Receiving and recording office instructions are fundamental skills for an Office Assistant in Kenya. Accurate interpretation of instructions ensures that tasks are executed correctly and efficiently, supporting smooth office operations. This chapter focuses on how to receive instructions effectively and maintain proper records that facilitate accountability and follow-up. Mastery of these skills enhances communication between supervisors and staff, reducing errors and improving productivity in various Kenyan workplaces such as accounting offices, courier companies, and law firm registries.
An office instruction is a request or direction from a supervisor, manager or customer that tells the office assistant what to do with a document. It may be spoken, written on the document itself, or sent in a memo or an email. Typing instructions usually name the font style, the font size and the way headings and lists are to be arranged. Receiving the instruction correctly is the first step in producing the right document, because a typist who misunderstands the instruction types the work again.
Besides repeating the main points aloud, an instruction can be confirmed in other ways.
Instructions can be hard to receive correctly in a busy office. Each challenge has a simple way of dealing with it.
A font style, also called a typeface, is the shape of the letters in a document. The font style changes how easy the page is to read and how formal it looks. Instructions normally name the font to use, so the assistant must know how to choose it in the word processor and how to recognise the common ones.
Times New Roman is a serif font, which means the letters have small strokes at the ends. It looks formal and is widely used for letters, reports and legal papers. When an instruction says "type in Times New Roman", the font is selected from the font box on the Home tab before typing or applied to the selected text afterwards.
Calibri is a sans serif font, which means the letters have plain ends and a clean look. It was the default font in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook for many years and is still widely used in emails and internal documents. Microsoft 365 now starts new documents in Aptos, which replaced Calibri as the default font in those programs (announced in 2023 and rolled out during 2024), so an assistant should always check the font box and not assume that the starting font is Calibri. An older installation or an office template may still start in Calibri.
Font size is the height of the letters, measured in points. A larger number gives larger letters. The instruction states the size so that every document from the office looks the same. Text that is too small is hard to read, and text that is too large wastes paper and looks unprofessional.
Size 12 is a common choice for the body of a letter or report, because it is easy to read on paper and on screen. Size 14 is often used for sub-headings, and size 16 for the main title of a document. An instruction may ask for different sizes, so the assistant types exactly the sizes given. To change the size, select the text and choose the number in the font size box, or type the number into the box and press Enter.
Style instructions tell the typist how to arrange headings and paragraphs on the page. They are often written on the draft in the supervisor's own words or marked with notes in the margin. A typist who knows the common styles can follow them without asking each time. Headings may be shown in capitals, in bold or underlined, depending on the instruction.
A shoulder heading is typed at the left margin on a line of its own, above the paragraph it introduces. It is called a shoulder heading because it sits on the shoulder of the text. A blank line is left between the heading and the paragraph that follows.
A paragraph heading, sometimes called a run-in heading, is typed at the start of the paragraph on the same line as the text. It is followed by a full stop or a colon, and the paragraph continues straight after it. A paragraph heading is often underlined or in bold so that it stands out from the text.
In a hanging paragraph, the first line starts at the left margin and all the other lines are moved in, or indented, from the margin. This style makes the first words of each paragraph easy to see and is used for numbered points or lists of names. In a word processor it is set in the paragraph settings as a hanging indent.
A side heading is typed in the left margin, beside the first line of the paragraph it introduces, so that the paragraph text begins to the right of the heading. This leaves a wide margin on the left of the page. In a word processor, it is usually made by placing the text in a table with two columns or by using a text box.
Displaying means setting numbered or bulleted items apart on their own lines, so they can be seen at once. Insetting means indenting those items from the left margin, and sometimes from the right as well. Each item starts with a number or bullet, items are usually typed in single line spacing with a blank line before and after the whole list, and the numbers are typed in order. In a word processor, the numbering and bullet buttons on the Home tab are used, and the indent buttons are used to inset the list.
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Create a free accountThis chapter explored the process of interpreting office instructions, beginning with the reception of these instructions, where attention to font style, font size, and specific style directives such as headings and numbered or bulleted lists is essential. It then examined the importance of accurately recording office instructions by defining tasks, documenting steps clearly, including all necessary details like document formats and templates, and organizing the instructions in a logical sequence. The application of typing techniques was highlighted, focusing on typing speed, accuracy, ergonomic practices, and the use of keyboard shortcuts to enhance efficiency. The chapter further discussed how to effect office instructions by understanding the requirements, organizing and verifying documents, adhering to formatting guidelines, proofreading for accuracy, and processing the documents as specified. Emphasis was placed on maintaining confidentiality, conducting quality checks, seeking clarification when needed, and properly documenting and reporting the completed work. This comprehensive approach ensures that office tasks are executed accurately and professionally, supporting effective document management in any office environment.