Why & How to Make Async Collaboration Work for Your Team
Practically everyone has been in a meeting that should have been an email, Slack message, or quick screen recording. However, so many organizations continue to perpetuate the cycle, even though async collaboration increases productivity.
The reasons why you should embrace async collaboration are simple, as it:
Reclaims time to focus during working hours, which improves the balance between work and personal life
Creates documentation by default as sharing updates in written and recorded formats can be referenced later, especially in places like Slack or Teams
Reduces lost productivity associated with context switching between periods of focused work and meetings
Enables collaborating with international teams in the case your organization has a global presence or uses an offshoring strategy with large timezone differences
It's easy to get started using two formats together, both of which are already accessible based on the collaboration tools within your organization: written and recorded.
For your written collaboration, organize your content with this flow:
Lead with your intent by stating the question or answer that you have
Set expectations by when you need a response to ensure that you and your recipient(s) are able to plan
Provide additional context about the situation and any complications in a concise and readable way (i.e. avoid long paragraphs, use lists when available)
If you're curious about the emphasized terms above, refer to this previous newsletter about the SCQA framework.
Optionally, include any pleasantries at the end (e.g. "I hope you have a great weekend!", which I sincerely do given it's Friday).
For your recorded collaboration, use a mix of your voice, video, and screen to breakdown complexity or do a walkthrough with these tips:
Talk like you have a live audience even though you don't at the time, as people will refer to it in the near (and potentially distant) future
Keep it short and focused to avoid overloading your viewer and to make it easier for them to revisit specific parts as needed
Rehearse or write an outline of what you intend to show to support the point above
Pause or restart if you run into snags during your recording
My recommendation is to aim for 5 to 10 minutes at most. Also, aim to drop as many distractions as possible to ensure your points are the main focus of the viewer.
TLDR: Use written and recorded async collaboration to boost productivity. Keep it concise, provide context, and set expectations.
