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3 Speeds of Communication
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Communication happens at three different speeds. Choosing the right speed matters.
The Three Speeds
- Synchronous (fast) - Real-time conversation. Meetings, calls, in-person chat. Best for urgent matters, sensitive topics, and brainstorming.
- Asynchronous (medium) - Messages that don't need instant replies. Slack, email, comments. Best for updates, questions, and sharing context.
- Artifacts (slow) - Documents, wikis, RFCs, runbooks. Best for decisions that need to last, onboarding, and alignment across teams.
Why It Matters
Most teams over-index on synchronous communication. This burns time and creates bottlenecks around availability.
The best leaders push information down in speed whenever possible. If something can be a document, don't make it a meeting. If it can be an async message, don't schedule a call.
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