occasionally I see on my LinkedIn App that someone has sent me a voice message. When I see these it’s like do I want to listen? What if they sound strange, incoherent, or like serial killers? They never do. Rather, it’s awesome to hear their voices.

• 

I’ve tried sending voice messages but it doesn’t go as smoothly as I’d like. I forget that it’s not like using voice command on my phone (in lieu of texting).

Using voice messaging on LinkedIn’s app usually goes like this: “Hi, comma.” Oh crap, don’t say, “Comma.” Try again.

“Hi Jason (pause) This is Bob (pause) It was great hearing your voice (pause) I’m more of a writing guy um (long pause) I guess I should have planned this voice message period.” Oh crap, you don’t say, “Period.”

The concept of leaving a voice message is cool, but it’s unnatural to me. I’ve used the feature probably 1% of the time I’ve messaged. Apparently I’m not the only LinkedIn user who doesn’t use voice messaging a great deal.

I decided to conduct a MONDAY POLL to see how frequently people use this feature. After one day of voting, it was obvious that the outlook wasn’t good. Sixty-nine percent of those who voted chose, “What’s voice messaging?” Only four percent said, “I use it a lot. Cool!”

Here are the results from 1,355 people who answered the poll:

• I use it a lot. 4%
• It’s cool I use it when I think about it. 5%
• I rarely use it. 22%
• What is voice messaging? 69%

People who took the poll had some things to say about voice messaging. There were those who weren’t too crazy about it, while others thought it was a neat feature. Surprisingly, those who like the feature were more outspoken about it–nine in favor vs. seven not in favor.

Not all that crazy about voice messaging

I’ve already given my opinion on voice messaging; it’s not a deal maker. So, let’s hear from other people who are not crazy about voice messaging and why they could go without.

Marie Zimenoff: Voice messaging is especially hard for those of us with young kids. “Who’s that?” “Mom, who are you talking to?” That’s all I hear if I try to listen or send one … all my voicemail goes to text so I can read instead of listen.

Marietta Gentles Crawford: I’ve used it when someone else has or maybe it’s a special message that’s more detailed but it’s not my first go-to response. As a writer/editor, there’s too much pressure to casually record in one shot! Lol

Kevin D. Turner: I actually prefer Video to Voice Messaging. Once in a while, its nice to add the extra personality or connectivity that these formats provide. How often, maybe 1 in 50. Keep Rocking LinkedIn!

WENDY SCHOEN: As far as I am concerned, #linkedin is great for all of the things it was originally intended for…job search, networking, social media. But it is terrible for the things it has decided it can also do…The same is true for voice messaging. If I wanted to leave a voice message, I would CALL you and leave one on your voice mail.

Sarah Johnston: Text is easier and faster to read. If you are making a request of someone, don’t send them 3 sixty-second voice texts. It can feel intrusive to the person on the receiving end.

Emily Lawson: I remember when it first came out and I actually sent Karen Tisdell one of my first messages. I love the personal aspect of it, but I don’t always think to use it.

Madeline Mann: Thanks for the voice message, Bob! It was great to hear your voice and the message was short. The thing I am not fond of with voice messages is when they are from people I don’t know. If we are not familiar, I want to be able to read your message to quickly understand what you are contacting me about. But with a friend like you, I am happy to hear your voice!

---

Like or even love voice messaging

Now let’s hear from some of the proponents of voice messaging:

🚀LoRen GReifF🚀: I would say I use it sparingly and since LinkedIn is all about personal connections while even finding scalable personalization solutions, it’s quick,easy and even fun. It can also serve as a strong differentiator to stand a part from the sea of texts 🚀Thanks for the mention : )

Dorothy Dalton: I like it and find it helpful to contact existing connections. In lock down I find it’s more personal. I don’t use it with people I don’t know in case they think it’s odd. I have no evidence to support that assumption- just a feeling! They might be totally fine with it!

Tara Orchard: I advise my clients that voice and video can be a nice way to change up how you contact and follow up with people. Leaving a voice or video can be a way to humanize yourself when you have been trying to connect or reconnect with someone. The down side, you are using up more of the other person’s time and perhaps energy as it takes longer to listen or watch compared to reading a brief text.

Lotte Struwing, CHRL, CCP, CBP, CCS, CRS: I just discovered this on LI but you reminded me of how often I leave voice texts and it is so normal to say, comma, period etc. When I leave voice mails on the phone I say comma, period etc. and by the end of the voice mail, I am laughing on the phone……Between two worlds!

Karen Tisdell: Ha! This made me laugh out aloud. I hear you Bob! It has taken me ages to be a voice message person and stop verbalizing the commas as I speak. I can’t imagine ever being a video person. I use the voice feature a lot now though, and advocate for others to use it because in a world of chatbots and (YUCK) LinkedIn automation, a voice message is likely more trusted… Thanks for the mention and for making me laugh.

Sweta Regmi: I have been using it from day one and love it! Reason- I feel more connected through voice and articulate better. Saves time too. I wish LinkedIn give us more than 1 min.

Ana Lokotkova: I’m so glad you brought this up Bob! I love using voice messaging on LinkedIn. It feels more personal and also allows me to do a better job at responding to messages on the go.

Thomas Powner: I use it often, but after I’ve had some prior verbal interaction with the person. For me, using it with people I have not met can come off a little creepy; that might just be me; what do others think?

Sonal Bahl Love, love voice texts and use them a lot. A lot! The response I receive almost 99% of the time: “I didn’t know you could do that!!” In lock down, like Dorothy mentioned, I find it more personable and not intrusive at all. Unless someone is trying to sell something, I can smell that from a mile away.

---

You might be wondering why there are more people who were outspoken about their excitement of voice messaging. So am I, given that a combined 9% use it regularly or when they think of it.

What strikes me is the statement from Ana Lokotkova: “I love using voice messaging on LinkedIn. It feels more personal and also allows me to do a better job at responding to messages on the go.”

This makes me think that I should be using it more often. It is more personal than plain text and it allows listeners to hear the tone of your voice, which is something that’s missing from email and other written verbiage.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com