It started with one. A colleague you work with closely sent a voice note instead of a message, and it was quite nice to hear their voice. Now most of what they send you arrives that way. Four minutes on the release plan. Six minutes on a bug, recorded while walking somewhere windy. You cannot skim them, you cannot search them later, and you cannot listen in an open plan office without headphones.
Before you say anything, think about why they do it. For some people speaking is much faster than typing. Some have dyslexia and find writing tiring. Some think out loud and only know what they mean by the end. A few are sending from their phone between meetings. None of that is careless, and the right request depends on which one it is.
So make your request about what you need, not about what they are doing wrong. Something like this works well. Your voice notes are easy to follow, but I lose track of the decisions in them later. For anything I need to act on, could you add one written line with the main point? Short, specific and easy to agree to.
Then make it easier for them. Many messaging tools now offer transcripts, and you can point them to the setting. Offer a quick call instead when the topic really needs talking through. A ten minute call with both of you present is usually better than four voice notes going back and forth.
On your side, close the loop in writing. When you have listened to one, reply with what you understood. So we ship on Thursday and I will check the migration first. That takes thirty seconds, catches misunderstandings, and leaves a record your team can find later.
Keep some flexibility. A voice note to say thank you, or to explain something sensitive that would sound cold in text, can be the best choice. The aim is not to stop them using their voice. It is to make sure the decisions do not exist only in a recording nobody will ever play twice.
– Asael Shinder
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