The Basecamp Guide to Internal Communication

The Basecamp Guide to Internal Communication

The how, where, why, and when we communicate. Long form asynchronous(āˈsiNGkrənəs)? Real-time chat? In-person? Video? Verbal(ˈvərbəl)? Written(ˈritn)? Via(ˈvīə) email? In Basecamp? How do we keep everyone in the loop without everyone getting tangled(ˈtaNGɡ(ə)ld) in everyone else’s business? It’s all in here.

Rules of thumb(THəm), and general philosophy(fəˈläsəfē)

Below you’ll find a collection of general principles we try to keep in mind at Basecamp when communicating with teammates(ˈtē(m)ˌmāt), within departments, across the company, and with the public. They aren’t requirements, but they serve to create boundaries and shared practices to draw(drô) upon when we do the one thing that affects everything else we do: communicate.

You can not not communicate. Not discussing the elephant in the room is communicating. Few things are as important to study, practice, and perfect as clear communication.
Real-time sometimes, asynchronous most of the time.
Internal communication based on long-form writing, rather than a verbal tradition(trəˈdiSH(ə)n) of meetings, speaking, and chatting, leads to a welcomed reduction(rəˈdəkSH(ə)n) in meetings, video conferences(ˈkänf(ə)rəns), calls, or other real-time opportunities to interrupt(ˌin(t)əˈrəpt) and be interrupted.
Give meaningful discussions a meaningful amount of time to develop and unfold(ˌənˈfōld). Rushing to judgement, or demanding immediate(iˈmēdēət) responses, only serves to increase the odds(ädz) of poor(po͝or) decision making.
Meetings are the last resort(rəˈzôrt), not the first option.
Writing solidifies(səˈlidəˌfī), chat dissolves(dəˈzälv). Substantial(səbˈstan(t)SHəl) decisions start and end with an exchange of complete thoughts, not one-line-at-a-time jousts(joust). If it’s important, critical(ˈkridək(ə)l), or fundamental, write it up, don’t chat it down.

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https://basecamp.com/guides/how-we-communicate