Composing a Communication
Address a new communication, add attachments, and turn it into a For Action thread with action items.
Click New message at the top right of the inbox, or the pen icon next to Inbox in the sidebar. Any signed-in user can start a communication.
The form
- Recipients: required. The people the message is addressed to. With For Action on, these are the people who can work on action items.
- Validators: optional. People who can approve or reject completed action items. Validators are reviewers; they are never assignees.
- CC: optional. View-only participants who follow the thread without being asked to act.
- Subject: required, up to 200 characters.
- Message: the body, written in a rich-text editor with headings, lists, emphasis, links, and inline images (uploaded directly into the text).
- Attachments: optional. Up to 10 files, 25 MB each. Add them with the Attach files button or drag and drop them onto the form. Accepted types are PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text, CSV, common image formats, and ZIP.
Each person can hold only one role. Someone you pick as a recipient no longer appears in the Validators or CC lists, and the other way around. You cannot add yourself; as the sender you are already part of the thread.
For Action threads
Turn on the For Action toggle when the thread requires deliverables. The rule shown on the form: "Recipients must complete and get all action items approved before this thread can be resolved." A For Action thread must contain at least one action item, so Send message stays disabled until you add one.
Type a description in Describe the action item… and press Enter or click Add. For each action item you can then set:
- Due date (optional), with a time of day.
- Validator: who signs off on completion. It defaults to you, the sender. To choose someone else, first add them under Validators; only people listed there can be picked.
- Assigned to (optional): a single recipient. If left unset, any recipient can claim the item by starting it.
Tip
Leave the assignee empty when any member of the receiving team may pick up the task; set it when the task belongs to one specific person.
Click Send message. The thread opens for you and appears in every participant's Open folder. What happens next is covered in Inside a Communication Thread and Working with Action Items.