Having the confidence to speak up at meetings and share their opinions is something I help my clients with on a regular basis.But when you’re the one leading the meeting, the onus is on you to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to have their voice heard.

What is an inclusive meeting?

An inclusive meeting is one where all attendees feel comfortable speaking freely, sharing their opinions and adding their ideas to the mix - and the space is held for everyone to do so.

Too often, it’s the case that the loudest voice at the meeting wins, while those who tend towards being more introverted or quiet don’t speak up when they have the chance. That means we’re missing out on the diverse opinions, collaborative thinking, and better quality ideas that come from creating fully inclusive meetings.So as a leader, what can you do to create a meeting environment and culture where everyone is encouraged and empowered to participate fully?

Here are 5 tips to help you lead and run inclusive meetings in your organisation.

Give your attendees time to process and prepare

We all process information at different rates and in different ways. So how can you give everyone the best chance to be prepared to share their opinion on the topics up for discussion?

A simple way to do this is by sending out the agenda and some information on the meeting in advance. That means people can review it in their own time and avoid being caught on the hop if they’re asked about a topic at the meeting.

But even with the best of intentions, it can still be difficult for people to get around to doing that pre-reading work, especially if it’s going to take up a substantial chunk of their time.Amazon’s Executive Chairman, Jeff Bezos, takes a slightly different approach. He designates quiet time at the start of each meeting for everyone to review any documents or memos that are relevant to the discussion - so the prep time is already built-in.

Experiment to see what works best with your team and organisation. But either way, having time for people to process topics in advance means everyone is fully prepared and far more likely to contribute to the meeting.

▶︎▶︎ Bonus Tip: If you’ve sent out the relevant info in advance, you don’t need a text-heavy slide deck. Keep your content brief and to the point. Using your slides to highlight key discussion points rather than telling the whole story means you’re respecting people’s time - but you’re also far more likely to hold their attention and interest!

Recommended Reading: How to Facilitate Effe ctive, Productive and Efficient Meetings

Set the ground rules for the meeting

As the meeting leader, it’s up to you to set the framework for how the meeting will be run and make your expectations clear to everyone attending.

For example, your ground rules might be that:

◼︎ People should be punctual, so as to respect everyone’s time

◼︎ You expect people to contribute if they’ve something to add to the discussion.

◼︎ Everyone will have the space to speak without being interrupted.

◼︎ If someone has thoughts on the topic after the meeting, they’re welcome to submit them to you at that point.

And once the rules have been communicated, it’s your job as the meeting facilitator to make sure everyone sticks to them.

Quote and image of Jesse Jackson. "When everyone is included, everyone wins"

Hold space for everyone to make a contribution

If one of your ground rules is that you expect everyone to contribute at meetings, you then need to make sure that happens. Start by emphasising that all opinions matter and explaining how critical it is for everyone’s voice to be heard. Sometimes it just takes a nudge like this for a reluctant contributor to speak up. But if you’ve tried that and certain people are still staying silent, you may need to gently encourage them to share their ideas.

One suggestion is to have a list of the meeting attendees and (very discreetly) jot down a note when someone makes their point. Then it’s very easy to see who’s not speaking up and participating. Your role as facilitator is to empower and encourage the quieter people to engage and make sure the meeting environment makes them feel comfortable enough to do that.

Be careful not to make it a high-pressure ask, just something along the lines of:

“Mike, have you anything you’d like to add here?”

A gentle nudge like this is usually enough of a prompt if they’ve something they’d like to say. If not, leave it be and move the meeting on.

The flip side of this is how to manage those voices that are usually louder than the rest and tend to hijack a meeting. (Particular if they’re trying to bring their own pet topics or agendas to the fore.) How can you handle those situations so that people are respected, and their opinions are heard but they’re not dominating the meeting?

The best approach is to be polite but firm. Acknowledge their point by saying something like:

"That's a really good point. It's not something that’s on today's agenda, but we’ll definitely discuss it at next week's meeting."

(And then make sure that it goes straight onto the agenda for next week.)

If you’re ready in advance with something to say when this situation arises, there’s less chance of you losing control of the meeting to the more vocal contributors.

Use active listening to read the room

Active listening is a key commun ication skill when you’re leading a meeting. If you notice you’re doing most of the talking, that’s one-way communication, and you're just sharing information. Was a meeting really necessary, or could there have been a better way to communicate in this case?

Throughout your meetings, make sure you’re gathering feedback by paying attention to what’s going on elsewhere in the room (whether that’s virtually or in person). Listen to the kind of language being used when people speak - with your eyes as well as your ears. Keep an eye on body language and demeanour for clues.

You might spot someone who’s eager to make a point shifting in their chair, leaning forward slightly and looking like they’re about to take a breath to speak. That can be your opportunity to draw them into the discussion.

Or, if someone’s leaning back in their seat, arms folded, lips pursed and shaking their head while looking down at the desk, there’s a good chance they’re disagreeing with whatever’s being said at the time! Do they need space to air their thoughts?

Watching out for visual cues as well as paying attention to what’s being said will help you judge the situation more accurately.

Improve your meetings by asking for feedback

At the end of the meeting, ask your attendees for their feedback on how it went. Then you can review to see what worked well, what you need to do differently and the best way to make your next meeting even more effective.

And don’t forget to thank everyone at the meeting for their contributions. Feeling like your opinions matter is always a great motivator to stay engaged and contribute further in the future.

Everyone deserves the chance for their voice to be heard

If your meetings consist of the same voices being heard repeatedly, then you’re most likely missing out.

As a leader, it’s your responsibility to create a safe, balanced and supportive environment, so everyone feels comfortable speaking up and participating fully. Only then can your organisation see the benefits of inclusive and collaborative meetings where everyone’s voice is heard.

I work with leaders and their teams, offering professional development training to help everyone get their point across clearly and confidently. If you’d like to learn more about how we could work together, click here to schedule a complimentary intro call to discuss your organisation’s specific needs.

How to Lead and Run an Inclusive Meeting (And Why It’s So Important)