Division of Student Administration

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1 RESOURCE DOC: DSA-RD6- Etiquette Guide for DSA Staff PURPOSE The purpose of this resource document is to outline a guide for appropriate etiquette. The source of this document was: Etiquette Paper by Narelle Marr - extract on etiquette from Workplace Writing workshop manual. Outlook Help Admin Focus 2008 Conquering Overload (Presenter Sandy Boyd) SUMMARY Ccing may not guarantee an outcome on your . Ccing admissions@, dsa@ or dso@ may create duplication, is their inclusion necessary? ie. is the information already in BDMS? Correspondence about students should include the student number in the subject line as a minimum Be mindful of what you write, how you write and when you write - once in writing it is difficult to retract or meaningfully clarify TEAMS / STAFF INVOLVED All DETAILS In field [To:] When placing a person s address in the [To] field, you are expecting them to take action on the message. If the has no action expected by any recipient, then place For Information in the subject line. Check your distribution list before each mailing, to be sure the message reaches all intended primary and secondary readers but no unintended ones. Choose your recipients carefully; don t overload people with information that they don t need. Be aware - when sending an , some people place all the addresses in the [To] field. There are two drawbacks to this practice: ID No. RD6 Page 1 of 10

2 (1) the recipient knows that you have sent the same message to a large number of recipients, and (2) you are publicising someone else's address without their permission. Only use [Reply to All] if you really need your message to be seen by each person who received the original message. s to all CSU Staff may only be sent under direction of the Vice-Chancellor use WN&N in first instance as there is an urgent message option that will allow the message to be assessed. [Cc:] (Carbon Copy) There is a general understanding that if a recipient is included in this line there is no action required, by the recipient and that the is there merely for information. You should not necessarily expect anybody who is in the [Cc:] field to see the message as a high priority. Where action is required use the [To:] field a common mistake is to reply to an early with a person that was in the [cc:] field and then mention them in the text for an action. You should move them to the [To:] field. Also, when responding to a [Cc:] message, should you include the other recipient in the [Cc:] field as well? This will depend on the situation. In general, do not include the person in the [Cc:] field unless you have a particular reason for wanting this person to see your response. The primary recipient of the should be able to comprehend why others are included in the [Cc:]. If they would not know, it is appropriate to add to the footer of the message a comment that might include the title or function of the other addressees on more sensitive s. Again, make sure that this person will know why they are receiving a copy if they will not understand this, send the message, forward it and place the recipient in the [To:] and write a message. Remember when including somebody as a [Cc:], you are more often than not binding them into all the possible responses to your . Perhaps you would be better served by forwarding the message from your sent items. [Bcc:] (Blind Carbon Copy) This allows the sender to send a copy of the to someone without the primary recipient knowing about it. Use [Bcc:] when you are sending out a mass and do not wish each recipient to be able to view the entire list of recipients. By using Bcc this way you are protecting recipients addresses from being shared. ID No. RD6 Page 2 of 10

3 When using [Bcc:] be aware of the potential problems (1) Is the Sender trying to protect the privacy of their contacts by not exposing their addresses to others receiving the whom they may not know? [Good] (2) Is the Sender quietly letting others know of a conversation with someone else without the recipient s knowledge? [Questionable] (3) Does the recipient of the [Bcc:] know not to respond back to everybody, thus indicating that you have blind copied them? [Potentially embarrassing] Subject Line Clearly summarise your message. Indicate action required ie. approval, for information etc. Some examples are: For your comment Draft Guidelines For your approval Letter to Professor J. Smith For your decision J. Smith HECS Review due 1/1/2015 Remember, it is good practice to show any due by date. Use a clear subject line to identify your topic (eg. Subject: T123456, L Pike 2/2/12-5/2/12 approval required). This helps recipients decide whether to read the message immediately, and makes it easier to file and retrieve for later reference. Some people use the subject line to send a short message and the body has no text. When doing this, place write EOM (end of message) at the end of the subject line so that the recipient knows that there is no body text and there is no error in the . s sent to dsa@csu.edu.au, must use subject line matrix and should be specific, including student ID and if related to Talisma interaction include tracking number Refer to Appendix 1. Reminders Send a message with a reminder for the recipient to follow up If you want to encourage others to respond to a message, you can send a reminder for the recipients with a flagged message. Use discretion when you send reminders to other people. Some recipients might not appreciate having reminders activated while they work. Send a message with a reminder for yourself to follow up If you need to follow up on a message that you are sending, take action on a message or you want to remember to look for responses, set a reminder in a new message before you send it. Refer to Appendix 2. ID No. RD6 Page 3 of 10

4 Content Guide Keep message short and focused. Do not write in CAPITAL LETTERS. Capital letters are used for emphasis, and are considered equivalent to SHOUTING, and it is difficult to read. Unless you are concurrently in verbal communication with somebody, don t send an attachment as the only part of an there should be a message stating what is in the attachment such as Please find attached a letter from Dr Doctor that indicates that the next assessment date will be 5 October Don t write anything you wouldn t say in public. It is easy for recipients to forward messages to others, which could leave you in an embarrassing position if you divulge personal or confidential information. Assume your correspondence is permanent and could be read by anyone at any time. Ask yourself whether you ve written anything you couldn t say to another person face-to-face. Watch what you write companies have the right to search their company mailboxes and monitor electronic communications. Avoid using to send confidential information, eg. employee evaluations, criticism of people, proprietary information, or anything that warrants privacy as soon as the is sent, you have no control over how it is used. Refer clearly to the message to which you are responding (eg. Here are the Project 16 Beta test data you requested on 10 October ). Eliminate sexist language from your . Use a conversational but courteous tone. Use humour with care as it is easily misinterpreted. Emoticons ( emotion + icon ) or smileys are sometimes used to reinforce the tone of a message and to avoid misinterpretation. Tilt your head to the left to see the face. Do not overuse them. Examples of popular emoticons are: :-) happy, having fun or making a joke; ;-) winking or a tongue-in-cheek comment; :-( sad or disappointed; :-< mad; :-o surprised; :-D laughing; :-@ screaming; :-l indifferent. ID No. RD6 Page 4 of 10

5 Alternatively, you can specify what you are doing or feeling, through the use of brackets, double colons or a reverse arrow. For example: (joking) ::Just kidding:: <--- laughing Avoid using all lower-case letters. Limit your message to a single topic, and keep the whole thing focused and concise. Your Rethink Rule delay send time Sometimes it s easy to answer an in anger. Or click send before you remember to put that attachment on. Why not create a re-think rule? Delay the actual physical sending your for 5-10 minutes after you send it. Select Check messages after sending - Select Next. Select on this machine only. Select Next. Select defer delivery by a number of minutes. Select the number of minutes. Signature Block Mandatory Name Position/office Address including Australia or Ontario Phone number (international) (update your hyperlink) University url: Allowed Fax (located after Phone number) Unit url (after name) Social media icon links: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Not allowed Different fonts or colours Personal designs Coloured/patterned backgrounds Personal and motivational statements or quotations ID No. RD6 Page 5 of 10

6 The official disclaimer is all the content from the CSU logo to the environmental message. This will be added automatically on sending to external addresses. Note: A template for the signature is available at: CSU Signature Our brand is designed to look as consistent on screen as in print. Therefore the same elements such as typography and colours outlined below should be applied to our signature. A template for signatures has been created and should be used by all staff of the University. To preserve legibility and visual integrity, please ensure the following styles are applied. Please contact the CSU Division of Marketing for further assistance. Name: Arial Bold, 9pt Position/Office and address details: Arial, 9pt Website: Arial Bold, 9pt Social media links Arial 9pt Managing Capacity Using Folders Use the Inbox as your filing cabinet create folders and subfolders and get organised Drag and drop read s into the folders Order folders differently to alphabetically example, 1Newsletters; 2Tasks How To Create a New Folder Click File Menu Select New Select Folder Type in name of folder Example of using a folder file an as you compose it. Compose a new and enter message details Go to Options tab in the Ribbon Click on Save Sent Item ID No. RD6 Page 6 of 10

7 Click on Other Folder This opens a dialog box of your list of folders After selecting the relevant folder to file your , click send. Your is filed in the folder instead of Sent Items folder. Saving Replies with Original Message After an incoming message is filed in a folder, set up an option for replies to automatically be filed with the original message. This saves time in filing later. Go to Tools Menu, Options Click on Preferences Click on Options Click on Advanced Options Tick the checkbox for In folders other than the Inbox, save replies with original message Click OK. Using Archiving CSU servers have a limit for storing staff s. DIT have a webpage outlining the storage limits, how to check what space you are using, and tips about how to archive in Outlook. The webpage explains how to set up a separate PST file, move s across, and save to a CD or DVD. Go to: You must be aware the CSU s records management requirements before removing s. This is outlined on DIT webpage Generally, it is best to archive by a set amount of time Benefits of archiving - record keeping; reduce size of Outlook files; program opens faster; removes clutter and is automatic. Using Auto Preview Opening every wastes time. Reduce the time it takes to double click and open and read each . How To set up AutoPreview AutoPreview displays the first three lines of . Click View Menu Click AutoPreview ID No. RD6 Page 7 of 10

8 How To AutoPreview unread s Click View Menu Click Current View Click Customize Current View Click Other Settings Click Preview unread items. Using Rules Create rules to look at and organise incoming or outgoing s and perform actions you specify that match conditions you set Rules can look at s from: A certain address s not directly addressed to you Certain words in the subject line or the body of the A Few Suggestions: Move s into newsletter folders and subfolders Bookings into travel, car or DIT folders Forward s on to staff responsible for following up an action Organise s on different subjects or committees you belong to and move them to a specified folder Delay sending an by a certain amount of time Move s not directly addressed to you into specific folders Move s with your address in cc or bcc into a cc or bcc folder Move s from specific divisions to their respective folder Meeting requests or responses into a separate folder from your line manager popping up in an alert box New s are indicated in the Inbox folder by the word Inbox becoming bold with a blue number next to it. This follows for all subfolders in the Inbox RESOURCES Use Guidelines Best Practice - CSU Policy Library ID No. RD6 Page 8 of 10

9 APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Subject line for s from Schools to Talisma Subject line for s from Schools to dsa@csu.edu.au (Talisma) This will enable us to refine our searches in Talisma and find forms easily. Subject line Form Examples COG student number Change of grade COG MCOG Multiple Change of grade SpC student number Special Consideration SpC ROG student number Review of Grade ROG CT student number Course Transfer CT CR student number Credit Application CR EV student number Enrolment Variation EV WP student number Waiver Pre-Requisites WP Combinations - We would prefer one per student however if combinations are sent here are some suggestions COG 5 students 5 Change of Grade forms COG ROG Change of Grade and a Review of Grade ( 2 different students) CT and CR Course Transfer and Credit for one student EV 2 students Enrolment Variation for 2 students MCOG 2 subjects 2 Multiple Change of Grade Forms (2 different subjects) ID No. RD6 Page 9 of 10

10 Appendix 2 How to Set Reminders (for Recipient/Yourself) - Recipient In a new message, on the Message tab, in the Options group, click Follow Up. 1. On the Follow Up menu, click Add Reminder, select Flag for Recipients. 2. In the Flag for Recipients section, to choose the type of reminder (Follow Up is the default), select the flag that you want in the Flag to list. For example, you can choose a phrase to go with the reminder - Call, Do not Forward, Follow up, For Your Information, Forward, No Response Necessary, Read, Reply, Reply to All or Review. This information appears in the InfoBar in the message. 4. Select a date and time in the lists next to the Reminder check box. After you select the date and time, the reminder also appears in the InfoBar. - Yourself 1. In the new message, on the Message tab, in the Options group, click Follow Up. 2. On the Follow Up menu, click Add Reminder. 3. To choose the type of reminder, select one from the Flag to list. For example, you can choose a phrase to go with the reminder, such as Call, Do not Forward, For Your Information, or Review. This information appears in the InfoBar in the message. 4. Select a date and time in the lists next to the Reminder check box. After you select the date and time, the reminder also appears in the InfoBar. To change the default reminder sound, click sound check box if it is not selected. and browse to a sound file. Select the Play this TABLE OF AMENDMENTS Version number Date Short description of amendment Amendment Requested by 3.00 March 2017 Updated links, reformatting, updated content 2.00 July 2015 Reformatting & Navigation Panel added 1.00 Sept 2013 First Version ID No. RD6 Page 10 of 10