In August 2013, Slack was launched to the public. For workers raised on social media, Slack provided an intuitive, flexible, chat-based platform for workplace communication. Its growth was meteoric.
Success breeds imitation. Facebook launched its Workplace product in October 2016. Microsoft launched Teams in March 2017. Google has been retooling various products to create an integrated Workspace product. Skype offered Skype for Business until its owner (Microsoft) folded Skype business users into Teams. Cisco continues to enhance its Webex suite.
Why? Simply put, workplace collaboration tools (WCTs) make our jobs easier. Thoughtful use of a WCT can unify a team, reduce the need for face-to-face team meetings, and decrease the volume of intrateam email traffic. On the other hand, WCTs can become yet another distraction. When used without discipline, WCTs pull employees away from productive work on the job and interrupt employees’ off-work hours. This section introduces some basic rules for maximizing the pros and minimizing the cons of WCTs.
1. Know Your Purpose and Your Audience
Communicating in a WCT is like using an online chat or texting app. Messages are instant and informal. For this reason, WCTs work best for internal communication, especially within your team or department.
WCTs excel at getting quick answers to general questions. They foster collaboration because everyone on the chat sees the question and can respond simultaneously. In this sense, they are synchronous but not face-to-face, perfect for collaborative problem-solving or brainstorming without having to call a meeting.
Email is still preferred for communication with external audiences—those outside your department, particularly external customers. Email also works better than WCTs for messages containing detailed instructions, policy statements, or any message you want to be semi-permanent and searchable.
2. Adapt Your Writing Style
Loosen up. WCT chats are less formal than email messages. Chats do not need full organizational structure, and emojis are fine—even encouraged—within WCTs. In all professional communication, however, avoid crass or offensive emojis.
Be brief. Keep messages brief and clear. Use short paragraphs. If your message requires some detail, show courtesy by crafting the entire message and then copying it into a chat before sending it. The alternative—a series of one-sentence messages—will annoy your audience because each message triggers a notification.
Another courtesy in long messages is to lead with a summary—the main idea in a crisp sentence. Then say, “Additional details in the replies.” Reply to your own message with the details. Those wanting the headline can simply read your summary; the detail hounds can comb through your reply.
Be visual. Use fundamental formatting elements to add visual interest, break up your message, and call attention to key points. Bullet points, icons, bolding, and emojis can be used with a modicum of restraint to make your message come alive.
If you work with colleagues in different time zones, put your location and time zone on your messages. That way, your teammates will know what hours they can expect you to be “at your desk.”
An excellent feature of most WCTs is the personal DM—a direct message that goes only to you. Use personal DM for drafts of important messages. If you accidentally hit send, no damage control is needed.
3. Organize Your Information
Use private channels for team-only messaging. When a specific discussion becomes relevant for only a subset of the team, create a new channel for the smaller group. Although WCTs offer a direct message (DM) feature, use it only for personal messages to co-workers. Most of your posts should include the team so others can benefit from your ideas and see answers to your questions.
Use mentions (signified by the @ before a teammate’s name) to notify specific individuals of assignments or replies—but use judiciously to avoid over-notifying people.
Some organizations create a “watercooler” channel for fun, funny, non-productive chats, and sharing.
Channels are helpful, but always double-check which channel you’re posting to before you hit send. You’ll avoid some embarrassment and apologies.
Within a channel, use the “pin” feature to keep key discussions at the top of the list.
Threads are a series of replies by you or multiple people in response to the same email or post in a collaborative tool.
4. Avoid Overload
Technology can be addictive. If you find your attention being hijacked by your WCT, take protective measures:
Manage your notifications. It’s OK to turn them off when you want to focus on your work, after hours, and on weekends. You can also set your status to show you’re not available. Well-functioning teams agree on ground rules about when team members are reachable and how quickly they’re expected to respond.
Let your teammates know when you’re not available via the WCT. Always provide another method of contact for emergency communication (i.e., phone call or non-WCT text message).
Never criticize anyone in a WCT. Follow the proven wisdom of “praise publicly, criticize in private.”
Attributions:
Content for this section was adapted from the following:
Management Communication Copyright © 2017 by Lisa Thomas, Julie Haupt, and Andy Spackman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution -ShareAlike and made possible by Management Communications Group, Marriott School Of Business, Brigham Young University.
References:
Howfinity. (2020, April 3). How to use Microsoft Teams - Beginner’s Guide [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYZ05EYai0
Howfinity. (2022, February 5). How to use Slack - 2023 tutorial for beginners [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3HJuPaITWk