Chat tools like Slack and Teams are pretty ubiquitous here in 2024. They can be a source of info overload, but I've found some strategies for working in them effectively. These are based on years of experience working with Slack specifically, since I have not been blessed/cursed with working at a company that uses Teams, but I imagine at least some of them apply there as well given that Teams shamelessly ripped offwas heavily inspired by Slack.

Why does this matter? If your company is remote, then tools like Slack have become the new place for spontaneous conversations to happen. If you really lean Slack (or any tool you have to use regularly) and use it to its full extent, then you can make your job easier and get more done. If you get tripped up then it becomes another source of frustration and slows you down, so check out my tips below.

No one is here to read your essay

This goes for any written communication at work, like emails. Be concise, use bullet points and links, and don't expect anyone to read voluminous paragraphs of text. Get to the point quickly.

Thread your discussions

Threads can prevent crossed wires from separate conversations happening in a channel. Sometimes I'll preemptively start a thread in the associated project channel if we're meeting with an external party, to create a space for the internal conversation during or after the meeting.

By the same token, don't abuse threads. For example, don't go back months and resurrect a thread unless you also post to the channel, since no one wants to be keeping an eye on ancient conversations.

But not too much

When a thread starts reaching 50 or 100 posts and "multiple people are typing", that's a signal that Slack is not useful for the kind of conversation you need to have. Jump into a Zoom/huddle/whatever video chat you like and hash it out instead of having half a dozen people typing furiously, dramatically increasing the odds of misunderstanding each other or getting vital information lost in a fast scrolling thread.

Default to public

Try to have conversations in as public a forum as you can. Sometimes private messages or a private channel can make sense for particularly sensitive topics, but then you lose out on searchability and discoverability. There have been countless times when searching Slack for an error message or a key term has helped me out, which isn't an option if the info I need is hidden away in some back-channel.

It also makes it much easier to add more people later and let them catch up, or drop out later if the topic is no longer relevant for them. Private group chat also is also hard to keep track of later even if I was present. Related to this...

Create more channels

This one can easily veer into the realm of "too much", but at the very least I find project channels or short-duration-high-urgency channels very useful. Big catch-all channels can move too fast and it's nice to have smaller boundaries drawn so you can document decisions made, start lightweight threads to document internal discussions when meeting with vendors or partners, and then you can archive the channel when you wrap up a project.

Try to post messages in the channel with the most specific topic if you can. If you find yourself having to routinely repost messages across channels, then that may be a sign you've gone too granular.

Use reminders

Reminders are a nice way to "boomerang" a message back to you in the future. It can be helpful if I see someone ask a question but I'm in a meeting, but I want to make sure that someone has responded to them so I set a reminder for an hour in the future. I wouldn't want to replace a full-fledged task list with them, but they're a nice lightweight way to follow up without overloading your brain.

Have some fun

Work is still work, but small things like emojis and animated gifs can make it feel a little less soulless. Moderation in all things, but it can help a little more of your personality come out and help you connect with your coworkers. How you come across in Slack is a large part of how you are perceived in a remote environment, so be deliberate in how you present yourself and make sure that you're presenting the you as you want to be perceived.