My Mother was a documentary film producer. Some of my earliest memories are of being in the editing studio where my mom worked with the editor to get the cut just right. Sometimes, the audio lagged the video and preceded the facial expression, which I thought looked so funny! The editor would immediately stop, say, “out of sync,” rewinding the master audio tape to line it up with the video; apparently, he didn’t think being out of sync was as funny as I did!

Whereas in film, ensuring the video and audio are synchronous may be critical to viewing enjoyment, synchronization in professional communications isn’t always necessary.

We all want to find alternatives to meetings. We all know that meetings eat up so much time and leave little energy and focus for actually getting work done! But how can we accomplish everything that needs to be done — like the communication that takes place in meetings, without having meetings drain our work schedules? Part of the solution might come from Asynchronous Communications.

Asynchronous what? 

Let’s start by defining the method we are all much more familiar with, Synchronous Communication. Synchronous Communication (SC) takes place in real-time between two or more parties. Simply put, synchronous communication is a “live” conversation between people. This is the kind of communication that happens in meetings (as well as bumping into people on the street or ordering a meal at a restaurant).

Therefore Asynchronous Communication (AC) can be defined as any type of communication where one person provides information, and then there is a delay before the recipient takes in the information and provides a response.

There are benefits to both kinds of communication, but I think it is safe to say that as a culture we have leaned heavily on SC over AC, which results in lots of meetings. Using asynchronous forms of communication is actually genius, especially now that we are working more in a hybrid work culture where not everyone is in the same location working at the same time or even in the same time zone. Meetings (aka, synchronous communication) require everyone to be available and present at the same time. AC permits elegant integration into a hybrid work culture.

Benefits of AC 

With AC, team members have a better chance of staying productive and focused for longer periods. Longer periods of focus will result in higher productivity and better outcomes. AC allows team members to decide when they are best able to address a type of work. It allows people to take as much time as they need to formulate an opinion or answer a question. AC also evens out the “in-house” bias weighed against remote staff, especially those in different time zones.

The future of work requires that we think about what work should be real-time and what should be anytime says Javier Hernandez, a researcher at Microsoft.

OK, but how do you implement AC?

We already use many of the tools of AC in our synchronous lives. So moving to a partially AC communication flow doesn’t require learning new ways of working, which means it is relatively easy to implement and cost-effective as well!

If you’d like to implement more AC in your working life try:

• Get ready for your close-up! Recording videos is a quick and easy way to communicate with your coworkers. Sometimes it is just easier to show someone how to do something. With free apps like Loom, Vidyard, CloudApp, and Soapbox you can record yourself, your screen, or both. You and your team can create quick videos to explain specific processes, train people on new protocols, teach them how to use a new tool, give a presentation, and more.

• A picture is worth a thousand words: Try using screenshots with markup for quick requests. Instead of sending an email about a specific task or issue, it’s much easier (and more helpful!) to capture a screenshot and clearly mark your annotations and notes

• Survey says! Surveys are a fast way to capture honest, actionable feedback from your crew. Surveys give teammates a frictionless, anonymous route to voice concerns they may not feel comfortable sharing during a virtual meeting. Free survey options like Google Forms, Typeform, and SurveyMonkey allow you to create questions, ask for feedback, and address issues you’d typically hold a meeting to discuss.

• DM me. Messages to your team, a department, or a single employee are highly effective for communicating a quick question, thoughts, brainstorming follow-up, status updates, and more.

• Knowledge is power! Create an easily accessible knowledge base document. Keep it updated with important information, links to documents, and updated progress against goals for the team or project. Team members can refer to the knowledge base to answer simple questions or to catch up on what they missed.

• Be prepared for the unexpected. Despite your best efforts to stay asynchronous and productive, issues will always pop up. Creating an emergency communication protocol will alert employees when urgent matters require immediate attention. Flag a message or use a code word to designate high-priority communication.

Hopefully, now you’ve got a clearer view of how AC can be employed in your work culture to reduce the dependence on SC and meetings. Having time to consider an issue before responding is a gift that rewards the sender and the receiver.

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Looking to maximize profitability and efficiency? (Who isn’t?) Through organizational design, I take a humanistic approach to how your business operates, developing systems that make work more streamlined, productive, and enjoyable for your users and your staff.

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Image credit: Dan-Cristian Pădureț unsplash.com/es/@dancristianpaduret