How do we communicate internally? When and how? The following rules and the accompanying philosophy help Wieni to communicate better internally. These are not strict laws, but provide guidelines and shared practices.
- Asynchronous as the rule, synchronous as the exception. Synchronous communication is based on instant feedback, as opposed to asynchronous communication, where the receiver provides feedback at a different moment in time.
- Only asynchronous internal communication based on long-form text or pre-recorded video, which goes against the tradition of synchronous verbal meetings, leads to the necessary reduction of meetings and video calls.
- Meetings are the last resort, not the first option.
- Who writes stays. Whoever talks only produces air that evaporates. If it's important, write it down.
- Talking helps the one who hears it. Writing helps everyone. Not only people who couldn't be there, but also future colleagues in 10 years.
- Do not expect anyone to respond immediately except in an emergency. The urge for immediate answers is toxic to productivity. ASAP is poison.
- Poor communication creates extra work.
- Provide factual and spatial context. Factual are things that people should know. Spatial is where the communication takes place. Discuss a task under the task, not elsewhere.
- Communication has nothing to do with syncing calendars. Writing or other asynchronous communication is not held back by the availability of your colleagues.
- A good colleague is a good writer. Put time and effort into what you write, how you write it and where you write it. The quality of what is written determines the quality of the work that follows.
A notable advantage of working asynchronously is the quality that is added early in the process. Our experience is that good asynchronous preparation ensures better work that follows.
Credits: Wieni is inspired by Basecamp's fantastic Guide to Internal Communication. We adapted the guide and translated it to the world of Wieni.