Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. In some wireless communications systems, a base station may transmit, to a user equipment (UE), an indication of a dynamic switch between slot formats. The base station and the UE may communicate first data in one or more first slots according to a first slot format. The first slot format may be a first cyclic prefix-based or guard interval-based slot format. The base station may transmit control signaling to the UE to indicate a second slot format different from the first slot format. The second slot format may be a second cyclic prefix-based or guard interval-based slot format. The UE and the base station may switch to communicating second data in one or more second slots in accordance with the second slot format based on the control signaling.