A webtoon in one long scroll

No Hello

In chat, don’t send a “hello” and wait for a reply. Say hello and ask your question in the same message.

Lars and Imani, a whole day apartLars waves from a sunny morning on the left. On the right, under the moon, Imani looks worried. A long dotted line of hours stretches between them.

House rule: in this comic, scrolling is time. Mind the gaps.

Episode 1 The lonely “hi”

  1. 9:14 AM · Lars’s desk

    Lars · 9:14 AM hi

    Lars’s desk, 9:14 AMLars, a calm backend engineer with a swept-back ash-blond undercut, a small silver stud and a charcoal henley, taps Enter with a flourish. His whole message is “hi”.tap!

  2. 11 seconds later

    9:14 AM · Imani’s desk

    Imani · 9:14 AM hi! what’s up?

    Imani’s desk, 9:14 AMImani, a steady infrastructure engineer with shoulder-length box braids, two gold braid cuffs and a grape sweater, replies right away with a big smile. Her coffee is steaming and the morning sun is in the window.

Imani waits for the actual question. Keep scrolling: here, scrolling is waiting.
Skip ahead 10 hours, 33 minutes

  1. 9:15 AM Lars is typing 9:16 AM Lars stopped typing.
  2. 10:15 AM …still nothing.
  3. 11:02 AM

    Imani thinks: Is he okay? Is it bad news? Is it about my code?

    Imani, worried
  4. 12:30 PM Lunch, eaten at the desk. Just in case. 🥪
  5. 2:15 PM

    Imani thinks: Wait. Did I break production?

    Imani, alarmed
  6. 3:40 PM Lars is typing 3:41 PM Lars stopped typing. Again.
  7. 5:30 PM Everyone else heads home. 👋
  8. 6:52 PM Sunset. The coffee has grown a skin.
  9. 7:30 PM The moon clocks in for its shift. 🌙

  1. 7:48 PM · One foot out the door

    Lars · 7:48 PM hey, which room is the 10am design review in?

    Imani’s desk, 7:48 PMNight. Imani is about to head home when her laptop goes DING. One eye twitches. Her coffee went cold hours ago. DING!

  2. 1 minute later

    7:49 PM

    Imani · 7:49 PM Room 4. It was at 10. This morning.

    Imani, close upA close-up of Imani, lit by her laptop screen. Her expression is completely flat.

  3. Meanwhile

    7:49 PM · Lars’s couch

    Lars · 7:49 PM oh.

    Lars’s couch, 7:49 PMAt home on his couch, Lars stares at his phone with wide eyes and a bead of sweat. He has just learned he missed the meeting he was asking about.

End of Episode 1

  • Time to an answer: 10 h 35 min
  • The 10 AM meeting: missed
  • Coffee: stone cold

Episode 2 Take two: one message

⏪ Rewind to 9:14 AM. Same Lars, same question.

  1. 9:14 AM · Lars’s desk

    Lars · 9:14 AM Hi Imani! Which room is the 10am design review in? It’s not on the invite.

    Lars’s desk, 9:14 AM, take twoSame morning, same Lars. This time he types his greeting and his whole question before pressing Enter.tap tap tap

  2. 1 minute later

    9:15 AM · Imani’s desk

    Imani · 9:15 AM Morning! Room 4, the one with the wobbly chair. See you there!

    Imani’s desk, 9:15 AMImani reads the whole question, answers it in one go and beams. Her coffee is still steaming.

  3. 45 minutes later

    10:00 AM · Room 4

    Lars: Made it! And yes, the chair wobbles.

    Imani: Told you. Coffee’s still hot, too.

    Room 4, 10:00 AMLars and Imani sit side by side at the meeting table, both grinning. Lars’s chair wobbles. Imani raises her still-steaming coffee. Everyone is on time. 4 wobble

End of Episode 2

  • Time to an answer: 1 minute
  • The 10 AM meeting: made it
  • Coffee: still hot

The plain version

Chat is built for replying whenever there’s a free moment. But a message that only says “hi” can’t be answered yet. The other person says hi back, then waits for the real message, often wondering if something is wrong. Sometimes the question shows up a minute later. Sometimes it shows up after the meeting it was about.

So greet and ask in the same message. It’s just as warm, and they can reply the moment they see it, even if you’ve wandered off to lunch.

Don’t leave a cliffhanger

  1. Lars · 9:14 AM hi
  2. Imani · 9:14 AM hi! what’s up?
  3. 10 hours, 34 minutes of suspense
  4. Lars · 7:48 PM hey, which room is the 10am design review in?
  5. Imani · 7:49 PM Room 4. It was at 10.

Answered after 10 hours, 35 minutes, one meeting too late.

Do send it all at once

  1. Lars · 9:14 AM Hi Imani! Which room is the 10am design review in? It’s not on the invite.
  2. Imani · 9:15 AM Morning! Room 4, the one with the wobbly chair. See you there!

Answered after 1 minute.

Small habits that help

  1. Greet and ask together. “Hi! Quick one: where do expense reports go?” is friendly and answerable.
  2. Bring the context. What you need, what you’ve tried, and any link or error text.
  3. Say when you need it. “No rush” or “before 3 PM, please” helps people plan their day.
  4. “Got a minute?” is a “hi” in disguise. Same cliffhanger, new outfit. Just ask.