We’ve all posted something to the wrong location. While some mishaps can be worse than others, getting the right message to the correct team is critical. Every organization structures their Microsoft Teams environment to meet its specific needs, but the reality is some Teams and Channels are meant for specific groups for a reason.  
 
Here are a few tips to help ensure your message gets delivered to the right team: 

Use logos/graphics for Teams:

We like to use logos to help us quickly find and ensure we are posting to the right team. Adding a logo (or graphic) is simple. You can do this when creating a new Team or add it after! Simply click on “manage team” from the ellipses after the Team name, and you will see an edit button pop up over the Icon where you can upload a new image. 

Use Emojis to Communicate the Channel vibe: 

You can easily add emojis to your channel names to help direct users to the right location. We highly recommend naming the channel withOUT the emoji first and then going in to edit the channel name after to add it in. When you create a new channel in Teams, Microsoft automatically creates a corresponding SharePoint folder to store the documents for that channel. By naming the folder without the emoji, you ensure there aren’t any issues with the file naming convention, as currently, renaming a channel does not automatically update the folder name. Note, Microsoft is currently rolling out the update, which will ensure that SharePoint folders associated with channels that are renamed as well, but this does not appear to be consistently working for all at this time.

Shortcuts for bringing up the emoji keyboard are: 

Windows shortcut 

Windows 10 – windows+period. (For previous versions of Windows, use the touch keyboard with the emoji button.) 

MacOS shortcut 

The keyboard shortcut on macOS is Control+Command+Space.  

For quick copy and paste options, you can also visit https://emojipedia.org/ 

Other tips for ensuring you’re in the right spot…

Check the guest list

Before posting in a channel, I check the top right sub-nav to see if the ‘guest’ icon is displayed. If I’m posting an internal message, this is an instant indicator to confirm I’m in the right location.  

Privacy Protection – Look for the lock

I’ve also conditioned myself to look for the lock next to the channel before posting sensitive information to ensure I’m posting to a private channel.  
 

Do you have other tips for ensuring your message hits the right crew? Shout it out in the comments!  Does your Teams environment need a little cleanup and governance to help your team do their best work? Chat with one of our Teams experts today!