5 effective strategies for asynchronous communicaiton

Asynchronous communication gives your remote team space to share updates, make decisions, and stay connected without the fatigue of constant live meetings. Below, we’ll share five strategies for async team collaboration to help reduce friction, stay connected, and protect the deep work time your team needs to meet deadlines.

Replace certain meetings with async updates

You’re busy, your team members are busy, and your Google calendar is probably making you anxious just looking at it.  If you manage a remote or hybrid team, chances are you’re drowning in meetings and playing catch-up on projects. The average worker spends 31 hours per month in unproductive meetings—that’s four work days per month. 

Skip the scheduling and back-and-forth calendar invites, and keep the connection by replacing low-value meetings with asynchronous updates. For remote work, asynchronous communication doesn’t require everyone to be online at the same time to move things forward. This gives people more bandwidth to focus, connect, and respond when they’re available, without holding up decisions or slowing down progress. 

Here are some meetings you can swap out to give time back to yourself and your team, along with ideas on how to implement asynchronous communication to keep everyone informed.

Status updates

Instead of everyone taking turns reciting what they’re working on in a live video call, have each person record a quick async update at the end of the day or week. These can be watched at any time, saving everyone from another long meeting. 

Example: Encourage team members to share a brief Marco Polo every Friday afternoon, highlighting their accomplishments, what’s in progress, and upcoming tasks they might need to offload. 

Project check-ins

Not every project check-in needs a video call, but sometimes, more context is needed than a text chat or email can provide. Instead of scheduling a meeting, encourage team members to send asynchronous updates. Async video updates can resolve problems early and provide more detailed information, without delaying the work.

Example: Instead of scheduling a 30-minute project check-in with one of your team members, just send a Polo asking for an update on the specific issues you have questions about. It saves your calendar and theirs from one more unnecessary meeting.

Weekly standup meetings

Weekly stand-up meetings can consume time in your workday without adding any value to the team. Switching to asynchronous updates keeps everyone aligned without interrupting their workflow. 

Example: Have each member record a short video every Monday morning outlining their top priorities for the week and any help they need. You can watch and reply at your convenience, freeing up a block of uninterrupted work time on everyone’s calendar. 

Set clear expectations for asynchronous communication

Avoid playing “telephone” within your team by setting clear expectations around how to use asynchronous communication. Creating and implementing these best practices for async communication helps everyone stay aligned and reduces the back and forth.

Establish norms for:

• Response times. Define reasonable windows for replying to messages so no one feels pressured to respond immediately, but everyone knows when to expect a response. 

• Message formats. Agree on preferred messaging formats—whether it’s a quick video or brief Slack message to keep communication consistent and easy to follow. 

• When to meet live. Not everything can be async. Set a few team guidelines for what’s worth jumping on a call for and what can be handled with a quick video update.

Consistent communication fosters better asynchronous collaboration and reduces confusion. Once your team has established norms that everyone follows, they can reap all the great benefits of asynchronous work.

Encourage thoughtful, inclusive participation

Not every team member feels comfortable speaking up in live meetings—and that’s okay. Asynchronous communication creates space for your team to reflect, gather their thoughts, and respond on their own time, especially if they live in a different time zone. 

Example: Ask open-ended prompts weekly via Marco Polo or other asynchronous channels to gather insights before company meetings or big decisions.

Project deep work with structured async routines

Encourage team members to use asynchronous tools at times that work best for their individual focus and energy levels. For example, create a rhythm that protects deep work with:

• Morning asynchronous updates to start the day informed

• Afternoon response blocks to read and reply to messages

• Friday wrap-up threads to end the week on a high note 

Encouraging time-blocking ensures asynchronous communication tools aren’t another distraction but a tool to boost productivity. 

Track the effectiveness of your asynchronous strategy

To truly know if your asynchronous communication strategy is doing its job, don’t just go by your gut feeling that things are “lighter” or easier. It's helpful to check in on a few key metrics to see how your communication strategies are working. Here are some easy ways to track your async effectiveness:

• Meeting reduction: Identify how many meetings have been replaced or eliminated by async updates. 

• Participation rates: Determine the number of team members actively using asynchronous channels.

• Decision speed: Measure whether decisions are being made more quickly or slowly using async methods.

• Team sentiment: Ask how your team feels about asynchronous communications. Are they less stressed? More connected? Overwhelmed? 

Strategy: Try running a two-week pilot on your team’s chosen async tool with clear expectations. Define what meetings will be replaced, expected response times, and preferred formats. After the pilot, solicit feedback through surveys or informal check-ins to gather insights. 

Why to adopt async tools today

Implementing the strategies above can have a fantastic payoff. But if you’re still wondering why to use asynchronous tools, let’s talk through some of the major benefits that might convince you to adopt asynchronous communication on your remote team.

Reduce time-zone friction

Not everyone is online at the same time, which is inevitable in a remote or distributed team. Asynchronous communication tools let your team members work when they’re available.

Example: Instead of delaying a brainstorming session until everyone’s online, you can record a short Marco Polo asking for ideas. Team members can take time to think and respond across time zones, keeping projects moving forward without scheduling a call.

Prevent burnout and protect deepwork

When you rely only on live meetings and instant replies, it can be hard to stay focused and keep your team engaged, especially if you’re working across time zones. 

Context switching from deep work to a sudden call can also drain energy quickly. Asynchronous communication allows your team to focus on work and communicate when they’re mentally available.

Example: After a client strategy meeting, encourage dedicated team members to share a brief Polo walk-through of their work and address any open questions. Have other teammates review it the next morning and reply with thoughtful feedback without late-night pings or rushed responses.

Cut meetings without losing clarity

Meetings consume your time and energy, especially when updates could be shared asynchronously. Tools like Marco Polo allow teams to share updates and context without needing everyone in the same room or on Zoom at the same time. 

Better communication quality and lower pressure

While Slack and Microsoft Teams messages may be quick, they can often feel cold and be easily misunderstood.

With Marco Polo, team members can record a short video explaining their ideas, allowing others to hear their enthusiasm and see their facial expressions. Video allows you to be open with your body language and express yourself authentically, so teammates understand the context and emotion behind thoughts or questions.

Async video is lightweight and low-pressure—there’s no need for slides, scripts, or formal presentations. Speak casually and authentically, without the stress of traditional meetings. 

Boosted productivity and fewer interruptions

With asynchronous communication, you don’t have to feel the pressure to respond immediately and take time away from your work to think out a reply. Instead of constant Slack pings, you can use an Asana board for task updates or encourage team members to record a Marco Polo.

One study by Miro found that 61% of asynchronous knowledge workers had reduced burnout levels compared to their peers, being able to review and respond to their coworkers at their leisure across time zones.

Build more authentic, inclusive team culture

Asynchronous communication tools are excellent for hybrid and remote teams that don’t experience the in-office culture. They create space for remote workers to take part in async activities, share wins, and learn about each other beyond the 9 to 5 while allowing deep thinkers to shine on their time. For example, a quieter and reflective team member may feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts in a recorded video than in an in-person meeting. 

How to make async work for your team with Marco Polo

Marco Polo Pro was designed to make asynchronous communication feel natural and clear. Our video-first, async messaging platform allows every team member to speak up and save time throughout their work week.

Send a video message to a team member when it works for your schedule, and they can respond when it works for theirs. It’s that easy. 

Conclusion

Asynchronous communication isn’t just another tool to juggle. It’s a game-changer for how small, remote, and hybrid teams work together effectively.

When you’re ready to adopt asynchronous communication into your workflow and remain connected, Marco Polo Pro is here to help.

Key takeaways

• Asynchronous communication is essential for remote work. Async tools help reduce meeting overload, smooth out time-zone challenges, and provide everyone with space to work flexibly and productively.

• Clear expectations matter: Setting guidelines around response times, message types, and when to hold live meetings keeps communication clear and prevents confusion.

• The right tools boost inclusivity and productivity: Video-first apps like Marco Polo add clarity and help everyone feel heard, making it easier for teams to collaborate across locations and schedules.

• Tracking metrics is key to a successful strategy. Measuring meeting reductions, participation, decision speed, and team sentiment helps you understand what’s working and where to improve.