The worse thing a leader can say to a team member is – “you need to speak up more”. That statement alone is guaranteed to elicit fear, insecurity, and resentment.
I have yet to find a person in the workplace who doesn’t have an idea or opinion they would like to share. Unfortunately, most meetings aren’t organized in a way that supports everyone speaking up.
Getting people to share in a conversation relies on three things…
1. A well-designed structure that allows people to share in a meaningful way.
2. An environment where it is safe to share thoughts and ideas.
3. And, for the people do most of the talking in meetings to shut up and listen more.
There are generally two types of people in meetings. Those who ‘speak to think’ – they gather their thoughts and ideas as they talk and consider out loud. And those who ‘think to speak’ – they gather information, thoughts, and ideas - synthesis the information - and then are prepared to speak. And because their information is deliberate and presorted, they are the people we really need to hear from. Unfortunately, their feedback never sees the light of day because ‘airtime’ is monopolized by those who are thinking out loud.
To manage this dynamic a leader should do the following:
First, create a well thought out agenda and send it to participants at least 4 days ahead of the meeting. The agenda should include the following labels under each agenda time so people can anticipate where and how they should participate.
a. Report (R) – no preparations is required by participants.
b. Brainstorm (B) – participants should be prepared with thoughts and ideas around a topic. In this case you should present the questions you want to discuss and include any supporting documents. Explain what you are going to do with the feedback provided in the meeting. Do this well ahead of the meeting so busy people have time to prepare.
c. Decide (D) - be prepared to make a business decision. Clearly present the decision you are wanting to make, and the team’s role in making that decision. Give people time to prepare accordingly (research, data collection, feedback from end users, etc.)
Second, utilize pre-meeting surveys or questionnaires. Instead of wasting time in meetings going through feedback exercises, make Survey Monkey your best friend. Pre-session surveys are particularly helpful for groups over ten people. After you have received individual feedback, summarize the results, and send to participants ahead of the meeting. Include follow-up questions that will be discussed the day of the meeting. Again, let the team know what you are going to do with the information they provide.
This is a start. Next, we will explore the topic of Creating a Safe Environment for Feedback.