B etter Chats on Slack

Better Chats on Slack

As the weekend approaches, I’d like to share a few tips to help you use Slack more effectively—especially when it comes to thoughtful and respectful communication with your team.

Schedule Messages for a Better Weekend

Have you ever wanted to send a message after work hours, say around 6:00 PM, but hesitated? You might be tempted to write, “Hi all, no need to reply now—just read this on Monday…”

Instead of sending messages during off-hours, try using Slack’s scheduled messages feature. You can compose your message and choose a specific date and time for it to be delivered—whether you’re at your desk or still enjoying your Sunday morning coffee.

Draft First, Send Later

If you’re not quite ready to send a message—perhaps you’re unsure about the content or timing—consider writing it as a draft. Slack automatically saves these unsent messages in a Drafts section in your sidebar. This makes it easy to return to them when you’re ready to review and send.

Refine Your Searches

Can’t remember which channel or person you messaged? Slack’s search bar can help you find what you’re looking for by using helpful prefixes.

Here are some useful search examples:

  • from:@herman taxes – to find messages from Herman that mention “taxes”.
  • in:#finance salaries – to locate salary-related discussions in the #finance channel.

Over time, Slack becomes a searchable archive of valuable conversations and decisions—use it well.

Default to Public Channels When Possible

If your discussion involves multiple teams or could benefit others, consider using a public channel. This keeps conversations transparent and accessible. It’s especially helpful when team members transition or leave—anyone can trace back the context and decisions without needing to dig through private messages.

Avoid Sending Just “Hi” or “Halo Mas”

We’ve all seen this happen:

2021-12-24 12:32:12 You: Hi
2021-12-24 12:32:15 Colleague: Hello.
# COLLEAGUE WAITS WHILE YOU PHRASE YOUR QUESTION
2021-12-24 12:34:01 You: I'm working on [something] and I'm trying to do [etc...]
2021-12-24 12:35:21 Colleague: Oh, that's [answer...]

In a real-time conversation or phone call, this is fine. But Slack supports asynchronous communication—it’s okay to get straight to the point. Instead, try this:

2021-12-24 12:32:12 You: Hi -- I'm working on [something] and I'm trying to do [etc...]
2021-12-24 12:33:32 Colleague: [answers question]

This saves time for both parties. Your colleague can immediately understand the context and respond when available, without waiting for you to finish typing.

If you’re worried it sounds abrupt, you can soften it:

12:32 You: Hi — if you're not busy, I was wondering if I could ask a quick question. I’m working on [something] and trying to [details]

Being clear and direct is not impolite—it’s respectful of your colleague’s time and attention.

Didn’t expect this to turn into a long one, but I hope you found it helpful!

This article is part of the 30 Day Writing Challenge, where I challenge myself to write whatever comes to mind—every day.