Communication is critical in any organization. We want to ensure that we are considerate of other people’s production processes and time.
Effective communications should achieve the purpose of unblocking others and mitigating potential blocks from others. The focus should be on actual problem solving and creative endeavours instead of drowning oneself in methods and tools when communicating.
Tools
We use an evolving set of tools to facilitate communications. Today, we use Slack, GitHub, Google Workspace, Hugo, Miro, Discord, Notion, Asana, and some more.
We also actively look for opportunities to automate workflows and eliminate or minimize tedious and error-prone processes by integrating tools primarily channelled into the most adopted platform.
In principle: We adopt, utilize, and adapt tools and workflows to be productive. Learn the tools, make the tools serve us. Do not drown in them and sacrifice actual productivity.
Asynchronous and Transparent Communications by Default
Whenever you want to communicate with others, default to an asynchronous way. By doing so, you respect others’ time and productivity and that they may not want to be interrupted or working in an entirely different time zone. Use Slack channels/threads, GitHub projects/issues/PRs, Notion pages, Asana tasks, emails, etc., to coordinate with other team members asynchronously.
At the same time, adopt more transparent ways to communicate. For example, on Slack, instead of direct messaging, utilize more channels and threads. This way, we retain these communications as a raw form of documentation and references to search, recollect, and share/reuse. Furthermore, try to provide as much context as possible for others to opt-in, such as providing detailed agenda items in a calendar invite, a concise summary of feature changes and screenshots in GitHub PRs, and more.
In principle: resort to asynchronous and transparent communication by default, unless:
- It is not related to work (e.g., your weekend trip. Although we encourage these joyful times to be shared for all too)
- It involves secrets (e.g., database credentials)
Synchronous Communications when Needed
When it is more productive to conduct in a more synchronous manner of communications, such as meetings, be mindful and treat meetings as scarce resources to be treasured as they involve the collective productivity value of all its participants during synchronous communications.
In principle: Engage in synchronous communications, such as meetings, when necessary. When needed, consult the guides on meetings to make the most out of them.
Helpful guides
Budget communication time
Try to adopt a working schedule to initiate, check and respond to communications. To a certain extent, this means optimizing for the whole block of contiguous time that suits you better for your job and your working style.
Break tasks down
Try to break down tasks with larger scopes into smaller ones. This way, you become less prone to distractions and interruptions when they are unavoidable.
Minimize distractions
It’s hard to keep up with all fronts of these communication tools. Instead, take time to learn how to configure them to suit your needs and working style. We have a few example mechanisms to help with the overwhelming feeling of notifications and help in persisting and making accessible, valuable company information.
