The hottest Communication Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Driving Extreme Clarity

Perspectives • 7 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
💼 Business Communication
  1. Prefer a clear no to a messy yes because vague agreements hide real disagreements and cause wasted work later.
  2. Prioritize by force-ranking hard choices; if prioritization doesn’t feel painful, you aren’t prioritizing clearly enough.
  3. Capture decisions in writing (prework, live notes, restatements, and a running alignment document) so alignment lasts and people can act confidently.

America's Unruly

Diane Francis • 479 implied HN points • 21 Oct 21
🎭️ Culture Communication
  1. America has always been a lively place, but people's bad behavior is growing. Technology is playing a big role in changing how we interact with each other.
  2. People are losing their patience and face-to-face conversations because of devices. Instead of talking to each other, many prefer sending messages.
  3. Email can make communication feel more aggressive. It lets people quickly share harsh comments without thinking about the impact they have.

Selling Better.

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 27 implied HN points • 17 Aug 25
💼 Business Communication
  1. Focusing on solutions is key when selling. Customers want to know how you can solve their problems, not just what products you have.
  2. Keep interactions simple and accessible. Make it easy for people to understand and engage with what you offer.
  3. Make your presentations concise. Aim for no more than 9 slides, highlighting the main ideas and actions needed to keep your audience's attention.

From the archives: The strain of civilisation

The Strategy Toolkit • 372 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
🔬 Science Communication
  1. Technology has significant effects on language evolution and communication, impacting knowledge transmission and cultural dynamics.
  2. The adaptability and flexibility of languages like Chinese and English contribute to their success and widespread adoption.
  3. Understanding the power dynamics of language, literacy, and communication is crucial for effective negotiation and societal progress.

sunday meanpool: the war of the sexes

bad cattitude • 101 implied HN points • 29 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Communication
  1. Men and women are different in many ways. These differences go beyond just physical traits.
  2. Communication styles vary between genders. This affects how men and women understand each other.
  3. Understanding these differences can help improve relationships. Recognizing each other's unique perspectives is important.
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Hanson-Caplan Dialogue on Cultural Drift

Bet On It • 110 implied HN points • 12 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Communication
  1. Cultural drift is a concerning issue that can affect society in various negative ways. It means that cultural values and ideas can change quickly and not always for the better.
  2. The topic has been a point of discussion and worry for some, indicating a need to address these changes in a healthy manner. It's important to reflect on what behaviors and ideas we want to keep or discard.
  3. Conversations about cultural drift can help raise awareness and encourage people to think critically about the influence of modern technology and trends on our culture. Talking about these issues is the first step toward understanding and possibly addressing them.

More Words About Words

Desk Notes by Charles Schifano • 109 implied HN points • 06 Dec 24
📚 Literature Communication
  1. The word 'factoid' has changed meaning over time. It originally referred to a made-up truth, but now it often means just an interesting fact.
  2. Language changes naturally, like how 'literally' now sometimes means 'figuratively'. These shifts can be surprising because they flip the original meanings.
  3. As new forms of misleading information arise, we create new terms, like 'spin' and 'alternative facts', to describe them. It's a way for us to keep up with the blurred lines between truth and falsehood.

Writing To Be Understood Easily

FutureIQ • 3 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Communication
  1. Clear, precise writing reduces the reader’s cognitive load by collapsing ambiguous “open tabs” — a short clarifier can make a sentence much easier to understand.
  2. Only make readers work for a surprise when the payoff is worth it; otherwise resolve key context early so people don’t hit working-memory limits.
  3. Good writing is a craft that’s becoming more valuable in the AI age because effective prompts need complete context; practice spotting ambiguity and supplying the missing background.

The Third Anniversary Post

Comment is Freed • 96 implied HN points • 02 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Communication
  1. The substack started as a fun project between a father and son. They didn't expect it to become such an important part of their lives.
  2. They didn't have a clear plan when they began. Over time, they developed a philosophy about what they wanted to do.
  3. The experience has been surprising and rewarding as they've connected with many people through their writing.

Communication Breakdown

The Radar • 79 implied HN points • 26 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Communication
  1. Effective communication is essential for progress; without it, nothing can be achieved.
  2. Conflict is normal, but when unresolved, it can lead to disunity and loss of empathy.
  3. The decline in honest and fact-driven communication has led to a divisive national conversation fueled by biased media and financial interests.

And now Holden's Substack

Science Forever • 99 implied HN points • 10 Dec 22
🕹 Technology Communication
  1. Holden Thorp is building up accounts on alternative platforms to Twitter like Mastodon and Post
  2. He is the Editor-in-Chief of _Science_ and will use his Substack for various interests beyond science like jazz, theater, and sports
  3. Subscribe to Holden's Substack if you enjoy his Tweets for more amusing musings and personal anecdotes

Why aren't you watching my show?

Disaffected Newsletter • 259 implied HN points • 09 Aug 22
🎙 Podcasts Communication
  1. The show discusses challenging topics related to societal issues. It's meant to provoke thought and conversation about current cultural debates.
  2. There is audience engagement, with feedback from viewers sharing their experiences and feelings about social topics.
  3. The creator is seeking to understand why more people are not tuning in, highlighting a desire for a wider audience and connection.

Addressing the challenges of partially distributed engineering teams

It Depends / Nimble Autonomy • 19 implied HN points • 07 Apr 24
💼 Business Communication
  1. Partially distributed teams face communication issues because some team members are in the office while others are remote. This can lead to misunderstandings and feelings of isolation for those not present.
  2. Visibility is important in a team; if members are not seen often, their work may be overlooked during reviews and recognition. It's crucial for managers to be aware of everyone's contributions, regardless of where they work.
  3. Creating clear expectations around availability and encouraging informal conversations can help build better relationships within the team. Taking time to connect as people makes working together easier.

Grammar as metadata

Telescopic Turnip • 24 implied HN points • 17 Aug 25
🎭️ Culture Communication
  1. Languages often have gendered grammar, which can seem confusing and random. This happens because assigning genders to objects helps in communication by reducing ambiguity.
  2. As societies evolve, grammar and language can change to reflect new ways of thinking. This includes making language more inclusive for everyone, but that can lead to disagreement and conflict.
  3. Language isn't just about rules; it's a social tool shaped by culture over time. This means that changes in language reflect deeper social attitudes and divisions.

The Top Reasons High-Performing Teams Leverage User Stories

PeopleStorming • 59 implied HN points • 26 Oct 23
💼 Business Communication
  1. User stories are concise descriptions of value from the perspective of the person who desires that value, helping to keep focus on end user needs and goals.
  2. Leveraging user stories can lead to improved communication and collaboration within teams, customer-centricity, and easier prioritization of workloads.
  3. An effective user story typically consists of three parts: the role, the output, and the benefit, enabling teams to articulate the purpose of their work and prioritize effectively.

Eschew Obfuscation

Sunday Letters • 79 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
🚌 Education Communication
  1. Using complicated terms can create barriers in conversations and make others feel excluded. It's important to communicate in a way that everyone can understand.
  2. If you can't explain something simply, it might mean you don't fully understand it yourself. Writing things out can help clarify your thoughts.
  3. Taking time to explain clearly is more valuable than using jargon. It's better to focus on clear communication than to impress others with 'smart' language.

Show announcement from Shelby's dest

Disaffected Newsletter • 199 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
🎙 Podcasts Communication
  1. The post is announcing a show related to the Disaffected Podcast. It's likely aimed at engaging the audience and sharing updates.
  2. There are options for readers to support the publication by becoming subscribers, either for free or by paying.
  3. The mention of social media sharing options suggests that spreading the word about the show is encouraged.

Too much information

Logging the World • 99 implied HN points • 21 Nov 22
🔬 Science Communication
  1. Information Theory studies how randomness and predictability affect the transmission and compression of data.
  2. Entropy measures the information gained from a source, highlighting the balance between predictability and unpredictability.
  3. Redundancy can protect messages against noise in communication channels, showing the importance in modern data transmission scenarios.

Living in the US, what is it like?

Digital in bio • 39 implied HN points • 25 Dec 23
🌐 International Communication
  1. Everything is bigger in the US, but bigger doesn't always mean better and it comes with a higher cost of living.
  2. People in the US tend to communicate in a direct but respectful manner, asking for clarification or expressing disagreements openly.
  3. Living in the US exposes you to diverse international interactions, challenges stereotypes, and provides a more complete understanding of the country.

The Global Village & The Locker Room

Banana Peel Pirouette • 59 implied HN points • 05 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Communication
  1. Marshall McLuhan and Joshua Meyrowitz both examined the impact of electronic media on society, emphasizing how it exposes social situations like a locker room to broader audiences.
  2. Electronic media, like television and the internet, breaks down barriers between different social groups and can intensify cultural divides by giving insights into each other's 'locker rooms'.
  3. The culture war online has escalated due to the ability of electronic media to magnify and distort immediate situations, fueling conflicts between disparate groups.

Address Not Found (Part 2)

Cybernetic Forests • 59 implied HN points • 18 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Communication
  1. Communication technologies historically categorized into one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many transmission systems.
  2. Artificial Intelligence operates in a unique structure called many-to-one-to-one, where data from multiple sources shapes responses for individual users.
  3. AI systems, despite the appearance of one-to-one engagement, actually function asynchronously and as a blend of many-to-one transmission, controlled by the operators and designers.

Part 3: How to drive alignment and thrive when business, technology, and data converge

The Data Score • 59 implied HN points • 23 Aug 23
💼 Business Communication
  1. Original silos and problems need to be addressed collectively since problem complexity is increasing.
  2. To bridge the gap between business, finance, data, and tech, empathy, proactive rituals, and a top-down culture are essential.
  3. Cultural paradigms like psychological safety, treating everyone as a client, and fostering an agile approach help dissolve silos.

How Writing has helped me- even though it's failed [Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 28 May 23
🚌 Education Communication
  1. Creating content can provide exposure and opportunities, leading to networking and industry insights.
  2. Content creation can enhance learning by fostering a continuous search for knowledge and interactions with followers.
  3. Crafting content improves communication skills, critical thinking, and documentation, which can have a positive impact on personal and professional growth.

What's cooking (Q2'23 edition)

Dubverse Black • 58 implied HN points • 03 May 23
🕹 Technology Communication
  1. Generative AI technology is advancing rapidly and impacting the development of products.
  2. Dubverse tools focus on converting communication artifacts across languages using various modalities.
  3. Challenges in language translation can be addressed through emerging Generative AI techniques.

The unspoken secret to connecting to the "Global Idea Sharing" space (or maybe I’m just making excuses…)

Meaning-Making • 58 implied HN points • 19 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Communication
  1. Connecting with people in the 'Global Idea Sharing' space is important for sharing ideas effectively.
  2. Authenticity is key in sharing ideas, even if it means not following traditional sales tactics.
  3. Finding a balance between emotional and intellectual connection in sharing ideas can lead to a unique perspective in the Dutch 'idea market.'

Navigating the Director Sandwich

Suzan's Fieldnotes • 58 implied HN points • 15 May 23
💼 Business Communication
  1. Navigating the role of a director involves managing expectations and aligning teams while leading through others.
  2. Transitioning into a director role means moving away from detailed work and learning to delegate effectively.
  3. Building trust is crucial in a director role, both within the team and across the organization, to achieve results and develop future leaders.

Timezone Tricks

Seth’s Substack • 58 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
💼 Business Communication
  1. Focus on overlap time for remote teams, not just the timezone difference.
  2. Actively manage how you utilize the limited overlap time for meetings and team activities.
  3. Use recap messages and short recorded videos to enhance communication and collaboration across different time zones.

How to Communicate Life Extension Effectively

Extropic Thoughts • 58 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Communication
  1. Communicating life extension effectively requires using ethos, pathos, and logos to support each other.
  2. When discussing life extension, emphasize the desire for life and all it can offer, rather than a fear of death.
  3. Be prepared to address common objections such as boredom, societal impact, entropy, and the idea that life extension is only for the rich.

Three traits of the software engineers that are promoted fastest[Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 26 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Communication
  1. Top engineers integrate feedback to grow faster by seeking and incorporating detailed feedback, and following up on the impact.
  2. Top engineers prioritize their time by focusing on high-return activities and ruthlessly assessing what is worth pursuing.
  3. Top engineers communicate effectively by articulating the 'why', avoiding jargon, tailoring messages to the audience, and sharing updates regularly.

Yes, Xxit

Never Met a Science • 88 implied HN points • 09 Dec 24
🚌 Education Communication
  1. Many universities are considering leaving social media platforms like X because they can hurt their reputation and make communication less effective.
  2. Instead of trying to compete for attention on crowded platforms, universities should focus on creating their own quality spaces for sharing academic knowledge, like high-quality videos and public talks.
  3. Communication needs to be taken seriously; a careless online presence can be more damaging than having no presence at all, so investing wisely is important.

Phone books

Internal exile • 77 implied HN points • 11 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Communication
  1. Phone books used to be an important part of everyday life, providing a neutral source of information about people and businesses in a community. They helped people connect and get essential local information.
  2. Nostalgia for phone books comes from their role as simple, static resources that everyone had access to, unlike today's customized, often misleading online information. They once gave a sense of shared knowledge and community.
  3. With the decline of phone books, we have lost a common point of reference, and now most information can feel personalized and isolating. This change can sometimes lead to misunderstandings about what information is truly reliable.