In the video below, we outline why asynchronous communication is the key to working from anywhere. Because employees don’t have to stay on top of each message as it comes in, they can block off large chunks of uninterrupted time to do the work that creates the most value for your organization. They can come back to process their messages in batches 1-3 times a day instead of bouncing back and forth between work and messages or meetings. Simply put, asynchronous communication is when you send a message without expecting an immediate response.

Trust and independence are the values that https://remotemode.net/ is built on. You need to trust that your team will deliver on time, so teammates don’t have to worry about anyone not keeping their word. When employees work independently without being micromanaged, it encourages innovation and builds up their confidence. While asynchronous communication is slower, it also tends to be of higher quality than knee-jerk responses.

Key Benefits of Effective Asynchronous Communication

Synchronous communication, on the other hand, is all about real time communication. It is a type of communication that happens on the phone, in person, or on a video call. Writing or another asynchronous communication definition is not held back by the availability of your colleagues. You can do this by setting up a team Slack channel or scheduling a weekly chat for your team to connect and unwind. Though async communication boosts productivity, synchronous connection can boost engagement and belonging. This is especially important for remote workers, who might not get regular face-time with their team during the week. Use synchronous communication to reduce isolation and increase team connection.

Meetings are a valuable tool to align your ideas and communicate with project stakeholders. The Meeting Manifesto—which was shared company-wide—explains when and how to schedule meetings. Within the manifesto, we also go into details about when you shouldn’t have a meeting—things like sharing status updates or other general information, or meetings without an agenda or purpose. Oftentimes, we schedule an in-person or video meeting and expect to solve the problem during that time.

It puts in-office and remote employees on the same footing.

This is analogous to sending a fax (fire and forget!) A number is dialed and a fax sent. This also implements use cases corresponding to an asynchronous-update pattern, in which data on the receiver’s side is updated with new values.

When team members have a chance to gather their thoughts, they can also edit and refine the message as needed. Some time to review can help them fill in missing gaps at their own pace and provide a more in-depth, clearly worded update. Miro is a collaborative whiteboard tool made specifically for distributed teams. There are many times when text-based communications just won’t cut it. For one, the info and content that’s currently in-use by your team should be made visible and accessible to all stakeholders. It should also be housed on a platform that’s easy to build on, and that allows for the free flow of ideas. That said, the expectations set when sending a message need to be realistic.

Encourage routine, but don’t revert to old habits

While synchronous communication is instantaneous, there’s an expected lag in asynchronous communication. Rather than determining when employees can work or respond to communications, async communication places control with the employee, not the employer. In asynchronous transmission, data is sent one byte at a time and each byte is preceded by start and stop bits. Monday.com is a virtual work hub that helps teams communicate asynchronously and collaborate effectively.