Meetings tend to be dominated by talkative people, and that makes it hard for the meeting wallflowers to feel heard. These three simple tips for before, during and after the meeting will give everyone a more even playing field.
Photo by gdsteam.
If you have a few quiet types on your team, Renee Cullinan, co-founder of Stop Meeting Like This, recommends three things at Harvard Business Review that you can do. Before the meeting, explain its purpose, provide relevant data and list out the specific discussion questions you want to go over so the quieter folks on your team can plan out their own questions and ideas ahead of time. During the meeting, ask the shyer people of the group questions and give them the floor. Questions like “From the discussion so far, what really stands out for you?” and “What do you think we should we should be considering that we haven’t touched on yet?” will go a long way. Lastly, after the meeting, circulate a meeting summary and openly ask for questions or new insights. If someone had something they wanted to say, but didn’t get a chance or were afraid to speak up, they’re now given the opportunity to do so without all the pressure. You can find more great meeting tips at the link below.
Run Meetings That Are Fair to Introverts, Women, and Remote Workers [Harvard Business Review]
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