# 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. ## References I learned about monologue channels while working at [Fission](https://fission.codes). They wrote about their practice of using them [here](https://fission.codes/blog/distributed-work-discord/#monologue-channels).