Communication Etiquette Guidelines

Providing tools and platforms for allowing communication is more essential now than ever before to assist with the sharing of information and ideas, building relationships, and feeling engaged at Lambton College. However, we understand that adding additional tools also has an impact on your work at the College. We are hoping that these communication etiquette tips will assist everyone with navigating the tools available for communication. 

Email

Good old trusty email!  This is most likely your primary form of communication and what you are most used to. It still works great and is an amazing tool for communicating with people outside the organization. 

• Be concise and to the point – please be considerate of other people’s time.
• Beware of legal implications – choose your wording carefully and remember that it could be forwarded to recipients you did not intend.  Anything in writing is also potentially accessible if requested under Freedom of Information legislation. 
• Do not overuse Reply All – you may be adding to the large volume of email that people are receiving. Reply to the people that need to see the message.
• Use Automatic replies – great for going on vacation and letting people know who they should contact. Note that this carries through to Microsoft Teams.  Remember to turn it off when you are back to work!
• Use a meaningful subject – this helps to ensure your message gets the appropriate attention and can easily be filed.  It is often helpful to note “Action Required” in the subject line if appropriate. 

Microsoft Teams

With the need for increased collaboration, we started the journey of implementing Microsoft Teams in late 2018. Although a relatively new platform, Microsoft Teams is the fastest growing application in Microsoft’s history. Options exist for Team discussions, Chat, Video Calls, Audio Calls. If you would like to learn more, sign up for a PD Session!

• Check the status – Teams will display the status of the individual you are communicating with by putting a small circle next to their initials/picture. See that someone is in a meeting or presenting? Maybe don’t video call them. Decide how you are going to reach out to them based on their status and message accordingly. 
• Quick chat – great way to get a quick response without having to be as formal as you might in an email. You can bring additional people into the conversation by adding them at any point.  Remember that chats can be disruptive – so try to use them judiciously. 
• Video/Audio calls – great way to reach out to people to discuss an item, and the closest thing most of us have these days to actually connecting! When not talking, you should mute yourself to cut down on any background noise. 
• Team Channels – great way to share information or collaborate with your Team. Please be aware of what channel you are in and use the @ to mention or notify the channel or individuals.
• Reactions – are great to use for acknowledging a message and keeping work on task. 

Jira

Given the need for some Departments to manage workload and provide a more streamlined approach to tasks, we have started to implement Jira across the College to areas that can make use of this tool. Jira allows work to be scheduled and provides updates to customers on the work being done. If you need to submit a request to these departments, please utilize their Jira portal.

• Facilities (https://lambtoncollege.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/13)
• IT (https://lambtoncollege.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/9)
• Marketing (https://lambtoncollege.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/8)
• Human Resources (https://lambtoncollege.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/11)
• School of Technology & Trades (https://lambtoncollege.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/12)

The other benefit of Jira is that you will be able to see the status of any work order(s) at any time: https://lambtoncollege.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/user/requests?page=1&reporter=all&statuses=open