you sounded like (you might be surprised!), and usually provides the option of deleting the current message and re-recording a new one to correct any mistakes or omissions you made.

6. Don’t end it like an airhead!

So you’ve just left a brilliantly brief and professional message and you’re ready to say goodbye and … your brain clicks off. What follows is an awkward silence, lots of “ummmms” and “errrrrs,” and then, instant dry mouth! You’ve just fumbled your way through a goodbye that would make a lovesick teenage boy asking a girl to a dance feel sorry for you. Don’t feel bad—it happens to the best of us.

Just like a professional business letter, end the voicemail by repeating your contact information. If the person is unfamiliar with you or might have trouble placing you, repeat your name and company along with the best way to reach you. If you already have a strong working relationship, you may be able to skip repeating your name, but still be sure to give them the best number to call you back, and what times you will be available. Then, just thank them for their time, say goodbye, and hang up.

7. If you are unsure they got your message, don’t panic

If you believe the voicemail system dropped your call before you were finished, try the call again and lead off by telling the person that you believe the system dropped your previous message.

Keep it brief. You don’t want to come across as a pest—or be cut off a second time. Just state your name again and leave your number, with a message such as, “I just wanted to be sure you got my message—it sounded like we were disconnected. Thanks!” Trust me … everyone who does business over the phone has had one or more of their phone calls magically disappear, and the recipient of a “Just wanted to be sure” message will completely understand your intentions.

Finally, if you are unsure or feeling nervous about leaving business messages, practice with a friend or colleague. Leave them a sample voicemail message and ask them for critique: are you speaking too quickly, too loudly, too softly, are you mumbling, are you forgetting essential information, or are you otherwise difficult to understand? (I mentor business students, and I often have them leave me practice business voice mails, which we review in our monthly meetings.) It might even be worth leaving yourself a voicemail to listen to how you sound.

Just don’t ask Nana for help. Even if you sound abominable, she’ll simply say that you sounded like an angel.