Asynchronous communication
Collaborate at different times and places to stay connected wherever you go with Microsoft Teams.
Build healthy work habits with asynchronous work
Balance time, priorities, and elevate the dynamics of hybrid work, by fostering asynchronous communication.
Provide flexibility
Account for people’s varying obligations, schedules, and time zones to improve flexibility and trust.
Remember conversations
Easily reference conversation history to find the information you need and help refresh your memory.
Respond on your own time
Reply when you’re able to without needing to search for a time when everyone’s free to meet.
Reduce interruptions
Increase the heads-down focused time people need to do their best work by managing notifications.
Work together at different times and places
Learn more about what asynchronous communication is and the benefits it offers.
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Types of asynchronous communication
Explore the different types of asynchronous work, or collaboration with others at different times.
Instant messaging
Send an instant message to start a conversation that people can reply to when it’s convenient for them.
Video messages and meeting recordings
Send a video message to welcome a new team member or catch up on a missed meeting by watching a recording of it.
Project management apps
Ask a question in your organization’s project management app to clarify project details or request more information.
Email
Collaborate on your own time with what’s likely the most common form of asynchronous communication.
Back to tabsIntranet
Post to your organization’s intranet to contribute to company-wide conversations.
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Why use asynchronous communication?
Understand how communicating at separate times helps people manage their workload and stay productive.
Flexibility
Respond when it makes the most sense for you, which gives you more flexibility to prioritize tasks and manage your schedule.
Productivity
Focus on the pressing work at hand, rather than constantly stopping what you’re doing to attend a meeting or take a call.
Documentation
Because asynchronous communication is captured in written or audio form, you’ll be able to easily reference what was covered.
Back to tabsMore inclusive hybrid work
Factor in the different schedules, locations, and time zones that people are working from, so everyone feels more included.
Read more about asynchronous communication
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How to unlock asynchronous communication
What is asynchronous communication?
Asynchronous communication is the exchange of information with other people at different times. It’s the opposite of synchronous communication, which is simultaneous. If you need help remembering which term is which, think of the commonly used phrase at work “Let’s sync up,” indicating that someone wants to come together with you at the same time to collaborate—or be synchronistic.
Asynchronous communication examples
Some frequently used forms of asynchronous communication include:
- Instant messages
- Video messages
- Emails
- Voicemails
- Intranet posts
- Communication in project management apps
Each of these examples is considered asynchronistic because there’s not an expectation for people to immediately respond. However, instant messages may also be synchronistic, if people are messaging in real time (for example, in the chat during a virtual meeting).
Asynchronous vs. synchronous communication
Choosing which way is the best to communicate—asynchronously or synchronously—depends on the situation. Typically, asynchronous communication is ideal because it doesn’t demand someone’s immediate attention and factors in the other work the person may be doing at the time, allowing them to consider what you’ve said and get back to you with a thoughtful reply. At other times, though, it makes more sense to communicate at the same time. This is particularly true when discussing complex projects or when there’s a sense of urgency, which are situations that are more easily and efficiently resolved by having a conversation, rather than exchanging messages.
Different people also naturally have different communication styles. Some people prefer picking up the phone for a chat rather than sending a few emails. Both forms of communication have merit, but it’s important to consider which makes the most sense for a given situation while also respecting the recipient’s time, preferred way of communicating, and other obligations. The common workplace joke “This meeting could have been an email” is a good example of how people can get frustrated when there’s an overuse of synchronous communication that doesn’t feel necessary.
Benefits of asynchronous communication
Asynchronous communication has many benefits, including:
- Strengthening hybrid work by taking coworkers’ differing schedules and time zones into consideration.
- Freeing up time to get work done because the day isn’t filled with meetings.
- Allowing for more thought-out responses, rather than needing to answer a question or respond to an idea on the spot.
- Contributing to a healthier work culture that isn’t ruled by immediacy.
- Improving inclusivity for different learning styles and needs.
- Respecting others’ time and priorities.
Asynchronous communication tools
To maximize the potential of asynchronous communication, having the right tools is key. These include:
- A comprehensive communication app, like Microsoft Teams, to easily send instant messages, files, and voicemails and to stay organized using chat channels arranged by topics.
- An email program, like Microsoft Outlook, that allows you to check coworkers’ time zones so you have a better feel of when to expect a reply. Using the delayed send feature is also helpful for times when you know someone is busy and you prefer for them to see your email when it’s less likely to get buried in their inbox.
- A customizable intranet, like SharePoint, for securely sharing and managing information throughout your organization.
- A project management app, like Microsoft Project, to collaborate on and update tasks for current projects.
Frequently asked questions
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One popular example of asynchronous communication is email. Because people generally don’t expect an instant reply to an email, it’s considered asynchronous, or communication that doesn’t happen at the same time.
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Asynchronous communication is used to collaborate with others when it’s convenient to do so. Unlike immediate, or synchronous, communication, asynchronous communication can be ideal for effectively managing time, working with others when there’s not a sense of urgency, and enabling people who work in different time zones to collaborate more easily.
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It can be. If people are texting when they’re able to reply, but not immediately replying back and forth, they’re asynchronously communicating. Conversely, when people are immediately replying to one another over text or instant message, they’re synchronously communicating.
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The main difference between asynchronous and synchronous communication is timing—is the communication happening at the same time (synchronous), or is there a delay in the communication (asynchronous)?
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Both forms of communication have their advantages. Asynchronous communication is helpful because it allows people to collaborate when it’s convenient and doesn’t require them to stop what they’re doing to immediately address something, like a phone call would. That said, sometimes synchronous communication is the best way to collaborate. For example, attending a meeting to discuss a new project may make more sense than emailing back and forth about it, which could take longer and be less effective overall.
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