Work doesn’t have to suck, let’s make it better together
This weekly tweak is part of our series to make work better together - get it direct to your inbox.
Did you know that in meetings of six or more people, two will do at least 60% of the talking?
And when you have even larger meetings, over 80% of the conversation will be dominated by two or three people. Usually, the most senior or powerful people in the room.
For the most part, that’s not a great use of people's time, it’s not capturing diverse perspectives and views, and it’s leaving valuable voices unheard.
A Better Work Tweak - Add a check-in question to every meeting
One great way to have a more even share of voice is by adding a check-in question at the start of a call or meeting. It can be anything, the idea being that everyone gets to answer. It should take no more than 5 minutes. For larger meetings, use break-out rooms of 5 to 7 people.
Using your voice at the start of a meeting makes you more likely to participate and speak up later in the meeting.
Not only does it give participants the courage to speak up more during the rest of the meeting, but check-in questions are also a great way to build better relationships at work, increase trust between colleagues, build understanding and create a sense of connection.
At A Better Work, our team work completely remotely. We don’t get opportunities to bump into each other and chat. Check-in questions help us create deep connections, get to know each other better and bring more of ourselves to work. Any time we get lax on our check-in questions, we notice the impact on the share of voice and morale.
An even Better Tweak - our top tips to maximise this tweak
Looking for check-in question inspiration? Use this fab tool https://checkin.daresay.io/
Understand your own share of voice - do you tend to speak a lot in meetings? Do you actively listen and make space for your colleagues? Do you let others speak and tend to take a back seat?
Would you like it to be different? Is there anything in your own behaviour that you could experiment with changing?
I hope these tips help you capture diverse perspectives and views and bring in valuable voices. Let's make work better, together.
Michelle Wallace
Founder
A Better Work
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