Page 19 - Style Book 2020

E-MAIL ETIQUETTE Don’t:
Do:
• Review messages before you send them to make sure you are really saying what you want to say.
• Be polite. Terseness can be mistaken for hostility. • Give correspondents the benefit of the doubt;
don’t assume the worst.
• Be patient with inexperienced e-mail users.
• Include the portion of the message you’re referencing in your reply. People often forget the original context.
• Put your name and office or school and phone number on your message so the recipient won’t have to look it up or wonder who sent it.
• Enjoy and use responsibly the e-mail resources available to you as a member of the Brevard Public Schools community.
• Send a message when you’re angry; cool down, look at the message again, and then decide whether you really want to send it.
• Copy an entire, large message in your response just to add a line or two of commentary.
• Reply to “all recipients” unless they all need to see your reply. • Type in all capital letters; this is SHOUTING and is
considered RUDE.
• Send chain letters or messages. It violates School Board policy and may even violate federal law.
• Edit quoted messages to change the overall meaning. • Say anything in an e-mail message that you would not
want to read on the front page of the local newspaper.
Remember, e-mail is considered official correspondence and is subject to the Florida Public Records Law.
18
TELEPHONE AND VOICE MAIL ETIQUETTE
The telephone is the first significant contact many people have with our school district. Your voice over the phone may be the first or only impression a person receives of you and of our organization. So obviously it’s an important image builder and a powerful medium for building good relations and trust. Listed below are ways to use the telephone effectively:
• Answer incoming calls quickly.
• Always identify yourself (Good Morning/Afternoon. This is
Susan Smith in Accounting Services. May I help you?).
• Smile (it makes your voice brighter and more pleasant).
• Speak clearly and distinctly.
• Use simple, uncomplicated language.
• Listen actively - your time is limited on the phone.
• Learn to listen to others without interrupting them.
• Be helpful. Don’t just refer the caller to someone else. If you don’t know the answer to their question, find out the informa-
tion and call them back with the answer. • Always return calls (within 24 hours).
Provide Total Phone Coverage
• When you are not available, program your phone to a co-worker when possible.
• Use messaging sparingly. Many people hate to talk to a machine.
• If you must use voice mail, see the information below.
In addition, when you ask people to leave messages, retrieve and return your messages promptly. Secretaries should retrieve messages when co-workers are not available.
Recorded Greetings
• It is important that you record and activate your personal greeting on the voice mail system. When your extension is called and you are unavailable, the caller will have confirma- tion that the correct mailbox has been reached and will have a more positive experience with our system.
Example: “You have reached the desk of Debra Foley in the Office of Government and Community Relations. Please leave a message at the tone and I will return your call. If you need help immediately, please dial 3416. Thank you for calling.”