How Underland use asynchronous communication

One of Underland’s core values is ‘be clear’ and I wanted to talk a bit more about what that means in the context of asynchronous communication.

In today’s world, it might feel like everyone is always on and connected. Every message you send to someone surely must be greeted with an immediate reply — but this isn’t always possible. Where it isn’t, different people will be picking up and replying to messages at different times, and it’s important to communicate what you want in a clear, concise manner.

Say what you want

As humans we have a natural instinct to embellish our conversations with social niceties. Don’t get me wrong, these are perfectly pleasant and have their place, but if the reason you’re messaging is because you want (or need) something, these niceties can delay the outcome of the conversation.

Some might think it’s rude to not begin a conversation with a “Hi! How are you?”, but if we have an good existing relationship, I know you care about how I’m doing. If we are acquaintances or have never spoken before, starting with these niceties can also come across disingenuous.

As another general rule, you should try and make sure that the receiver of the message can answer your request in a single reply. If you’re asking for several things — do them all at the same time.

If you’re unsure how to apply these concepts, here’s a template:

Hi! If you have a minute can you give me some feedback on this blog post? [link] I’m not too sure about the tone and would value your input. Also, have you had any thoughts about whether you’re able to come to my party on Saturday? Hope you’re well!

Say what you mean

I’m a big fan of direct communication because I’m a very literal person, though not everyone is a fan of this style.

That said, the subtext of conversations can be really hard to read; especially when someone isn’t saying exactly what they mean and is instead hoping that others will pick up on the real meaning of their comments.

Whilst it is important to be mindful of how our words can make others feel, try to be clear and concise when giving feedback or providing guidance. If you beat around the bush when trying to make your point, or try and sugar-coat constructive criticism, you can decrease the chance that it will be understood and actioned.

Here’s a combination of both ‘saying what you want’ and ‘saying what you mean’:

Hi! Thanks for sharing the work-in-progress with me. I don’t really like the way the homepage looks — specifically the big block of colour as the header. I would prefer the header to be a nice bright image of people smiling. I’ve attached some examples of things I like so you can see what I mean. If you could make these changes and send them over by Tuesday that would be great! Thanks!

It’s okay to check if you’re unsure

I’m an advocate for trying to keep the number of messages needed to achieve something to a minimum, you should still make sure you fully understand what someone is asking before starting on a task.

While this means more back-and-forth, it minimises the risk that time will be wasted on a misunderstood instruction.

So that’s a little bit about how Underland aims to always be clear and concise. It definitely frees us up to work on more fun and exciting projects and spend less time in our inboxes.