☕ The Blend - Issue #12

Hi Friends,

last time we’ve unpacked why synchronous communication is important (and when). This time I would like to focus on, what I believe is harder to achieve, the asynchronous aspects of the remote work.

Asynchronous communication happens when two (or more) parties involved don’t have to be present, to have a valuable conversation, and cooperate towards common goal.

I have to admit, that in the beginning, I was not a fan of async communication. I’ve been working on-site for over a decade, and that creates habits and expectations. Like with everything in life - we should learn on our own mistakes. The first couple of months working remotely were hard, and as I described in my last newsletter - I’ve made the same mistake as a of people - I've tried to move the ‘offline’ work life to online. I’ve been doing meetings back to back, zero brakes, constantly available… exhausted all the time.

When I switched jobs in late 2020, I’ve started working with a fully remote team, spread across Europe - so we’ve had find a better way of working. In the early days, to build trust between team members, we were meeting daily, but as we’ve built up the trust, and everyone understood their way of working - we’ve moved to async communication most of the time.

What is async communication, you’d ask.

It’s the way of having a conversation, without being on a meeting, or chatting real-time. It’s about utilizing different channels of communication where people don’t have to be present at the same time. Out of which the most popular ones are sending email or direct messages over the app of your choice.

What I found works really well in the async communication is the utilization of the video form. It’s amazing how much more valuable a 1min video can be, instead of the long written message or a quick meeting… it let's the other side focus on the thing, in the time that suit them best.

As always - it’s about finding the balance, and use the best approach to reach your goals. Asynchronous communication is great, when you and your team highly value deep work and focus. It allows people to not need to be constantly online.

Every company can highly benefit from implementing the asynchronous communication into their workflow. It can help people achieve more, while doing less. Working this way, people can learn how to better formulate their ideas - as writing is thinking. Especially clear writing. Implementing video (eg. Loom) can help making sure everyone is on the same page.

Clear expectation, clear goals, clear communication, clear writing…

How to start with async communication? Whenever you want to create a meeting, ask yourself if it’s really necessary, or is there a better way to gather feedback you’re seeking for.

Asynchronous communication opens your company to a talent pool, that has been unavailable due to timezone differences before. If you can effectively communicate without real-time conversation, your colleagues / employees can be on the other side of the globe.

I also enhances collaboration on team work. People need to put more effort into the communication. On the other hand it allows the better work-life balance, and more flexible schedule to each of the team members. Emptier calendars mean, there is more time for deep focus, and uninterrupted work in the flow state.

All that glitters is not gold

While asynchronous communication gives more breathing space, less meetings, and more streamlined work… it’s not always like that, and it can’t be applied to everything.

Especially in the early days, you’re gonna see a lot of miscommunication or misunderstandings - and that’s ok! It’s about finding.

You should not apply asynchronous communication to things like 1-on-1 meetings, as these are meant to create a better relationship with your peer/manager

Asynchronous communication is a powerful tool for remote teams, enabling them to work more efficiently and effectively. By embracing async communication, you can unlock the full potential of your team and achieve more while doing less.

Remember, it's all about finding the right balance and using the best approach to reach your goals. Experiment with different channels and tools to find what works best for you and your team.

Thanks for joining me on this journey into the world of asynchronous communication! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out.