React, don’t respond

Deep workCommunication toolsPractitioner's stack
Written By Sumeet Moghe
Image showing how Reactions acknowledge the message and don’t generate notifications

Reactions acknowledge the message and don’t generate notifications

The cost of responding with a “LOL” or a “So true!” or just piling on a “Congratulations” on a personal chat group has very little impact. In these groups, we sign up for the noise - it’s not a bug, it’s a feature. In a work context, noise is a good old bug. So, in the spirit of limiting messages, use emoji reactions where possible, instead of responding to a message. Here are some common reactions you can use.

  • 👍 Like

  • ❤️ Love

  • 😂 Haha 

  • 💯 Agreement

  • ➕Support

  • 👏🏽Applause

  • 🎉Celebrate

You can even agree on emojis that align to your values, in case you want to acknowledge or recognise value aligned behaviour. GitLab associates the following emojis to each of their values that together, spell CREDIT.

  •  🤝 Collaboration

  • 📈 Results

  • ⏱️ Efficiency

  • 🌐 Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

  • 👣 Iteration

  • 👁️ Transparency

Sumeet Moghe
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