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.