Async communication, and when to stop and talk.
Async communication means sending a message without expecting an answer right away: the other person replies when it suits them. It lets remote teams work across time zones and protect focus time. It also makes simple things slow when it's used for everything. Here's how to use it well, and when to switch to a conversation instead.
By Jitto Joseph4 min read
What async communication is
Synchronous (sync) communication happens live: a call, a meeting, a chat at someone's desk. Asynchronous (async) communication doesn't: a message, a document, a comment or a recorded video that people read or watch later.
Most remote teams use both. The skill is choosing the right one for each conversation, and writing async messages that don't need three rounds of questions to understand.
| Sync | Async | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Calls, meetings, talking in person | Messages, docs, comments, recorded video |
| Answer | Right away | Within hours, or a day |
| Good for | Urgent, sensitive or tangled topics | Updates, questions that can wait, decisions that need thought |
| Cost | Interrupts focus, needs shared hours | Slower round trips, more writing |
When to go async
- Updates. Status, progress and what's next. A written standup replaces most daily calls.
- Questions that can wait. If the answer can come this afternoon, send a message.
- Decisions that need thought. Write the proposal down and give people a day to comment. You'll get better input than in a meeting.
- Anything across time zones. When the team's hours barely overlap, async is the default and live time is for what needs it.
When to talk instead
- A thread has gone back and forth three times. Two minutes of talking will settle it. Write down what you decided afterwards.
- Someone is blocked. Unblocking a teammate is worth an interruption.
- The topic is sensitive. Feedback, conflict and bad news land better in a conversation, where tone comes through.
- You're starting something new. Kickoffs and brainstorms move faster when people can build on each other's ideas live.
How to write async messages that work
- 1.
Lead with the point
Put the question or the decision in the first line, then the background.
- 2.
Give all the context
Links, screenshots and what you've already tried, so nobody has to ask.
- 3.
Say what you need, and by when
"Can you review this by Thursday?" gets an answer; "thoughts?" often doesn't.
- 4.
One message, not five
Write it in full before sending. A stream of short messages interrupts people five times.
- 5.
Use threads
Keep replies with the message they answer, so the channel stays readable.
- 6.
Write the decision down
When a thread ends, post the outcome in one line where people will find it.
Async rituals that help
- A written daily standup. Yesterday, today and anything blocking, posted in one channel at any time in each person's morning.
- A weekly update. Each person or team writes a few lines on progress, problems and plans. Easy to skim on Monday.
- Decision documents. A short page per important decision: the problem, the options, the choice and why.
- Recorded demos. A few minutes of screen recording shows a feature better than a meeting, and people watch it when it suits them.
Agree on response times
Async only works when everyone knows how long "later" is. Write it down in your team handbook.
| Channel | Expected reply | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Team chat | Within a few hours | Questions and updates |
| Direct message | Same day | Things for one person |
| Comment on a doc or task | Within a day or two | Reviews and decisions |
| Call or walk over | Right away | Urgent or blocked |
Problems to watch for
- Decisions crawl. Set a deadline for comments, and give one person the final say.
- Too much to read. Fewer channels, shorter messages and a weekly summary help more than reading faster.
- People feel cut off. All-async teams can feel lonely. Keep some live time: a weekly meeting, a social, or a shared space to see who's around. Our guide to remote team communication covers the balance.
- Urgent things wait. Agree on one clear way to reach someone right away, and keep it for what's really urgent.