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NoHello for Microsoft Teams

Apply NoHello principles in Microsoft Teams for clearer, more efficient workplace communication.

📢 Set Your Teams Status

Let your team know you practice NoHello by setting your status message:

I practice NoHello - put your question + context in the first message. Learn more: https://nohello.org

Channel Communication

Channel Posts

In team channels, lead with your question and context. Others can see the full thread and jump in when relevant.

💡 Teams Tip

Use Subject lines in channels to make your post scannable in the activity feed.

Thread Replies

Keep related discussion in threads. Start your reply with enough context so people don't need to scroll up.

Good "Re: API timeout - I'm seeing the same issue in staging. Error logs attached."

Avoid "Same here" (without context)

Direct Chats & Group Chats

1-on-1 Chats

Perfect for NoHello! Skip "Hi" and jump straight to your request with context.

Before "Hi Sarah"
...(waiting)...
"Are you free?"

After "Hi Sarah — can you review the Q3 budget draft? Link in Files tab. Need feedback by Friday if possible."

Group Chats

Even more important in group chats. Give everyone the context they need to decide if they should engage.

🎯 Pro Tip

Use @mentions sparingly in group chats. Only tag people who need to take action.

@Mentions Best Practices

When to @mention

@person - When they need to take action or have specific expertise
@team - For team-wide announcements or decisions
@channel - Sparingly, for urgent team-wide issues

Always include context with your @mention:

@john.doe — can you check the deployment pipeline? Build #247 is stuck on staging approval. No rush if you're in meetings.

Status Messages

Setting Your Status

Use status messages to give context about your availability and response time.

Good "In meetings until 3pm - will respond to messages after"

Good "Focus time - urgent items call my mobile"

Vague "Busy"

Respecting Status

Check someone's status before sending urgent requests. If it's truly urgent, explain why in your message.

⏰ Timing Tip

Teams shows when someone was "last seen" - use this to gauge response expectations.

Meeting-Related Messages

Meeting Requests

When asking for meetings, include the agenda and expected duration upfront.

Hi team — can we do a 30min sync on the API integration? Want to align on timeline and blockers. This week works best for me.

Pre-Meeting Context

Share relevant docs or context before the meeting so people can prepare.

📎 Files Tip

Upload docs to the Teams Files tab and reference them in your message.

Copy-Ready Templates

Request Review

Hi [name] — can you review [document/PR/proposal]? Specifically looking for feedback on [specific area]. Need this by [date] for [reason]. Link: [url]

Technical Help

Hi [name] — running into [specific issue] with [system/feature]. Error: [error message]. Steps I tried: [list]. Any ideas? No rush if you're swamped.

Meeting Request

Hi [name/team] — can we schedule [duration] to discuss [topic]? Agenda: [3 bullet points]. [Timeframe] works best for me. Let me know what works for you.

Status Update

Quick update on [project]: [current status]. Next: [next steps]. Blockers: [any blockers or "none"]. ETA: [timeline].

Teams-Specific Benefits

🔍 Better Search

Messages with context are easier to find in Teams search later

📱 Mobile Friendly

Complete messages work better on mobile Teams app

🔔 Notification Clarity

Recipients can triage notifications without opening Teams