Body
In Slack, conversations happen in channels and direct messages (DMs). Channels are spaces where you can work with your co-workers on specific topics. DMs work well for one-off conversations that don't require an entire channel to weigh in.
Sometimes it’s easier to talk things through, whether you’re brainstorming or just catching up. Open a channel or DM and click the 🎧 headphones icon in the conversation header to start a huddle. You can even share your screen.
Start a Conversation
Start a conversation with the right people by sending a message in a channel or sending a DM.
Say you have a question about a project. Send a message to the dedicated project channel to get an answer from the right people. If your question is only for a specific teammate, you can send them a DM.
![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXc6eyuY9vYV_i0UXd3eqztBxiH20-mLsdowhtauHinAYLuSlFb8i8smu0KwUzQApM8ZNq2QDUohVVmO315RZkEuD42vhVO0JiD204-WvPBvH25vU7L5wgVeQFitzn9b2mB6JF_Aaynp8Etb-QoX90FOrpMQ?key=_KbAgJsc0ZzMtN4CvzNqyA)
Find & Access Direct Messages (1:1 conversations)
To start a DM with a colleague, click on the 💬 DMs button from the left navigation bar
![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeyLBRlNf500S3Z793B2pgTGunE3A0HHsT3X73Feic_E0eeFjrJJMms-Z_P5BuUFhjuQDIdyfQY27yqE_H9ldGcKM7HPZeDvg-br57-MDaU2jiqi4p4ZZj9mJy4H5831oCeWdCHQy-xAGRYlgtkygzGS6Qw?key=_KbAgJsc0ZzMtN4CvzNqyA)
Work in Channels
@ Mentions
In Slack, communication with your team about specific topics takes place in channels. When you work in channels, use mentions to get the attention of the right people, and emoji reactions to simplify communication.
Share a File
Say you need to share a file with project info. By adding it to the channel dedicated to that project, the file and the messages about it stay together with the rest of the conversation.
Formatting Messages
Say you’re providing feedback about a document. To make it easier to scan for the team, add list formatting to your message.
![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdpITmV1_Ml50njN0H6Vde8Hi_QCieP0iTnRgEi4HtAtVKlZ0oiYaOFzQCqRpjpD_RyBc2Cqh5MSrzm4l9xwkykdXH4gL25odXd5u42TPxu0AXCoM2HhgJ4p9KTlk-ZG5sGPbBgatztidC38k98NHwT48gF?key=_KbAgJsc0ZzMtN4CvzNqyA)
Scheduling Messages
If it’s not the best time to share a team-wide announcement quite yet, you can schedule a message to send in the future by clicking the arrow to the right of the paper plane icon.
![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXepdl_lPb7Rmz6rHIqBtNFds1pkQbx6KUwrFKEllPxgm3-gEyKs_JBDvl187aiJB51W6qcZFjUZSJ3zhzGo9m5ZH87VDEhgrouVdxAnj6NibOFXakgDqObmrSZhlLR7AKgbUxZnRHPStGefVKjV8JfUbss?key=_KbAgJsc0ZzMtN4CvzNqyA)
Editing Messages
Did you make a mistake in a message you’ve already sent? Edit your message to fix typos, or delete it to start over.
![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcbxBD7UQT3-vBdHtrevPBIN3JEcDrPOxj5pYjkEBIH3UF23IXjCtza_lMn44SeQg8o67I2KtLv8f9SfvRMbIBHG8-bYm1RtCdwC5iQsgxoD-w1QHdgSKSDZZ2gaBE7SZaj9haqveAegGIwjruTNi2d4A3B?key=_KbAgJsc0ZzMtN4CvzNqyA)
Start a Huddle
Sometimes it’s easier to talk things through, whether you’re brainstorming or just catching up. Open a channel or DM and click the 🎧 headphones icon in the conversation header to start a huddle. You can even share your screen.
![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXczzI5r5vNGp3aUH0XpHQ3EOHb-Am3Bvh2Mf_V5qXVHulqU93or274dmdi3oxoG_rZim_qAGotzEj6Yi02ZoIc3C2jqAvPzd7Xy8itzPMyCE6XAGA6ekXw-oSsyYm1hn7jd-nA0jIJqJNEY7IJFLtAUcKAp?key=_KbAgJsc0ZzMtN4CvzNqyA)