Jason Fried says group chat is “like being in an all-day meeting with random participants and no agenda.” This is especially notable because the company Fried founded, Basecamp, makes a popular group-chat app. But Fried understands it’s in his company’s interests to make sure his customers don’t burn out. He offers several pieces of advice for teams using a group-chat app, whether they use Basecamp, Slack, WhatsApp, or other services.
“What we’ve learned is that group chat used sparingly in a few very specific situations makes a lot of sense,” Fried wrote in an online post. “What makes a lot less sense is chat as the primary, default method of communication inside an organization. A slice, yes. The whole pie, no . . . All sorts of eventual bad happens when a company begins thinking one-line-at-a-time most of the time.”
Fried believes the tools we use can also change the way we feel at work, and consequently advises using group chat sparingly. “Frazzled, exhausted, and anxious? Or calm, cool, and collected? These aren’t just states of mind, they are conditions caused by the kinds of tools we use, and the kinds of behaviors those tools encourage.” Even though the real-time nature of group chat is exactly what makes it unique, Fried believes, “right now should be the exception, not the rule.”
Here are four basic rules for effectively managing group chat:
RULE 1: USE IT LIKE A SAUNA
We should use group chat in the same way we use other synchronous communication channels. We wouldn’t choose to participate in a conference call that lasted for a whole day, so the same goes for group chat. Fried recommends we “treat chat like a sauna—stay a while but then get out . . . it’s unhealthy to stay too long.”
Alternatively, we might schedule a team meeting on group chat so that everyone is on at the same time. When used this way, it can be a great way to reduce in-person meetings.
It’s telling that the CEO of a group-chat company advises limiting the use of its product. And yet, many organizations that use these services encourage employees to lurk in the group-chat sauna all day long. This is a corrosive practice that individuals can’t always change on their own. We’ll tackle dysfunctional company culture later in the book.
RULE 2: SCHEDULE IT
The single-line commentaries, GIFs, and emoji commonly used in group chats create an ongoing stream of external triggers, often moving us further away from traction. To hack back, schedule time in your day to catch up on group chats, just as you would for any other task in your timeboxed calendar.
It’s important to set colleagues’ expectations by letting them know when you plan to be unavailable. You can put them at ease by assuring them that you will contribute to the conversation during an allocated time later in the day, but until then you shouldn’t feel guilty for turning on the Do Not Disturb feature while doing focused work.
RULE 3: BE PICKY
When it comes to group chat, be selective about who’s invited to the conversation. Fried advises, “Don’t get everyone on the line. The smaller the chat, the better the chat.” Continuing the conference-call metaphor, he states, “A conference call with three people is perfect. A call with six or seven is chaotic and woefully inefficient. Group chats are no different. Be careful inviting the whole gang when you only need a few.” The key is to make sure that everyone present is able to add and extract value from being a part of the conversation.
RULE 4: USE IT SELECTIVELY
Group chat is best avoided altogether when discussing sensitive topics. Remember that the ability to directly observe another person’s mood, tone, and nonverbal signals adds critical context to conversations. As Fried suggests, “Chat should be about quick, ephemeral things,” while “important topics need time, traction, and separation from the rest of the chatter.”
The trouble is that some people like to “think out loud” in group chat, explaining their arguments and ideas in one-line blurbs. This rarely works because it’s hard to follow along with someone’s thoughts in real time while others comment with emoji and other potential distractions. Instead of using group chat for long arguments and hurried decisions, it’s better to ask participants in the conversation to articulate their point in a document and share it after they’ve compiled their thoughts.
Ultimately, group chat is simply another communication channel, not so dissimilar from email or text messages. When used appropriately, it can have myriad benefits, but when abused or used incorrectly, it can lead to a flood of unwanted external triggers. The secret lies in the answer to our critical question: Are these triggers serving me, or am I serving them? We should use group chat where it helps us gain traction and weed out the external triggers that lead to distraction.
REMEMBER THIS
• Real-time communication channels should be used sparingly. Time spent communicating should not come at the sacrifice of time spent concentrating.
• Company culture matters. Changing group chat practices may involve questioning company norms. We’ll discuss this topic in part five.
• Different communication channels have different uses. Rather than use every technology as an always-on channel, use the best tools for the job.
• Get in and get out. Group chat is great for replacing in-person meetings but terrible if it becomes an all-day affair.