Monologue Channels
Monologue Channels are a technique for generating serendipity for distributed teams. One of the most challenging things for distributed teams is replicating the random encounters, chance overhearings, and spontaneous conversations that an in-person, high-context office space provides.
A "monologue channel" is a channel that is internal to the company or organization (not publicly visible) that is focused around a single individual where they can "monologue" about what they're doing. Think of it like an internal twitter.
Monologue Patterns
Everyone uses monologue channels differently, but here are some patterns that I've observed.
- "Work out loud" - I tend to talk out loud about problems I'm working on or random ideas that I have. For verbal processors like myself, a monologue channel can act like a passive "audience" for voicing my thinking as I'm working through something. I don't do much filtering. A teammate can later read my monologue channel and chime in with a possible solution.
- Discovering shared interests - If you're working in an office space and you walk by someone's desk and you hear them talking to a coworker about mountain biking or you happen to glance at their screen and see a sweet mountain bike, you just learned something about them. If you're also into mountain biking, you now have a context for shared conversation.
- Asking questions - Another framing for a monologue channel is to think of it like a desk in an office setting. If you have a question for someone, instead of DMing that person, drop the question in their monologue channel while
@ing their username. I try to default to using monologue channels for messages rather than DM unless something is truly private. This allows others to overhear and chime in while also passively gaining context. - Fun - Monologue channels are great for all those spicy takes or just commenting on a movie you watched last night. I find work to be a lot more fun when I have a place to express myself and others have the same opportunity.
Monologue as Desk
Perhaps a physical analogy will help? A monologue channel operates like a worker's desk. If you were to stand near my desk while I worked, you would overhear conversations, pick up on my mood, have a general idea of what I'm working on, etc.
Monologues are Contextual
Every company's culture is different. Monologue channels may look different in your context. Maybe they don't work at all. Maybe they valuate some deeply-held value. Or maybe they would be transformative. The specific practice of monologue channels needs to adapt to the cultural context.