1) Effective remote communication requires more than just tools; it requires embedding communications to create trust through transparency, brevity, consistency, and well-formed tasks. 2) Key elements of remote communication include using structures like TLDR (too long; didn't read), Achievements and Objectives (A&O) reports, and Pivotal task management to embed context, insights, actions, and notes within workflows. 3) Asking questions like "Will your team get the context?" and "Can your team find your summary later?" can help remote communicators focus on practices that increase understanding and make information findable over time.

1. Key elements of effective
remote communication
Everett Harper
CEO Tetherpad
@everettharper / everett@tetherpad.com

2. You want to be heard

3. Their attention is valuable

4. Tools Reporting
Actions
Remote communication requires more than this

5. Tools Reporting
Actions
Embed communications to create trust
Embed

6. All
Reporting
Missing
Actions
Poor
Tools
Trigger: Identify customer trends
Example: Virtual team @ Linden Lab No Embed

7. Trigger: Direct email to team
Example: Suggestion on Leave Now
Email
Customer
Story
Read

8. Trigger: Buffers is a trend
Example: “I need buffers”
!
Email
Structure
!
Customer
Story
Take
Well-Formed
Tasks
Signal
Attention
Subject: [TLDR]
TLDR
Insight
Next Action
Notes

9. TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) focuses attention
Subject: TL;DR Customer Trend
!
Body:
TL;DR: 1 - 2 line summary.
Insight: 1-3 lines of hypotheses, data, or questions.
Next Action:
[Name], A “well-formed task” you want [name]
to take, date to take action.
Notes: raw info, background for deeper dives

10. Trigger: Do we build a buffer or not?
Example: “Let’s meet to discuss”
!
Slack
(or Hangout)
!
Perspective
& Story
!
Add data &
notes
Decide
Yes

11. Trigger: Why are we building this?
Example: We add task to Pivotal
Pivotal
Story
Context
!
!
Annotate &
Link to raw
data
Scan &
Build

12. Pivotal Task Structure embeds reporting, actions and
tools in workflow
Reporting
customer email
creates context
Transparency is
a tool to create
Well formed
actions reduce
cognitive load

13. Trigger: Who is working on buffers?
Example: Summarize our weekly work
A&O
Task
Context
!
Scan
Refer
Weekly email:
!
Achievements
and
Objectives
(A&O)

14. Achievements & Objectives (A&O) email structure
Subject: A&O [Last Name] Wk of [Date]
Body:
Achievements:
[done/not done/partial] One line achievement
for previous week.
Example: [done] Made Office Optional Slides.
!
Objectives:
One line objective for coming week.

15. Ask yourself: Will your team “get” the
context?
Your task: Summarize Office Optional
Tools
Action
Add:
Stories
Data
Slides
Insights
!
Practice:
Brevity

16. Ask Yourself: Can your team find your
summary in a month?
Your task: Summarize Office Optional
Add:
Next Action
A&O
TLDR
!
Practice:
Consistency
Reporting
Action

17. Ask Yourself: Do you want your team
to act?
Your Task: Summarize Office Optional
Tools
Add:
Next Action
!
Practice:
Well formed tasks
!
Reporting

18. Tools Reports
Actions
Everett Harper: Elements of Effective Remote
Communication
Thank
You!!
!
@everettharper / everett@tetherpad.com