Do you design your meetings to be inclusive so that everyone in the team has the chance to contribute their perspective? After all, it’s often the small, everyday things that really make the difference in corporate culture.
The first question you should ask yourself: Are all possible perspectives represented at the table? And if not, who is missing?
1. plan in good time and respond to needs – including preparing meetings
Are you the one inviting people to the meeting? Then it’s a good idea to send out the agenda to all participants in advance. This gives everyone the chance to think about their point of view in advance. People with disabilities may need to call in their assistant before and/or during the meeting, need information about accessibility or a translation into sign language. Plan for different needs when preparing materials and presentations as well as the room layout: Will this prevent anyone from participating? Therefore, offer all participants the opportunity to contact you before the meeting so that they can discuss any unanswered questions in peace. Of course, it is even better if you have already thought of a lot of things.
2. also open up opportunities for introverts
There are introverts and extraverts and many other gradations in between. Some people have the best ideas when they can think about them in peace. They are less likely to develop their genius in group discussions. Did you know that Albert Einstein and Rosa Parks were introverts? What would the world be without their ideas! So give all those who want to think longer and alone about the points discussed and their ideas on them the chance to do so: by allowing time not only before the meeting, but also the day after. And then ask everyone again by email: “Have any further ideas emerged after yesterday’s meeting?” “Would anyone like to add any further points of view in writing?”
3. pay attention to the proportion of speech and don’t give ideas a chance to be stolen
Have you ever noticed who actually has how much speaking time? Women often have much less speaking time in meetings with colleagues of the same rank and are interrupted more often – by both men and women. In addition, their speeches are often valued much less. As a result, women are often mercilessly underestimated. Therefore: Pay attention to your behavior and that of the other meeting participants. If you notice that someone is being interrupted, say, for example: “I would like to hear what XYZ has to say about that”. If you notice that someone is peddling an idea that has already been expressed, you could remind everyone. For example: “Good idea… Thank you ABC for bringing the idea to the table first.”
4. use embedding methods
Sometimes it is also a good idea to have meetings moderated specifically or to give all participants the same speaking time in order to collect ideas in turn. There are fun methods to suit all variants. I like the 1-2-4-all or snowball method: everyone starts by quietly collecting their own ideas on sticky notes. Then discuss these ideas in groups of two. This makes it much easier to share your ideas with just one person at first. The teams of two can then form teams of four, exchange ideas and select the best ideas. You can then pass the discussion on 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. This is the I of 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 straight away without having developed a big strategy paper.
