At Proactive Talent, we realize that not all communication is created equal, so we created this handy guide to help you understand where you should go when you’re communicating something specific.

Slack

As a remote company, we rely on and love Slack for most of our daily communication. It’s the best way to reach the team when you need a quick response whenever you see the little green dot light up next to someone’s name.

Our main hubs for communication within Slack are:

• #transparency: A source for company-wide updates on what’s happening at Proactive Talent.
• #watercooler: A place for casual conversation around just about anything.
• #humblebrag: A place to recognize yourself and others for the great work you’re doing.

When you have a question that someone specific can answer, go ahead and send them a direct message. Before doing so, however, make sure to consider the following:

• Does what I’m asking for need a quick response? If the answer is ‘yes,’ go ahead and send off the message with confidence! If the answer is ‘no,’ consider sending it as an email instead and they can answer it at a time they designate for checking email.
• Does this warrant a shoulder tap? Regard Slack the same way as you would ‘tap’ a colleague on the shoulder if they were seated at a desk next to you. Is it worth an interruption now or can it wait until later?
• Do I need to collaborate on something in real-time? If you need to get some quick feedback on something you’re working on and it will only take a few minutes, feel free to discuss it on Slack. If it’s going to take longer than that to give someone the context around the project, or will have a lot of back-and-forth discussions, consider jumping on a Google Hangout Meet instead.
• Is what I’m sharing light, funny, or off-topic? Absolutely share it on Slack! #watercooler is the best channel to share it with the full Tribe if it’s not meant for someone specific.

Keep in mind that Slack is intended for quick responses, and so it’s easy to miss an important update, forget to respond, or lose track of important information. If what you’re sharing is critical, requires specific follow-up, etc., it may be worth changing how you deliver the communication.

If you are unfamiliar with Slack, please review this Slack Getting Started Guide.

Google Drive

While Google Drive is a document-sharing platform rather than a communication tool, it deserves a spot on this list as it is our platform of choice for sharing and saving company-related documents.

Regardless of if they are company-related or client-related, all documents should be saved in your Proactive Talent Google Drive account and not on your personal devices for the safety and security of sensitive data. You never know when your device can crash, be damaged, or get stolen. So, refrain from saving data anywhere but in the Google Drive Cloud. For easy saving into your Proactive Talent Google Drive, please follow these steps to download Google Drive File Stream.

When sharing documents and files with colleagues, make sure to save the file in Google Drive first, and then click the blue “share” button and share the document or a link to the document to them rather than attaching the document to an email or Slack message; this will ensure the most current version of the document is being shared.

Email

While our communication platform of choice is Slack, there is still a time and place for email at Proactive Talent.

We utilize email for sharing more important matters such as:

• Company-related announcements or other critical matters.
• Documenting communication with clients and Tribe members.
• Discussing sensitive or confidential information such as interview feedback, strategy documents, and anything else that may fall under an NDA agreement.

In addition to important matters, you should consider utilizing email when:

• You need to include an external contact (such as a client or vendor) in the conversation. We often create shared Slack channels with clients, but it’s easy for information to be lost in Slack, so when you need answers to important questions, be sure to take the conversation to email.
• You are discussing a matter that requires a lot of detail and cannot be summarized with a quick one or two-sentence Slack message. We want to refrain from Slack being taken over with what is referred to as a “wall of text” type message that is better suited for an email. There is a place for intricately wordsmithed conversations, and Slack is not one of them.

Meetings

While Slack and email make communication more convenient, there are times when it can be especially beneficial to meet for a (virtual) face-to-face meeting.

Video conferencing is a big part of how we communicate at Proactive Talent as a predominately remote organization. It’s easy to misinterpret written communications. Meeting over video is helpful because you can hear the verbal inflections and read body language when you are on video.

Plan to meet for a video call (via Google Hangouts Meet) when:

• You need to discuss sensitive topics that could benefit from visual cues. Body language and tone of voice are important when discussing sensitive or difficult topics. Avoid back-and-forth messages that could aggravate a topic more by talking it out on a video call.
• You have been chatting on Slack for a while and you still don’t understand something. Meeting virtually can help when you need to have deeper, clarifying conversations. Sometimes working through a problem by talking out loud can bring forth additional insights you may not have thought about beforehand. Screen Sharing can also be immensely helpful.
• You need to talk through and collaborate on complicated projects or subjects. There are times when you could use additional input on a project that is much simpler to do by video call than swapping Slack messages. Don’t be afraid to brainstorm live when it makes sense!

Phone/Text

Generally, it’s best to communicate using company communication tools for business-related conversations to limit the risk of sharing company or client-related data on personal devices.

However, we understand that sometimes it’s easier to pick up the phone and call someone. We ask that you use your best judgment when communicating this way, and be respectful of personal boundaries between work and life.

You may find that a phone call is especially ideal for situations when you are trying to communicate an emergency before or after normal business hours when most individuals may have their email and Slack notifications muted.