Need to get a message out but you're not sure which communication tool is best? Here's a cheat sheet:
| Tool | Best for | Not ideal for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slack | Matters of urgent communication or a quick instant message. | Communicating anything longer than a sentence or two, or non-urgent information that does not require a quick response. | |
| Email / Gmail | Communication intended for a small or select audience that requires a lengthy response or time to digest. | Not good for urgent, time-sensitive matters or things that you want to share broadly. | |
| Halp | Internal ticketing system used for submitting requests or questions for help from teams across the company. | Private or sensitive requests, suggestions, discussions. | |
Discourse | Written team collaboration/sharing and communication that will be searchable by future readers. | Private communications, or as a location for finalized documentation. | |
| Confluence | Documenting current processes, procedures, and FAQs. | Making announcements or having discussions (but feel free to comment on things that are posted on this platform) | |
| Meet | Voice, video, and screen sharing for audiences less than 150. It also works better for internal use. | Conversations with external audiences (i.e. demos and vendor meetings). | |
Zoom | Voice, video, and screen sharing for audiences of more than 20. It also works better for external use. | This tool is a little too cumbersome to use for 1 on 1, scrum, or small internal communications. |
If you have something lengthy that requires a time-sensitive response, consider emailing it to the recipient and notifying them on Slack that you have sent them an urgent email.