Tips for Improving Team Collaboration in Slack

Before you book another 30-min slot ask yourself this: Does this convo really need a meeting? That 30-min sync just stole 5 hours from your team. (10 people x 30 mins = wasted afternoon) Most meetings are time thieves disguised as collaboration. Here's your cheat sheet to decide faster: 1. Status updates ⇢ Async Post a short Loom or Slack note. No one needs 10 people sitting through what they could read in 2 minutes. 2. Brainstorming sessions ⇢ Meeting Ideas bounce faster when people react in real time. Keep it short and appoint someone to summarize. 3. Project reviews ⇢ Mostly async Share a Notion doc or deck. Only meet if there's real debate or a decision to make. Still reading? Good. These next ones surprise people: 4. Performance feedback ⇢ Meeting Feedback lands better when it's human. Eye contact > emojis. 5. Weekly team syncs ⇢ Depends If it's just updates, move it async. If it's for planning or alignment, keep it... but add structure and action steps. 6. Task clarification ⇢ Async Record a Loom walking through what you need. Saves everyone from another "Can you explain that again?" call. 7. Sharing new ideas or proposals ⇢ Async Drop a Notion doc or deck. Let people comment and react on their own time... better feedback that way. 8. Team celebrations or wins ⇢ Async (with a twist) Post in Slack, tag folks, or share a quick video shoutout. Doesn't always need a call... a public thank-you goes a long way. The goal isn't to cancel everything. It's to protect your team's focus. Every unnecessary call drains energy from the work that actually moves the needle. So next time your calendar fills up... pause and ask: Am I about to waste people's time? 👊 How do you decide when a meeting is actually worth it? 💬👇 --- ♻️ Repost to help someone reclaim their team's focus ✚ Follow Cory Blumenfeld for more entrepreneurial insights and motivation. I'm on a mission to inspire 1M everyday people to start their own business and find their voice in the process.

😵💫 As companies and teams grow, the demands on alignment and communication grow exponentially. No, not exponentially as a figure of speech. Truly *exponentially* 📈 Please see Yao Choong's iconic visual below of how growth = complexity to the tune of (n^2-n)/2 - and honestly fully remote may even compound this. This blog post may be nearly a decade old (and is maybe the first #bizops explanation on public record) and still holds up 🥇 So what's an #operator to do? If I’m operating in early stage environments, fixing comms is one of my first objectives. Everything from normalizing Slack channel architecture (naming conventions are your BFF) to educating teams on standardized use of platforms. From there, I leverage the following framework to gut check how I show up and, more importantly, how I help shape the flow of communication in organizations: 🏃♀️ QUICK COMMS 🏃♀️ Q: Do I want to send you something non-serious (like a meme) or something that benefits from a quick*, real-time answer? 👉 A: Teams/Slack (*and realllllly get honest about what is actually quick. If it doesn’t change the next hour or two of your workday, it’s probably not “quick” worthy, it's just impatient) Q: Do I need a verbal gut check on something that might get confusing in writing? 👉 A: Team Call/Slack Huddle Q: Is the sky truly falling or we have a very safe working relationship and I know you want to answer/know this thing quickly? 👉 A: Text/Call. Remember, emergency only or with a strong foundation please. Loose boundaries sink ships... or at least your weekend. 🛳️🧊📵. 🤝 COLLABORATIVE COMMS 🤝 Q: Do I not care when you read this and/or do you need to give the thing more than a few minutes of attention? 👉 A: Email. Leave Slack for the virtual equivalent of talking over the cubical wall. OR if it's a Slack-happy culture you can add a caveat: "read this when you have a minute later..." Q: Do I need to give you context that you really can’t get in an email and/or I think this would spur more than a few back and forth notes? 👉 A: Book a meeting. But please, for the love of their nervous system, ADD CONTEXT. "quick chat" is (a) never quick and (b) never clear. 5 seconds to articulate the topic and saves everyone 500 minutes of angst. I didn't make the rules. Q: (Bonus compromise approach) Does it feel more complicated than an email but not quite meeting worthy and/or would require coordinating more than 3 calendars? 👉 A: Try a recorded deck/walk-through. The “talking head” in PowerPoint is my new party trick (yes, I know this is just the delayed corporate Loom. Better late than never.) Q: Do you likely need to work on the request in spurts? 👉 A: Shared doc/sheet (we all agree this only means live links, not attachments right? Attachments should be banned for internal emails, amiright??) The rules aren't chiseled in stone, but the need to align your org's habits SHOULD be. Happy communicating is really the key to happy operating.

The art of asynchronous communication is vital. It transforms remote work across time zones. It's not just about staying connected. It's about working smarter, not harder. Asynchronous communication means sharing information without needing instant replies. This approach includes emails, recorded videos, and project management tools. It contrasts with synchronous methods like live meetings or chats. The benefits are clear. - Flexibility: Team members can work when they are most productive. - Inclusivity: It allows collaboration across different schedules and time zones. - Deep Work: It reduces distractions, helping employees focus on complex tasks. However, challenges exist. - Delayed feedback can slow down decision-making. - Written communication can lead to misunderstandings without tone or body language. - It lacks the spontaneity of real-time brainstorming. To make asynchronous communication effective, follow these best practices. 1. Establish Clear Guidelines - Define when to use asynchronous versus synchronous communication. - Set clear expectations for response times, like within 24 hours for non-urgent matters. - Provide templates to ensure clarity and brevity in messages. 2. Choose the Right Tools - Select tools that enhance asynchronous collaboration. - Use messaging platforms like Slack for organized discussions. - Project management tools like Asana help track tasks and deadlines. - Video recording tools like Loom allow for personal updates, while knowledge bases like Notion centralize resources. 3. Promote Transparency - Encourage regular updates on progress through shared documents or project management tools. - This keeps the team aligned and avoids duplication of work. 4. Optimize Message Structure - Craft messages that are easy to read. - Use descriptive subject lines and headers. - Highlight key points with bold text or bullet points. - Provide enough context to minimize follow-up questions. 5. Respect Time Zones - Establish core overlapping hours for essential synchronous interactions. - Rotate meeting times to share inconvenience across regions. Fostering collaboration across time zones is crucial. Encourage asynchronous workflows by documenting clear instructions and deadlines. → This allows tasks to progress without time zone constraints. Balance social connections too. → Create channels for casual conversations to build team bonds. Use emojis, audio, or video messages to add a personal touch. → Leverage technology to simplify scheduling. Tools like World Time Buddy or Google Calendar help manage time zones. → Integrations like Spacetime in Slack adjust time zones automatically. Mastering asynchronous communication is key for remote teams. This leads to greater productivity and stronger team cohesion. What are your thoughts on effective communications for remote teams? Kindly repost ♻️ and share with your network

2 minutes too short? Not for this leadership best practice! My mornings used to begin like this: 1: Assess the day ahead. 2: Dive into my emails and messages. 3: Assume the team was okay. The problem? I had absolutely no idea: • what issues my team might be facing. • if anyone was stuck. • what support I might be able to provide. In short, I had abdicated my role as a leader. So I made a change to my morning routine. At the day's start, my team and I shared in a private team channel in Slack: • What we worked on yesterday. • What issues we might have faced. • What we intend to work on today. Here are the whats and whys: 1️⃣ Each person wrote a few sentences. ↳ It took no more than 2-3 minutes. 2️⃣ It surfaced any overloads. ↳ I could ask: What can I take off your plate? 3️⃣ It gave clarity to shifting needs or priorities. ↳ I could say: Don't worry about task A or B. 4️⃣ The team could collaborate. ↳ We shared resources and provided input. 5️⃣ The team felt supported and autonomous. ↳ Support didn't harm trust and confidence. A few additional points: ➡️ It was never to remind people of deadlines. ➡️ It didn't replace check-ins or other updates. ➡️ It wasn’t about people quietly quitting. 👉 Small actions lead to big results. And sometimes, those actions take only 2 minutes! PS. What has helped you and your team? ***** 👋 Hi, I'm Chris Cotter. ✳️ Did you like this tip? 🚀 Grab my 52 Weeks of Leadership for more! Link in the comments below or DM me!

Ever get a Slack message from your boss that’s just…a link? 😅 No context. Just an article, video, or idea that’s somewhat related to your purview. Your brain immediately goes to: “Are they saying I should do this?” ”This is cool but it’s not really aligned with my goals” “Is this supposed to be a priority?” Especially at a remote company, it can be incredibly confusing. There’s no tone in a voice, no expression on a face. That's why we stole an idea from HubSpot's CTO, Dharmesh Shah: #️⃣ Flash tags #️⃣ It’s simple: when sharing an idea in Slack, you tag it with your level of investment up front: # FYI = Just an idea that passed through my brain. # SUGGESTION = Here’s an idea I would look into if I were you. # RECOMMENDATION = I’ve put real time into this, so please consider it. # PLEA = I’ve researched this a lot. If I were you I would do this. Why it works for our remote team: 1. Sets clear expectations 2. Holds the sharer accountable 3. Prevents defensive reactions 4. Makes the sharer think twice before dropping links Ultimately, it puts an emphasis on OVER-COMMUNICATION - which is so important for a healthy, remote culture.

When working remotely, the casual interactions you get around the coffee maker at an office are absent. Leaders need to help their teams create those water cooler moments. How? If you’re using Slack or Teams for internal communication, you can create channels for these types of interactions. For example, we’ve used the following channels to encourage team interactions: ▶︎ Random Team Chit Chat (for fun chats, silly gifs, memes, and pretty much anything that will put a smile on each other’s faces or help blow off some steam) ▶︎ Kudos (a great reminder to give each other a virtual high five from time to time) ▶︎ Inspirational Shares (for good quotes or little things that motivate and inspire) ▶︎ Good Morning (a simple channel to say hello to each other when we sign on) Think about a few channels that your team will appreciate and enjoy. Also consider how you can encourage your team to support each other directly when they are feeling stuck or uninspired. In an office setting, you can get up and walk 5 feet and pow wow with a colleague. When working remote, those pow wows take more effort. #LeadershipCommunication #HybridWork #RemoteWork