Ensuring Everyone Has A Voice In Discussions

Hybrid Meetings ≠ Inclusive Meetings. I’ve lived it - and here’s 5 practical tips to ensure everyone has a voice, regardless of location. I spent more than 10,000 hours in hybrid meetings while as a remote leader for The Clorox Company. I was often the 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 remote attendee - while the rest of the group sat together in a conference room at HQ. Here’s what I learned the hard way: 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲... ...by showing who gets heard, who feels seen, and who gets left out. If you're leading a distributed or hybrid team, how you structure your meetings sends a loud message about what (and who) matters. 𝟱 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 1️⃣ 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 – who will actively combat distance bias and invite input from all meeting members 2️⃣ 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗿 – to monitor the chat and the raised hands, to launch polls and to free up the facilitator to focus on the flow 3️⃣ 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗶𝗻 - so that there is equal access to the chat, polls, and reactions 4️⃣ 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 – pair remote team members with in-room allies to help make space in the conversation and ensure they can see and hear everything 5️⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘂𝗽 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 – be ready with a Plan B for audio, video, or connectivity issues in the room 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳? 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹-𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. If even one person is remote, have everyone log in from their own device from their own workspace to create a level playing field. 🔗 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 for creating location-inclusive distributed teams in this Nano Tool I wrote for Wharton Executive Education: https://lnkd.in/eUKdrDVn #LIPostingDayApril

Do you have trouble getting the entire team to participate in group discussions, brainstorming sessions, etc.? To get people talking in group settings, create a safe and inclusive atmosphere. Here's how: 1. Set Ground Rules: Make it clear that all opinions are valued and that it's a judgment-free zone. 2. Small Talk First: Warm up with light topics so folks get comfortable speaking. 3. Use Open-Ended Questions: Questions that can't be answered with just "yes" or "no" open up the floor for more detailed discussion. 4. Direct Invitations: Sometimes people just need a nudge. Call on them directly but offer an easy out like, "Feel free to pass." 5. Silent Moments: Pause and allow silence. This gives people time to gather their thoughts and often encourages quieter folks to chime in. 6. Positive Reinforcement: When someone does speak up, validate their contribution, even if it's just a simple "great point." 7. Anonymity: Use tools or methods that let people contribute anonymously. Then discuss the anonymous points as a group. 8. Break into Smaller Groups: Big settings can be intimidating. Smaller group discussions can make it easier for people to open up. 9. Rotate Roles: Give different team members the role of facilitator or note-taker in each meeting to encourage active participation. 10. Follow-Up: If someone doesn't speak up but you think they have valuable insights, follow up privately. They may be more comfortable sharing one-on-one. Remember, the goal is not to pressure people into speaking but to make it easier for them to do so if they wish. #leadership #teambuilding #communication

Early in my career, I worked with two very different leaders within the same company. Under the first, team meetings were silent affairs where new ideas were often met with criticism. We stopped contributing. When I moved teams, my new manager actively encouraged input and acknowledged every suggestion, even the imperfect ones. Our productivity and innovation skyrocketed. This experience taught me the power of psychological safety. That feeling that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns. Here are three concrete ways leaders can foster psychological safety in meetings: 1. Practice "Yes, and..." thinking. Replace "That won't work because..." with "Yes, and we could address that challenge by..." This simple language shift acknowledges contributions while building on ideas rather than shutting them down. 2. Create equal airtime. Actively notice who's speaking and who isn't. Try techniques like round-robin input or asking quieter team members directly: "Alyzah, we haven't heard your perspective yet. What are your thoughts?" 3. Normalize vulnerability by modeling it. Share your own mistakes and what you learned. When leaders say "I was wrong" or "I don't know, let's figure it out together," it gives everyone permission to be imperfect. AA✨ #PsychologicalSafety #InclusiveLeadership #WorkplaceBelonging

Creating Teams Where People Actually Speak Up Want your best team members to share their real thoughts? Most don't. The Four Seasons hotel chain discovered why. Every morning, managers share what went wrong yesterday. No blame. Just solutions. Their "Glitch Report" meetings transform errors into wins. As their CEO says, "What's important isn't the error. It's the recovery." Here's how to build this psychological safety on your team: 1. Make failure acceptable. Leaders must fail first. Your team watches what you do, not what you say. Admit your mistakes before asking others to share theirs. 2. Ensure that all voices are heard. Try the speaking chip method. Give everyone five chips. Each comment costs one chip. When you're out, you listen. Suddenly, your quietest team members become your most valuable. 3. Make feedback safe. Create consequence-free critique sessions. People hold back honest feedback when they fear being blamed if their suggestion causes problems. Set clear expectations. "Your job is to point out problems, my job is to decide what to fix." After the session, the project owner makes decisions independently, protecting both the feedback giver and the creative vision. Psychological safety isn't just a workplace luxury—it's the difference between a team that merely performs and one that consistently breaks through to excellence.

Only 1 in 5 quiet employees feel heard These 12 tips will flip that stat fast 👇 Your most insightful employee might be the one you rarely hear from. They’re not disengaged. They’re reflective. And they often notice what others miss. But without intentional encouragement, their voices can get lost in louder conversations. Here are 12 subtle, effective ways to help them feel heard and valued: 1️⃣ Start meetings with their input ↳ Ask them first — early engagement sets the tone. 2️⃣ Use one-on-ones to go deeper ↳ Many introverts share more without an audience. 3️⃣ Share agendas ahead of time ↳ Prepping gives reflective thinkers space to process. 4️⃣ Pause after asking questions ↳ Count to five — silence invites reflection. 5️⃣ Acknowledge non-verbal cues ↳ A nod or glance might mean they’re ready — gently invite them. 6️⃣ Offer alternative feedback channels ↳ Use anonymous surveys, Slack threads, or suggestion boxes. 7️⃣ Celebrate every contribution ↳ Show that value isn’t tied to volume. 8️⃣ Model inclusive language ↳ “We haven’t heard from you yet — what are your thoughts?” 9️⃣ Let them finish their thoughts ↳ Don’t interrupt — even with long pauses. 🔟 Recognize insights publicly ↳ “That 1:1 idea shifted our approach — thank you.” 1️⃣1️⃣ Pair them with active listeners ↳ Thoughtful collaborators bring out deeper insights. 1️⃣2️⃣ Make psychological safety a priority ↳ When people feel safe, they speak more freely. The goal isn’t to make quiet people louder — It’s to create a space where they want to speak. ❓ Which tactic will you try this week? ♻️ Repost to help others unlock overlooked voices 🔔 Follow Dr. Chris Mullen for inclusive leadership insights