AdminTalk
Short lessons: embassy work
16 short episodes. Watch in order or choose a topic.
Episode 4 · 0:54
Reference and date: reply to the right document
Compare reference, date and content. Distinguish the document date from the meeting date and the date received.
General AdminTalk learning material, not an official announcement or universal institutional procedure. Check current requirements with the responsible authority before use.
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AdminTalk
Two letters cover similar topics. How do you know which one to answer?
Check the reference number, date and content first.
The UN manual calls for reference numbers to help retrieve correspondence.
Say one letter invites you to a meeting and another changes its time.
Before replying, look beyond the subject. Open the relevant letter and compare.
When citing it, match its number and date. Add a brief subject summary if needed.
Do not confuse your letter’s number with that of the letter you are citing.
Use the date shown on the letter, not the meeting date or the date you received it.
Numbering formats differ by organisation. Do not invent your own formula.
Before sending, check: the right letter, the right reference number and the right date.
AdminTalk
Try before revealing the answer
Fictional example: A invites you to a meeting; B changes its time. You are replying about the time. Which document matters, and which date identifies B?
Show suggested answer
Check B because its content changes the time, comparing A where needed. Cite B’s document date, not the meeting or receipt date. Do not select a document merely because it is the newest file.
Sources and scope
Based on UN Manual (2000), paragraphs 25, 39, 123 and 125, not a worldwide reference-number system. The three-way comparison is an AdminTalk exercise. Check your institution’s current template before real use.
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