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Communication within a team is one of the most important steps for collective success. Without it it is very difficult to deliver high quality team work and evolving as a cohesive unit. In today’s digital age, companies leverage message-based communication tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams to facilitate collaboration among team members. While team channels are commonly utilized for discussing group-wide topics, there’s a tendency to resort to private channels for work-related discussions with specific team members.

This article aims to advocate for the idea that many work-related discussions, typically conducted in private channels, can benefit from being shared in the team channel (and I’m not talking about the funny memes you share with your colleagues! :D).

Whether you’re seeking clarification on a task, requesting a code review, inquiring about the status of task/project, seeking opinions, or any other related matter, sharing it in the team channel can yield significant advantages. If you want someone in particular to see your message you can always tag them on the public post. By making your queries or discussions visible to the entire team, you unlock several benefits:

  • Opportunity for mentorship: By making the discussion visible to all you empower your team members to seize the opportunity to learn, thus taking the chance to provide free mentoring.
  • Workload distribution: By posting queries in the team channel, you distribute the workload more evenly across the team. Team members who are available and knowledgeable on the topic can readily provide assistance, ensuring tasks progress smoothly.
  • Collective feedback: Discussing ideas or seeking feedback in the team channel enables you to tap into the diverse perspectives and expertise of your colleagues. This can lead to valuable insights and contributions from people that may not have been initially considered.
  • Fostering inclusivity and collaboration: Encouraging open communication in the team channel ensures that everyone feels included and has the opportunity to contribute. This fosters a sense of belonging and strengthens team cohesion.
  • Increased visibility: Engaging in discussions within the team channel elevates the visibility of both your own work and that of your teammates, which is extremely important for career progress.

Adopting this approach may require a mindset shift for some individuals, as private communication channels may feel more comfortable initially. To be able to do this the team must agree with the approach and enforce it. It is very easy to go back to the old way of private communication without even noticing it. To implement this effectively, it’s essential for the entire team, especially more senior members, to advocate for and enforce the use of public communication channels. This may sometimes require telling directly to team members to use the team channel. This is specially important when new people, that don’t yet have that mindset, join the team. Here you have to be careful on how you convey the message so that people don’t feel attacked. Being compassionate and telling them why you’re doing that will definitely go a long way!

As a tech lead I can say that this type of open communication is an incredible tool for assessing the team’s progress, identifying potential bottlenecks, and offering guidance to those in need. Moreover, I believe it provides managers with valuable insights into team productivity and dynamics.

So my suggestion for you is: give it a try. You might become a fan after seeing the results!