NoHello for Slack

Master NoHello principles in Slack for more efficient team communication and better focus.

💬 Set Your Slack Status

Let your team know you practice NoHello by setting your status message:

🚀 NoHello advocate - include context in your first message. Learn more: https://nohello.org

Channel Communication

Public Channels

Channels are for transparency. Lead with your question so everyone can see if they can help or learn from the discussion.

💡 Slack Tip

Use formatting to make your message scannable: *bold* for key points, `code` for technical terms.

Channel vs DM Decision

Ask in channels when others might benefit from the answer. Use DMs for personal or sensitive topics.

Channel "How do I deploy to staging? Getting permission error."

DM "Can we chat about the feedback from yesterday's review?"

Direct Messages

1-on-1 DMs

Perfect for NoHello! Skip the greeting and get straight to your request with full context.

Before "Hey!"
...(waiting)...
"Got a minute?"

After "Hey! Can you review the API docs I shared? Looking for feedback on the auth flow specifically. No rush - by end of week works."

Group DMs

Even more important in group DMs. Give everyone context to decide if they need to engage.

👥 Group Tip

Consider creating a temporary channel instead of large group DMs for better discoverability.

Thread Etiquette

When to Use Threads

Follow-up questions - Keep related discussion organized
Detailed responses - Don't flood the main channel
Side conversations - Branch off from the main topic

🧵 Thread Best Practice

Start your thread reply with enough context so people don't need to scroll up to understand.

Good Thread Reply "Re: the API timeout issue - I'm seeing the same in production. Here's the error log..."

Unclear "Same here" (without context)

@Mentions and Notifications

Strategic @Mentions

Use @mentions thoughtfully. Always include context with your mention.

@person - When they need to take action
@here - Only for urgent, time-sensitive issues
@channel - Rarely, for critical announcements

Mention Templates

@john.smith - can you check the deployment? Build is failing on line 47. Error in thread. Thanks!

@here - production is down. Working on fix. Will update in 15 mins.

Status & Presence

Setting Your Status

Use status to communicate your availability and response expectations.

Clear 🎯 "Focus time - urgent items DM me"

Helpful 📞 "In meetings until 3pm"

Vague 🔴 "Busy"

Respecting Others' Status

Check someone's status before urgent requests. If it's truly urgent, explain why.

⏰ Timing Awareness

Slack shows time zones. Consider the recipient's local time before sending non-urgent messages.

Copy-Ready Slack Templates

Code Review Request

Hi [name] - can you review PR #[number]? Main changes: [brief summary]. Looking for feedback on [specific area]. Need by [date] for [reason]. Link: [url]

Bug Report

🐛 Found a bug in [feature]: [brief description]. Steps to reproduce: [numbered list]. Expected: [what should happen]. Actual: [what happens]. Screenshots in thread.

Quick Question

Quick question about [topic]: [specific question]? Context: [brief background]. No rush if you're swamped - by [timeframe] works.

Meeting Follow-up

Follow-up from today's meeting: Action items: [list]. Next steps: [what's next]. Blockers: [any issues]. Next sync: [when].

Slack-Specific NoHello Benefits

🔍 Better Search

Slack's search works better with context-rich messages

📱 Mobile Efficiency

Complete messages are easier to handle on mobile

🤖 Bot Integration

Structured messages work better with Slack bots and workflows

Slack Formatting Quick Reference

*bold text* → bold text
_italic text_ → italic text
`code text` → code text

> quote text → blockquote
```code block``` → code block
:emoji: → 😊