Top tips to improve communication from the Slack Masterclass

By Rowan

Photo by Erik Mclean

 

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a Slack Masterclass, which focused on how to optimise internal comms within any company using Slack’s features. The class covered three main topics, and below I’ll discuss some of my favourite points from each.

Building a foundation for internal comms in Slack

1. Naming conventions – The long and the short of this is: use the same style of naming conventions for each new channel you create. Making channels easy to find and navigate will save you and your team a lot of time in the long run.
2. Dedicated announcement channel – Having a channel dedicated to company updates and events helps keep everyone up to date on daily happenings, without having to search through multiple channels or threads.
3. Reacji Channeller – This was one of the most exciting takeaways from the Masterclass for me. The Reacji Channeller feature allows messages to be automatically channelled to a specified channel by simply reacting to any message, in any public channel, with a specific emoji.

   For example, you could set up a “good news” channel and set the Reacji Channeller to send any message with the newspaper emoji :rolled_up_newspaper: reaction to be automatically sent to the good news channel for everyone to see.

How to get the most out of Slack’s features for smoother comms

1. Channel canvases – If you’re a regular user of Slack then you’ll no doubt already be familiar with the Canvas feature, but did you know that you can create a custom canvas for each Slack channel that allows any member of that channel to view and contribute to it?
2. Workflows in canvases – Linking to the channel canvases point, you can also add workflows straight into canvases, allowing anyone with access to the canvas access to the workflow as well!
3. Lists in canvases – Lists are another great feature my team and I make use of daily. They allow you to assign or keep track of tasks, while also providing any info needed for the task’s completion. And now, these too can be added straight into your canvases.

Strengthening the connection between leadership and employees

1. Audio and video clips – Sometimes sending a request or announcement as an audio or even video clip can help convey tone and emotion between employees or colleagues. It can also be an interesting change from the usual text communication, especially if you don’t all work on-site together.
2. Create an AMA channel – An AMA, or Ask Me Anything, channel can be a great way to bridge the gap between management and the rest of the company. Having a channel where any question can be asked openly allows for confusion to be cleared up by management or fellow employees.

At Pomegranite, Slack is more than just a way for us to discuss ongoing work – it’s a place for us to connect with each other, share our highs and lows, crack some jokes, and generally just allow us all to feel closer as a team. I can’t imagine what our day to day activities would be like without Slack, and with every new feature comes a new opportunity for us to learn and grow.

Hopefully some of my takeaways from the masterclass can help you and your team get more out of Slack too!