This activity takes volunteer church office assistants on a virtual office tour to see if they can spot potential places where sensitive information could be seen by others.I built this interaction in PowerPoint as part of entire course on maintaining confidentialty.

1. Can you spot potential problems in the church office?
Hover over an item to see what might affect maintaining confidentiality.

2. Can you spot potential problems in the church office?
Hover over an item to see what might affect maintaining confidentiality.
It really all comes down to YOU,
as the church office volunteer to
ensure confidentiality is
maintained. You need to be
alert and cautious, recognizing
that you have been entrusted
with an awesome responsibility.
Do your job well and no one will
ever know about it. But do it
poorly, and the results will be
perceived by everyone!

3. Can you spot potential problems in the church office?
Hover over an item to see what might affect maintaining confidentiality.
Stacks of papers may seem
unimportant, but what if this
were next year’s tentative
church budget that hadn’t yet
been approved by the church
board? What if someone saw it
in your office and told others of
a contentious budget item? Best
to put stacks of papers in folders
out of site. Always be aware of
what other can see.

4. Can you spot potential problems in the church office?
Hover over an item to see what might affect maintaining confidentiality.
Ah, here’s a potential problem.
If this were the pastor’s
schedule, someone might
oversee a marriage counseling
appointment or Hospice visit.
Or maybe it’s the pastor’s
expense report for this month.
Can you see why it’s important
to safeguard this kind of
information? Turning over such
paperwork when someone
enters the room is appropriate.

5. Can you spot potential problems in the church office?
Hover over an item to see what might affect maintaining confidentiality.
A visitor enters your office and
here you are with minutes to
the last board meeting or a
proposal for the new church
building project right in your
hands. It’s hard to resist when
someone asks, “Whatcha got
there?” One someone enters
the room, wouldn’t it be best to
neatly stack all papers and be
sure anything sensitive is out of
sight? You bet it would!

6. Can you spot potential problems in the church office?
Hover over an item to see what might affect maintaining confidentiality.
One of the easiest ways to
safeguard confidentiality is to
blank your computer screen
when a visitor enters your
answer. This keeps someone
from inadvertently viewing a
sensitive email or spreadsheet
on your screen. What if a
member sent a letter of
resignation or you were viewing
a contribution statement?
Those types of items should
always be guarded.

7. Can you spot potential problems in the church office?
Hover over an item to see what might affect maintaining confidentiality.
You’ve got to love Post-It Notes!
They are handy for jotting down
phone messages and reminders.
But don’t forget that they may
contain sensitive information
about meeting times,
appointments, passwords, or
account numbers. If you must
have these items at your
fingertips, consider posting
them into a notebook and
keeping it closed until you need
it.

8. Can you spot potential problems in the church office?
Hover over an item to see what might affect maintaining confidentiality.
Someone walks in just as you’re
finishing up a calculation on
your calculator. It’s easy to
forget what you were doing
when you’re interrupted. Some
people are naturally observant
and curious, and it’s easy for
them to jump to conclusions
about what you’re calculating –
the amount of Sunday’s
offering? the pastor’s proposed
raise? Avoid an awkward
discussion by turning off your
calculator immediately.

9. Can you spot potential problems in the church office?
Hover over an item to see what might affect maintaining confidentiality.
If a visitor enters the room and
you’re on the telephone, it’s
prudent to either ask him to
wait outside the room while you
finish the call or, even better, to
ask the person on the other end
of the line if she minds if you
call back when the visitor
leaves. The “hold” button is also
handy. Resist the temptation to
finish your conversation while
the visitor waits!

10. Can you spot potential problems in the church office?
Hover over an item to see what might affect maintaining confidentiality.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone
would go through the little slips
of paper on your desk –
receipts, notes, bills, or
whatever normally accumulates
on your desk. But if you step out
of the room, someone could get
curious while waiting or simply
want to be helpful by
straightening up your desk. Bills
and receipts should be filed in a
convenient locastion.