SlackTiquette aka How communicate on Slack effectively

On Slack, we handle everything from project matters to lunches, hackathons, and parties. Feel free to borrow our SlackTiquette to make communication in your team more efficient. Just let us know how useful our tips were for you! 🙂

1. Write Messages as a Whole

More messages, more fun? Not really. We recommend writing your message as one complete thought, instead of hitting Enter after every sentence.

Why?

• When you write the message as a whole, you're more likely to think it through and not miss any important details.
• You avoid bombarding others in the channel with unnecessary notifications.
• A single message is easier to share, quote, save for later, etc.

Example:

2. Structure Longer Messages

This applies everywhere, not just on Slack. For longer texts, use formatting, bullet points, emojis, and links. If you're posting long text or code, use so-called Snippets.

Why?

• Others can quickly scan the text and immediately know whether they need to respond right away or if it can wait.
• A big block of unbroken text discourages people from reading it.

Example:

3. Separate Messages by Topic

If you’re sharing multiple pieces of information at once, try to break them into separate messages, so that each thread can stay focused on a single topic.

Why?

• A discussion thread covering three topics at once quickly becomes confusing.
• Notifications won’t bother people who aren’t interested in a specific part.

Example:

4. Use Threads

Use threads for replies and comments. It keeps communication clearer and more organized.

Why?

• Relevant information stays grouped together.
• Notifications won’t disturb others.

Example:

5. Use Reaction Emojis

For quick responses, reaction emojis (found right under a message) are super handy. You can check the meaning of different emojis on Slack’s blog. You can also customize your most-used emojis.

Why?

• It saves time.
• Others can see whether you’re working on something, are aware of it, or it’s already done.
• A reaction conveys the same info as a message reply – but without triggering a notification.

At Cookielab, we’ve found this works well:

• 👀 I’m working on it
• 🎗️ I’ll check it later
• ✅ Done

💡 Tip: Set up your frequently used emojis.

6. Ask Questions Publicly

Use public channels, where anyone who has time can reply, and more people can join the conversation.

Why?

• Someone else might be dealing with the same issue, even if they’re not the person you would’ve asked directly.
• Likewise, someone else might be able to answer.
• A discussion thread in a public channel can be easily found later.

💡 Tip: Some companies have a dedicated channel where you can ask where to ask, in case you're not sure which channel is right and don’t want to bother others. These channels are typically named something like #direction, #questions, etc. In our case, it's #random.

7. Mention Others – But Do It Right

If you want specific users to get a notification about your message, just use a mention (tag). But make sure to choose the right one so it reaches the right people.

How to do it:

• @<username> – to notify a specific user
• @channel – notifies everyone in the channel, even those who have it muted
• @here – notifies only those who are currently online
• @everyone – can only be used in the #general channel and will notify everyone (except guests)

💡 Tip: Read more about how mentions work.

8. Update Your Status

Set your status to reflect what you’re doing, whether it’s a meeting, vacation, or lunch break. Pre-set status options are also useful and can be customized within your company.

Why?

• Others can see what you’re doing and estimate when you'll be able to respond, or they can reach out to someone else if needed.
• You can combine your status with muting notifications when you need to focus on work.

💡 Tip: Most companies have several pre-set status options – use them. You can also integrate with Google Calendar (which automatically sets your status during meetings).

Example:

We believe that with these simple tips, your Slack will become a more pleasant environment where people can find the information they need without the unnecessary stress of unread messages. Anyway, let us know how helpful our tips were and if you have any of your own – we’d love to learn from you!

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