Gestaltest du deine Meetings so inklusiv, dass jede*r im Team die Chance hat, seine*ihre Perspektive beizutragen? Denn oft sind es doch die kleinen, alltäglichen Dinge, die wirklich den Unterschied in der Unternehmenskultur ausmachen.
Die erste Frage, die du dir stellen solltest: Sind überhaupt alle möglichen Perspektiven am Tisch vertreten? Und wenn nicht: wer fehlt?
1. Rechtzeitig planen und auf Bedürfnisse eingehen – inklusive Meetings vorbereiten
Are you the person who sends out the meeting invitation? Then it's a good idea to send the agenda to all participants in advance. This gives everyone the chance to think about their position on it beforehand. People with disabilities may need to consult their assistants before and/or during the meeting, require information about accessibility, or a translation into sign language. Consider different needs when creating materials and presentations, as well as the room's layout: Will this prevent someone from participating? Therefore, offer all participants the opportunity to contact you before the meeting to discuss any open questions in peace. Of course, it is even better if you think of many things in advance.
2. Open up opportunities for introverted people as well
There are introverted and extroverted people, and many gradations in between. Some people simply have the best ideas when they can think about them in peace. They develop their genius less in group discussions. Did you know that Albert Einstein and Rosa Parks were introverted people? What would the world be without their ideas! So give all those who want to think longer and alone about the discussed points and their ideas the chance to do so: by allowing time not only before the meeting, but also one day after. And then ask everyone again by email: "Have any further ideas emerged after our meeting yesterday?" "Would anyone like to add further points of view in writing?"
3. Pay attention to speaking time and don't give idea theft a chance
Schon du schon einmal beobachtet, wer eigentlich wie viel Redezeit hat? Frauen haben in Meetings mit gleichrangigen Kolleg*innen oftmals viel weniger Redeanteil, werden öfter unterbrochen – sowohl von Männern als auch von Frauen. Zudem werden ihre Redebeiträge oftmals viel weniger gewertschätzt. Was dazu führt, dass Frauen oftmals gnadenlos unterschätzt werden. Daher: Achte auf dein Verhalten und das der anderen Meeting-Teilnehmer*innen. Wenn du bemerkst, dass jemand unterbrochen wird, sag zum Beispiel: „Ich würde gerne noch weiter hören, was XYZ dazu zu sagen hat“. Wenn du bemerkst, dass jemand mit einer bereits zuvor geäußerten Idee hausieren geht, könntest du alle daran erinnern. Zum Beispiel so: „Gute Idee… Danke ABC, dass du den Gedanken zuerst auf den Tisch gebracht hast.“
4. Use inclusive methods
Sometimes it is also a good idea to have meetings specifically moderated or to give all participants the same speaking time in order to collect ideas in turn. There are suitable methods for all variants that are fun. I like the 1-2-4-All or snowball method: Everyone first collects their own ideas on sticky notes in silence. Then have these ideas discussed in pairs first. The hurdle to first tell your own ideas to only one person is so much lower. Then the teams of two can join together in teams of four, exchange ideas further and choose the best ideas. After that, you can give the discussion to the larger group.
These four tips create a space in which every perspective counts, everyone can develop their full potential and can count on the support of the other meeting participants. That is the I in D&I: Inclusion. Designing a meeting differently is only a small step, but a very important one. And you can start implementing your idea of Diversity and Inclusion directly without having developed a large strategy paper.
