Attachments and a professional tone

To share a file, Microsoft’s basic Outlook page (opened 10 November 2026) says you can attach it to your message. You can also attach other Outlook items, such as messages, contacts, or tasks, but this lesson stays with an everyday file.

Start a new message, or open an existing one and choose Reply, Reply All, or Forward. In the message window, choose Message > Attach File. Then pick the file you want. Give the message a clear subject that mentions the file if that helps the reader, such as “Saturday market — chair-count list attached.” Write one sentence in the body that says what the file is and what you want the person to do with it. An empty message with only an attachment can look unfinished or, later, suspicious.

Microsoft also notes on its writing-advice page that sending a link can be better than sending a file when your workplace already stores the document in a shared place. This course still teaches Attach File for a file that lives on your computer. If staff ask you to use a shared folder instead, follow that workplace rule.

When someone sends you a file, you can open it from the reading pane or from an open message. Microsoft says that, depending on your version, there may be more than one way to open it, and that double-clicking the attachment is one way. After you view it, you can save it. Choose the attachment, then on the Attachments tab, in the Actions group, choose Save As. You can also right-click the attachment and choose Save As. If there is more than one file, Microsoft says you can save them as a group or one at a time.

Save practice files in the folder your tutor or library staff named, with a clear name such as saturday-chairs-practice. Do not type a password, a Social Insurance Number, or other private numbers into a file on a shared computer.

Open unexpected attachments with care. A file you were not waiting for — especially one that asks you to “enable macros,” enter a password, or visit a strange link — is a warning sign, not a homework task. Lesson 6 covers junk and phishing, and *Email & Online Safety Basics in Canada* goes further. Today’s rule is simple: if you were not expecting the file, do not open it just to see what happens. Ask staff or your tutor. Reply and Forward treat attachments differently, as you learned in Lesson 3: Reply does not send the original files back, and Forward does.

A signature is a short block of text that can appear at the bottom of your messages. Microsoft says signatures can include text, images, an electronic business card, a logo, or even a picture of a handwritten signature. For workplace mail, less is better. Microsoft’s writing-advice page says to use a signature when it is appropriate, and to keep it simple, short, professional, and, if possible, free of graphics.

To create one, Microsoft’s basic page says: in a new message, choose Signature > Signatures. On the Email Signature tab, choose New, type a name, and choose OK. Under Choose default signature, pick the account, then choose whether the signature is added automatically to new messages and, separately, to replies and forwards. The default for those lists can be (none). Under Edit signature, type the text, then choose OK. To add a signature by hand, choose Signature in a new message and pick the name you created.

A good practice signature for this course is two or three lines: your name, your role, and the organization — for example, “Alex Rivera, Weekend volunteer, Sampletown Community Centre.” Leave out large logos, colourful quotations, and personal slogans. Those can distract the reader and may not display well on a phone.

Microsoft’s writing-advice page (opened 10 November 2026) is a list of professional do’s and don’ts. You already practised some of them in Lesson 2: read the message before you send it, write a descriptive subject, keep the note short, put the most important point first, and put questions on their own lines.

Add these tone habits today. Do not send a message while you are angry. Microsoft says it is better to write it, save it to your Drafts folder, and come back later. Do not write in ALL CAPS — it can look like shouting. Do not use sarcasm, because your humour may be misunderstood. Do not write something you would not want everyone at your workplace to read; you never know where a message might end up. Do not put your manager on every message you send. Do not mark every message High Importance, or people will learn to ignore the mark.

If you cannot give a full answer yet, send a short note that you are looking into the issue and will reply by a certain time. Flag the message for yourself if you need a reminder (Lesson 5). If a conversation has more than about ten messages without a resolution, Microsoft says to consider a call or a meeting. Email is not always the best tool for a tangled problem, and it is not the best tool when you need an immediate answer.

Use the tone checklist practice file as you reread. It turns Microsoft’s advice into boxes you can tick. Canadian spelling still matters: write *centre* and *colour* in the body, and keep the greeting and closing polite and plain.

1. Download the tone checklist.
2. Start a new practice message. Choose Message > Attach File and attach a harmless practice file (a short text file you create is enough).
3. Write one sentence in the body that names the file and what the reader should do.
4. Create a simple signature (Signature > Signatures > New) with your practice name and role. Keep it short and free of large graphics.
5. Read the checklist. Tick every box that applies before you send.
6. If a sample file arrives that you were not expecting, do not open it — ask a tutor.
7. Use a practice account only. Never type a real workplace password into this course.

If you are in a study group: read one sentence that sounds sharp and rewrite it so it stays honest but professional. Check it against the tone checklist.