Which of the following is an example of asynchronous communication

Communicating in a remote work environment can be tricky, especially if you or your organization have recently made the switch from in-person to remote work.

Adjusting to a long day of webcam meetings when you’re used to being able to pop your head into a coworker’s office often seems exhausting, and feels less connected.

Asynchronous communication to the rescue!

What is asynchronous communication? It’s a fancy way of saying communication that doesn’t have to happen in real time.  

Asynchronous communication allows us to set our own schedules and answer messages on our own time, without having to wait on the availability of others.

Remote work offers many new challenges, but asynchronous communication methods help you stay connected with your coworkers and make sure that everything is running smoothly, regardless of location, time zone, or at-home distractions. 

Here are five examples of asynchronous communication that will keep your remote office on track for success.

1. Informational or instructional videos

Ever been in a meeting that could have been an email? Of course. We all have. But email has its own limitations! People tend to scan long blocks of text, so important information might be missed. It’s also often hard to get tone and intent from plain text, and it’s impossible to have face-to-face conversations when you send an email.

Instead of sending a lengthy email or requiring employees to be online at the same time for a video call to relay new information, consider a different form of communication. I suggest making an informational and instructional video and sharing it for teammates to watch on their own time!

Not only does this method provide more flexibility, it also allows employees to watch the content as many times as they need to understand the material. They can also go back and reference it later.

Plus, video is inherently more engaging than text. Your employees likely prefer it (and they retain the information better). 

These videos don’t have to be highly produced — even a screen recording with a voiceover can be much more effective than sending out long emails with directions.

Tools like Snagit are great for basic screen recording, while more advanced tools like Camtasia even offer helpful video templates to make creating a walkthrough that much easier.

Contrary to what you might think, you do not need to be a video pro to make really great videos.

Need some inspiration? Here are eleven types of videos you can make right now.

2. Quick reference guides

Odds are, your coworkers will need you to explain a task more than once. If you’re not online at the same time, tasks can be delayed. Creating quick reference guides to explain tasks and answer basic questions that are likely to pop up offers more flexibility for your audience and ensures that the information is easy to understand.

Plus, when they need a refresher, they can always go back to your handy guide for review.

This will reduce the need for clarifying messages and eliminate the back-and-forth messages that might otherwise happen when coworkers aren’t available in the office across the hall.

Snagit offers some awesome templates for making reference guides and job aids.

For a great walkthrough of making quick reference guides with Snagit, check out the video below!

Easy-to-use templates

Need a faster, easier way to create quick reference guides? Snagit can help!

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3. Screenshots with markup

Want a quick and easy way to asynchronously give feedback on a project or piece of content? Take a screenshot and add annotations or markup. 

For example, say you’re browsing your company’s website one day and discover one of your product pages has old or outdated information. 

Sure, you could shoot someone an email and explain what page, where on the page, and what elements need to be changed, but with a single screenshot, you plainly and easily show all of that information.

No need for a meeting, wordy emails, or text chats.

See how our feedback is clearly visible in the image above?

Not only can coworkers see what needs to be changed, but the screenshot shows the page address and where on the page the outdated content is.

There are a variety of online tools to help keep your team’s tasks organized and visible. Products like Asana and Trello help eliminate confusion by displaying your tasks on a board, so everyone knows what’s stalled, in progress, or completed without having to send dozens of messages back and forth.

These tools also have features like tags and subtasks that can help group assignments into specific projects.

It’s much easier to work asynchronously when teammates have a concrete visual display of exactly who is working on what.

Having a well-organized and up-to-date wiki or Sharepoint site makes communication much easier, especially when you have a larger team or organization. Use it as a hub for important documents, company guidelines, directories, and more. 

This is especially important for asynchronous work because even if a teammate isn’t online, an employee can find answers to most general questions and locate documents needed to complete their work without having to wait on someone else’s email or message.

Similarly, if you’re the traditional keeper of that knowledge, your inbox isn’t constantly flooded with the same questions over and over and over.

There you have it!

You’re armed with some great tools and ideas for asynchronous communication, and you don’t have to rely on written communication to interact with your remote team members.

Some can even function as synchronous or hybrid methods as well. For example, while direct messages and text messages can be done in real time, you may not be available to answer a colleague’s question right away.  

The same is true of messages left in tools like Slack or email. People can choose to answer them right away, or wait until they’re available.

With these asynchronous communication tips in mind, you and your organization will make remote work easier and more flexible than ever.

6 easy ways to use visuals and video at work

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication?

Synchronous communication happens in real time, like a live video chat. Asynchronous communication can happen at any time, and each individual can consume information on their own schedule.

How does asynchronous communication help my team?

Asynchronous communication provides flexibility for all team members and helps them set their ideal schedules. Plus, they can go back and rewatch or reread content as many times as needed to absorb the information.

What is an example of asynchronous communication?

What is in asynchronous communication?

Which of the following are examples of synchronous communication?

What are examples of asynchronous communication tools?