How to make meetings more inclusive

Hi there,

Ineffective meetings.

I think I speak for us all when I say: ugh.

The productivity-loss aspect is one thing. But have you considered the impact on inclusion?

We all know that psychological safety - an environment where we feel included and willing to contribute our ideas - is good for people and it's good for business.

Meetings are the perfect place to promote this experience. Yet, so often, they are the very epicentre of its obstruction.

So, how can you set yours up to avoid this pitfall?

The short answer is: think before you meet.

Here are some ideas to try.

1) Contract in advance?

When organising meetings, invite only the people who can actively contribute.

Think about it. When the topic in a meeting isn’t your thing, you end up feeling bored at best...and uncomfortable at worst.

It’s a barrier to your likelihood to join in. It knocks your confidence. And it perpetuates the prickle of exclusion.

You can contract in advance by making sure you:

• explain the parameters to everyone (so no-one feels left out if they haven’t been invited).
• clarify that meetings are not for updates - these can be made available easily on digital channels - but for collaboration.

And if there are people who really need to be there to listen? Make that explicit, so there’s absolute clarity on who will be contributing and who won’t.

2) Consider how you run the meeting

• In virtual meetings, use turn-taking to make sure everyone has the chance to say something.
• In hybrid meetings, overcompensate for people dialling in.
• Find the best language to create space for less vocal team mates, without putting them on the spot. (Something like "does anyone else have anything to add?" can work well).

3) Think about how EVERYONE can contribute

No matter their style, or perceived status in the group, everyone should feel they have a say. But we all have a different way of making our contribution. So...

• Always make sure to share pre-reads and agendas so people can prepare their ideas in advance.
• Try brainsharing. My preferred alternative to brainstorming. Here’s how it works: start with a conversation to gather ideas within a meeting. But then leave time for reflection. Open a Google doc for people to continue to add ideas over the course of a designated time period, before gathering again. This can really help people with different thinking styles, personality types and neurodivergences - to contribute ideas safely and effectively.

One final thing to consider: make sure you are connecting on a human level.

Most of us want to keep our meetings snappy. So this need be nothing more than a brief interlude to ask people how their day is going. It signals that it’s OK to bring whatever is on their mind to the room (real-life or virtual).

Staying open to these insights about people you work with every day – that they too are fallible and quirky; that there is more to them than the spreadsheets they bring to your meeting – can help them know they belong. And this may be the nudge they need to feel safe to contribute.

I'd love to hear the little tricks you use to make your meetings more inclusive and effective. You can share in the comments below.

Bye for now,

Erin

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