> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.blevinsholdings.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Communication

> How we communicate at Blevins Holdings — norms for Slack, email, meetings, and async work.

## Our communication philosophy

Good communication is clear, intentional, and respects others' time and focus. At Blevins Holdings, we default to async-first wherever possible, use the right tool for the right purpose, and write things down so knowledge isn't trapped in conversations.

**Key principles:**

* **Async-first** — Not everything requires a meeting or an immediate response. Default to async for status updates, questions, and non-urgent discussions.
* **Write things down** — If a decision is made in a meeting or call, document it somewhere others can find it.
* **Right tool, right purpose** — Use Slack for quick questions and team chatter; email for formal or external communication; meetings for discussions that genuinely require real-time back-and-forth.
* **Respect focus time** — Before pinging someone, ask whether this could be async. Unexpected interruptions are costly.

***

## Slack

Slack is our primary internal communication tool for real-time and async messaging.

### Response expectations

| Message type                            | Expected response time                                    |
| --------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Direct message (DM)                     | Within a few hours during working hours                   |
| @mention in a channel                   | Same business day                                         |
| Channel post (no mention)               | When you get to it — no obligation to respond immediately |
| Urgent (marked with 🚨 or urgent label) | As soon as possible                                       |

You are **not** expected to respond outside your working hours. Use Slack's Do Not Disturb settings to protect your personal time.

### Channel norms

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Standard channels to join">
    * **#general** — Company-wide announcements and general discussion
    * **#announcements** — Important company news (low-volume, high-signal)
    * **#random** — Off-topic chat, memes, wins
    * **#it-help** — IT questions and requests
    * **#hr-help** — HR questions
    * **#\[your-team]** — Your primary team channel
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How to use channels well">
    * Post in the most relevant channel — don't shotgun-blast to #general when #it-help exists
    * Use threads for follow-up discussion — keeps channels readable
    * Don't start a message with just "Hey" or "Hi \[name]" — state your question or topic upfront ([no hello](https://nohello.net))
    * Use emoji reactions to acknowledge messages without cluttering threads
    * Mark action items and decisions clearly: "Decision: we're going with option A. @person — can you follow up on X?"
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When NOT to use Slack">
    * Sensitive HR or personal matters → Use email or a direct conversation
    * Legal discussions → Use email (legal privilege may apply)
    * Formal decisions that need a paper trail → Use email or a document
    * Active security incidents → Use email + direct calls, not Slack channels
    * Anything that will need to be findable in 6 months → Write it in a doc or this wiki
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Formatting tips

* Use **bold** for key terms or action items
* Use bullet points for lists
* Use code blocks for technical content
* For long messages, consider writing a doc and sharing the link instead

***

## Email

Email is for formal communication, external parties, and anything that needs a clear paper trail.

### Response expectations

| Sender                       | Expected response time |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| Internal — urgent            | Same business day      |
| Internal — standard          | Within 2 business days |
| External (clients, partners) | Within 1 business day  |

### Email norms

* **Clear subject lines** — State what the email is about and any action needed: "Action needed: Review contract by Friday" is better than "Contract"
* **One topic per email** — Makes it easier to search and act on
* **CC sparingly** — Only include people who need to know or act; don't CC just to cover yourself
* **Reply-all carefully** — Before hitting reply-all, ask: does everyone on this thread need your response?
* **Avoid email for urgent issues** — If something is time-sensitive, call or Slack first

***

## Meetings

### When to have a meeting

Meetings are valuable for:

* Decisions that require discussion and back-and-forth
* Relationship-building and team bonding
* Complex topics where real-time Q\&A helps
* Situations requiring emotional sensitivity

Meetings are **not** valuable for:

* Status updates that could be a Slack message
* One-way information sharing (send a doc instead)
* Topics that aren't ready for discussion yet

### Meeting standards

Every meeting should have:

1. **A clear purpose** — What decision will be made, or what will be discussed?
2. **An agenda** — Shared with attendees before the meeting, ideally 24 hours in advance
3. **The right people** — Not too many (5–6 max for decision-making meetings), not people who don't need to be there
4. **A defined end time** — End on time or early; don't go over without explicit agreement
5. **Notes and action items** — Documented and shared after the meeting

### Recurring meeting cadence

| Meeting          | Frequency              | Purpose                                     |
| ---------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| All-hands        | \[Monthly / Quarterly] | Company updates, Q\&A, wins                 |
| Team standup     | \[Daily / Weekly]      | What's everyone working on, any blockers    |
| 1:1 with manager | Weekly                 | Priorities, feedback, development           |
| Leadership team  | Weekly                 | Decisions, priorities, cross-team alignment |
| Retrospectives   | \[Quarterly]           | What's working, what's not                  |

### Video call norms

* Camera on when practical — it builds connection and keeps everyone engaged
* Mute when not speaking in larger meetings
* Use the raise hand or chat feature to queue up a point without interrupting
* If you'll be late, send a Slack message to the meeting organizer

***

## Async communication

We lean async by default. Here's how to make async work well:

### Writing good async updates

* **Be complete** — Include enough context that the reader can understand and act without needing to ask follow-up questions
* **Be clear about what you need** — "FYI" vs. "Please review by Thursday" vs. "No action needed, archiving this"
* **State deadlines explicitly** — "When you have time" means never; "by end of week" means Friday at close of business
* **Use structured formats** — For longer updates, use headers, bullets, and a summary at the top

### When async breaks down

Async doesn't work when:

* A topic requires rapid back-and-forth between multiple people
* There's genuine ambiguity that's hard to resolve in writing
* The situation is emotionally sensitive
* A decision has been stuck in a document thread for more than 2 days

In these cases, set up a short sync call — 30 minutes of talking often resolves what days of Slack threads cannot.

***

## Communicating in different situations

### Sharing bad news or problems

Share problems early — don't wait until you have a solution. Your manager and team can't help with problems they don't know about. A heads-up like "FYI, we may miss the deadline for X, here's why, and here are my options" is much better than a surprise on the due date.

### Disagreement and debate

Healthy disagreement is part of good decision-making. When you disagree:

1. Say so directly, with your reasoning: "I see this differently because..."
2. Ask questions to understand the other view: "Can you help me understand why you're going that direction?"
3. Separate the person from the idea — critique the approach, not the person
4. Once a decision is made, commit to it — disagree and commit if needed

### Escalation

If something isn't getting resolved at the level it should be, escalate. This isn't a failure — it's how organizations work. Escalate to your manager with context: what the issue is, what you've tried, and what you need from them.

***

## Communication and the law

<Warning>
  Some communications may be subject to legal privilege, disclosure obligations, or regulatory requirements. When in doubt, contact Legal before putting sensitive information in writing — especially regarding legal disputes, potential violations, or regulatory matters.
</Warning>

***

*Last updated: \[Date] — owned by HR / Operations*