Unblock Me Sessions

This page is part of 🧰The Toolbox by Danny Smith.

In a lot of work cultures, meetings are seen as Big Occasions™ requiring advance planning, coordination and preparation. While this is true for some meetings, in a distributed team it should be easy to just jump on a call.

Often, a 5-minute video call with the right people can replace a one-hour slack conversation. So don't be scared to just hop on a zoom call for an ad-hoc meeting – assuming everyone is online and available.

It’s helpful to label this impromptu calls as Unblock Me Sessions to differentiate them from other types of meeting and 🤝Pair Working.

Slack Huddles are a great way to do this, but you can use another tool if you prefer.

Use huddles in Slack

Recreate the quick, informal discussions that you usually have in the office right in Slack. You can start a huddle in any channel or direct message (DM) to work in real time alongside your colleag...

slack.com

Top Tips

• Be clear that you’re asking for a Unblock Me Session and not a social call or pairing session.
• Get right to the point quickly. What do you need help with?
• When you’re unblocked, end the call.
• Be aware that some folks will likely have a lot of other people asking for these impromptu sessions, which can really derail their work days.