13. Slow and Thoughtful >> Quick and shallow
Build a culture of thoughtful communication in your remote team. Avoid quick and shallow responses.
Today, I’m starting off a new series of short posts that cover how I approach building and scaling culture in a remote team. This is the first issue of the series. We will start with step one - communication.
In a remote team, Slack is often the go-to communication tool. But when responding to messages on Slack, it's better to prioritise slow and thoughtful responses over quick and half-baked ones.
Taking the time to write a thoughtful response shows that you value the conversation and the person you're communicating with. It demonstrates that you're taking the conversation seriously and that you're invested in finding the best possible solution or outcome. This can go a long way in building trust and fostering productive communication within your team.
Setting expectations
Setting expectations around response times is key to building a culture of thoughtful communication. If you need more time to respond to a message, let the sender know when you expect to be able to respond. This sets clear expectations and reduces the likelihood of miscommunication or misunderstandings.
Of course, there will be times when urgent matters require immediate attention. But if every message feels urgent, it's worth examining whether there's an underlying issue with how communication is being managed within the team.
Block out time for focused work
One way to prioritise thoughtful communication is to block out time for focused work without distractions. Close Slack during these times and turn off notifications. This will allow you to give your full attention to the task at hand and respond to messages later, when you have more time and energy to devote to them.
Use Slack reminders
Another useful tool is Slack's built-in reminder feature. If you receive a message that requires a thoughtful response, but you don't have time to address it immediately, use the reminder feature to schedule a time to come back to it. This ensures that important conversations aren't lost in the shuffle of daily tasks and allows you to give each message the attention it deserves. Slack also recently launched a "Later" inbox that lets you do this more effectively.
Make if official
It’s a good idea to build this into your company culture. Include this in onboarding documents and company handbook.
To sum up
In a remote team, taking the time to craft thoughtful, considered responses is key to building trust and productive communication. Setting clear expectations, prioritising focused work time, and using tools like reminders can help you achieve this goal.
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Thanks for reading.