Stupid Simple Mac Tip #61 [Slack] – Effective Team Communication
Most of us have been working remotely, at least part of the time, for the past ten months.
![Stupid Simple Mac Tip #61 [Slack] – Effective Team Communication](https://www.globalmacit.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Stupid-Simple-Mac-Tip-61-Featured-Image.jpg)
Man how ⏰ ✈️ [time flies, get it?]
One of the keys to maintaining collaboration as a team through this time is one of our favorite tools, Slack.
Our team has used Slack since May of 2015 and the pandemic forced us to be even more intentional with it.
Just like email, Slack (or Teams or your preferred chat tool of choice) – can be abused. We can become too dependent on it and use it as a crutch. When this occurs, the effectiveness of our communications actually can plummet.
When in-person is not an option, your most effective tools of communication are Zoom, then phone. Then Slack/email.
Slack has helped us maintain healthy communications, open dialogue, celebrate and share wins, and move projects along during the pandemic.
It even allowed for the occasional Friday afternoon happy hour. 🍹
During the next three Stupid Simple Mac Tips, I’m going to share with you the top three things I think you should STOP doing when using Slack!
Confused? Don’t worry, as usual, I’ll make it simple and easy to follow! 😁
What is Slack?
This tool is a chatroom for your workplace, meant to replace email as the primary form of communication (as well as Apple’s Messages which is NOT meant to be a workplace tool and has plenty of limitations).
Imagine cutting down inner office emails by 90%. We’ve done it and you can too!
Slack’s workplaces allow you to organize discussions through channels, such as group chats and private conversations, etc. Through Slack, sharing information is more seamless and streamlined.
Who is it for?
Anyone who works with a team. Yeah, that probably includes everyone reading this tip, even if you are a small team of two or three.
It works on Macs and PCs, and all your mobile devices, so no excuses!
How do I get started?
The first step to improving the communication between your team is providing this link to them so they can download the app and get started.
Your task for this week is to download the app, install it, and go through the initial setup. That way you will be ready to start harvesting the rewards of better team communication when I share my next three tips.
The $8.00 cost per month (or save some money and pay $6.67 per month by paying for 12 months in advance) is well worth the investment, but you can the free version until you decide you need the paid.
If you are already using Slack, awesome, tell a friend.
Here’s my team’s report over the past year.
My team has sent 723,884 messages since June of 2016 via Slack.
As always quality is far more important than quantity. That number is shared to show we’ve been using it for a while and have learned many lessons along the way.
Next week I’ll start with three 3 things you’ve got to STOP doing when using Slack to help make you and your team more efficient.
Even if you are currently using Slack, be sure to check-in for the next three weeks. I’m sure you will pick up at least one tip that will improve your team’s use of Slack. Oh – and if you are currently using Slack, send me an email with your favorite tip, I’ll share it on GlobalMac IT’s Facebook page so that everyone can benefit!
