The Benefits of Asynchronous Communication

May 20, 2020 by Nomadic Team

We’ve all experienced it: the dreaded meeting that could have been—or really should have been—an email. But even without a global crisis exerting tremendous pressure on our ability to manage our time, energy, and attention, it’s worth looking at how the timing of our communication can help or hurt our ability to get work done. Whether we’re working from corporate HQ, a cafe, or our kitchen, asynchronous communication can noticeably improve our collaboration and the quality of our work.

This Resource, which is available to members of our cohort-based Academy (learn more about our learning content here), explores the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication, and makes the case for asynchronous communication. Here’s a sneak peek.

The Benefits of Asynchronous Communication
There are a lot of reasons we might have a bias toward synchronous communication—or, any communication that takes place in real time—especially if we are still adjusting to working remotely. For one, it recreates the face-to-face interactions that we experience when we are co-located. For those of us who are managers, mediums like video meetings or conference calls can also provide us with a sense of control that we might lose when we can’t “see” our teams working. Or it might feel like a way to hold our team accountable by keeping them on call.

But the truth is that there are distinct advantages to asynchronous communication or—that is, communication that doesn’t have to take place in real time. Read on to explore a few of the advantages. And to learn more about how asynchronous communication can also make an L&D initiative more effective, check out our post on asynchronous vs. synchronous communication in online learning, too.

Asynchronous communication...

• Facilitates true flexibility.
  One of the biggest strengths of remote work is that people are free to set their own schedules (within reason of course). Early risers can rise early, and night owls can burn the midnight oil while still being equally productive. A doctor’s appointment, quick errand, or midday run can easily fit into a regular day’s schedule. None of this flexibility, however, would be possible if work continues to rely on synchronous communication, which also requires us to work at the exact same time as others.
• Levels the playing field.
  Despite our best efforts, it’s often the loudest or most senior voices in the room that dominate in-person and/or synchronous meetings. By moving discussion to asynchronous platforms, like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or even email, it’s easy for everyone to share their best ideas—and be heard. This can be especially helpful for the shier members of your team, those who primarily communicate in a second language, or anyone who may just want more time to gather their thoughts.
• Encourages thoughtfulness.
  It’s happened to all of us before: we’re called on in a meeting to give our opinion, something we know we have good thoughts on, but the words don’t come out quite right. If only we’d had a little more time to collect our thoughts, we think to ourselves. With asynchronous communication, there is no pressure to respond right away, which provides all of us the time and space to carefully formulate our opinions and give thoughtful feedback.
• Leaves a trail.
  Asynchronous communication platforms enable a level of transparency that synchronous communication does not, unless someone is always taking detailed notes or you’re recording every meeting and call. Whether using an instant messaging or project management app, decisions made and work done through asynchronous communication are automatically recorded and archived. This provides an unparalleled level of detailed record-keeping and the ability to routinely analyze and optimize workflows.

*

So asynchronous communication offers clear benefits, but what about asynchronous (or semi-synchronous) learning? Download your free copy of our report, Why the Future of Learning is Instructorless, which explores why what we call semi-synchronous learning is so impactful for global teams. In it, we explain how we designed our Academy to put learners at the center (rather than an instructor), to foster lively debate, and to make the learning immediately relevant to cohort members' daily work.

Interested to discover more about what Nomadic’s cohort-based Academy can do for your organization? Learn about our approach, or get in touch to request a demo.

Sign up to get the latest expert commentary, analysis, and news in learning and leadership delivered straight to your inbox.