Thread by @dbustac

As companies go remote, good writing is becoming indispensable.

If you work -or aspire to work- remotely, you NEED to learn to communicate effectively with your team.

Basecamp's Guide to Internal Communication is the best resource for that.

These are its 10 core principles:

Favor writing over meetings:

"Writing solidifies, chat dissolves. Substantial decisions start and end with an exchange of complete thoughts, not one-line-at-a-time jousts. If it's important, critical, or fundamental, write it up, don't chat it down."

Pick your words carefully:

"If your words can be perceived in different ways, they'll be understood in the way which does the most harm."

Give people time to respond:

"Give meaningful discussions a meaningful amount of time to develop and unfold. Rushing to judgement, or demanding immediate responses, only serves to increase the odds of poor decision making."

Learn to tell when to repeat yourself:

"If you have to repeat yourself, you weren’t clear enough the first time. However, if you're talking about something brand new, you may have to repeat yourself for years before you're heard. Pick your repeats wisely."

Let your ideas marinate before sharing them:

"'Now' is often the wrong time to say what just popped into your head. It's better to let it filter it through the sieve of time. What's left is the part worth saying."

Never judge what you've written the same day:

"The end of the day has a way of convincing you what you’ve done is good, but the next morning has a way of telling you the truth. If you aren't sure, sleep on it before saying it."

Edit until all the words you have left are indispensable:

"Occasionally pick random words, sentences, or paragraphs and hit delete. Did it matter?"

Write short, very specific headlines:

"Where you put something, and what you call it, matters. When titling something, lead with the most important information. Keep in mind that many technical systems truncate long text or titles."

Be proactive about seeking out feedback:

"Ask if things are clear. Ask what you left out. Ask if there was anything someone was expecting that you didn't cover. Address the gaps before they widen with time."

Avoid intermediaries:

"Communication is lossy, especially verbal communication. Every hearsay hop adds static and chips at fidelity. Whenever possible, communicate directly with those you're addressing."

That's it!

If you found this thread valuable, RT the 1st tweet so more people can improve their writing skills too.

Also, follow me @dbustac for more threads on how to write well.

If you want to go down the writing rabbit hole, here's another thread you'll enjoy:

https://twitter.com/dbustac/status/1402030117665140739?s=20