Why does writing matter in remote work?
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Why does writing matter in remote work?
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Re: Why does writing matter in remote work?
#2Whenever you compose an email, put your ask in the first sentence. Do you want information from them? Do you want them to do something for you? Put it in the first sentence. Then put the explanation and details in the rest of the email.
Re: Why does writing matter in remote work?
#3I have three replies, in no particular order.
1:
> We document projects in Notion. We send meeting invites with a written description of the purpose.
Hah! I can't remember the last time I saw well-maintained collaborative documentation at a client. And I am among a small handful of people I know who provide descriptions of meeting invites.
2:
I looooove written communication with others who are competent. I have an unfortunate history of colleagues who will immediately ask for a meeting whenever I send an email with more than one short paragraph or with an attachment containing text of interest. In this meeting, I proceed to read them the contents of my email, sometimes literally and sometimes paraphrasing.
I have narrowed this to the coworkers by exasperatedly sharing said emails with coworkers and with friends in different fields to see if they understand them. The number of these experiences is much higher than the number of meeting invites I have received with well-written descriptions included.
3:
Yes! I agree with all of the points this author is making.
Re: Why does writing matter in remote work?
#4I absolutely love async communication. I’ll look for writing competency when interviewing at my next job. I’m bogged down in meetings enough as is. Phrases like “hey let’s talk voice” is abused heavily.
I’ve been to meetings where the topic was to discuss what to do in our next meeting. Absurd.
Re: Why does writing matter in remote work?
#5This piece is kind of fluffy, I don't see why it's on the front page. Not particularly insightful.
From my experience, Filipino's speaking English as a second language generally have difficulty fitting in with Western culture when working remotely. This requires extra communication and emphasis on expectations to get everyone on the same sheet of music. Clearer explanations are required than with native English speakers.
One example in the text. The OP misinterprets the Basecamp message that 5 people in a room for an hour is a 5 hour meeting rather than a 1 hour meeting.
> Had the Meeting Organizer took notes from the Very Important Meeting, three hours would be saved.
No, it's a 5 hour meeting because there are 5 people in the room. If you have a billable project which 5 people each put an hour into, you bill 5 hours for that project.
Writing for communication is different than writing documentation. Communication centered around meetings is different than asynchronous communication. The OP is bundling all these things together in one post.
A good portion of the article is on how to write well. This is how you write an essay, not how you talk to people.
My two quick points shooting from the hip...
1. Every group you need to collaborate with is different. By "group" I'm including situations where the group might just be a single boss or client. Your job is to adjust to the communication style of that group. Some groups like to communicate in fragmented "texting" speech. Some groups communicate in perfect English. Best to adjust or you won't get much further than that.
2. Be authentic. Write like you speak. Start out speaking like you would to any person you might encounter in public. Then you can adjust based on the group. If you're trying to appear as someone you aren't, people will see through you quickly and you'll look silly. It's also refreshing to be speaking to regular people. If you have deficiencies, let them out so that people can help.
Re: Why does writing matter in remote work?
#6I have strong convictions about business communication.
Efficiency is key.
Every character is one brain processing unit.
Time is all we have.
Agreed.
Re: Why does writing matter in remote work?
#7This piece is kind of fluffy, I don't see why it's on the front page. Not particularly insightful. From my experience, Filipino's speaking English as a second language generally have difficulty fitting in with Western culture when working remotely. This requires extra communication and emphasis on expectations to get everyone on the same sheet of music. Clearer explanations are required than with native English speak…
> From my experience, Filipino's speaking English
Hey there - this seems like unnecessary ethnic stereotyping.
Also, no apostrophe is used in this situation.
Re: Why does writing matter in remote work?
#8Whenever you compose an email, put your ask in the first sentence. Do you want information from them? Do you want them to do something for you? Put it in the first sentence. Then put the explanation and details in the rest of the email.
This.
Even if you are emailing an old friend for a favor, put your request up front then put the cordial stuff after, its much more sincere that way.
> Joe, we are looking for advisors to sit on our board. This is a non-paying position so I'm emailing all my old friends and asking for favors. Hey, how are you? How is your wife and son? Either way lets get together soon! --Aaron
Re: Why does writing matter in remote work?
#9Whenever you compose an email, put your ask in the first sentence. Do you want information from them? Do you want them to do something for you? Put it in the first sentence. Then put the explanation and details in the rest of the email.
Sometimes. Good 'ol BCQ works just fine as well when done succinctly.
Re: Why does writing matter in remote work?
#10Whenever you compose an email, put your ask in the first sentence. Do you want information from them? Do you want them to do something for you? Put it in the first sentence. Then put the explanation and details in the rest of the email.
I’ve followed this format ever since I read about BLUF [0], and I’ve found it to be highly effective.
I don’t use the same subject keywords the article describes, but I try to keep it concise. I put the point of the email first, a bit of background, and further explanation below that if required. I don’t think anybody really appreciates the beating around the bush and story telling that goes into a lot of corporate emails.
[0]: https://hbr.org/2016/11/how-to-write-email-with-military-pre...