How to elevate quiet voices in your team
Bringing the best out in your team is often all about bringing in different voices with their own skills, experiences and perspectives. But sometimes, quieter voices in your team might not be heard. And this means you can be missing out on the value they can bring to your organisation.
Quieter team members often struggle to get a word in edgewise for all sorts of reasons, Justine Alter, organisational psychologist and Co-Director at Transitioning Well, explains. “Many workplaces reward quick-fire, confident responses rather than thoughtful reflection. Workplaces are often designed for extroverts, with open-plan offices, group brainstorming and an emphasis on verbal assertiveness.”
Introverts, who make up one-third to one-half of the population, typically process information differently. They might prefer taking time to mull over things before speaking. Quieter voices aren’t always introverts though – they could also be junior team members who feel intimidated, people with English as a second language or those not confident with public speaking.
The impact on your team and business
Having an environment where quieter voices aren’t given time and space to be heard can have a big impact on quieter team members. “They may receive less recognition or feel like their input goes unnoticed, as well as get stressed from the pressure to communicate differently,” says Alter. “Often, this leaves them feeling disengaged and undervalued.”
Missing out on these valuable insights and contributions also has flow-on effects for the team and broader organisation, as it could lead to ‘groupthink’ and same-same decision making. People are on your team for a reason, so losing out on their input might lead to less innovation, creativity or strategic decision-making.
It can even lead to frustration in the team, says Jeff Ha, Senior HR Consultant at Employii. “More outspoken employees might feel like they carry more of the mental load. The people who are quieter can be misconstrued as being disengaged or unprepared, causing issues or team divides. This is unfair because it's not a pure reflection about their work – they simply have certain preferences for interacting with others.”
Building an inclusive culture
Creating an environment that everyone can take part in boosts engagement all around, along with the overall culture of your team – one where people feel safe to speak up. Here are five ways to help elevate the quieter voices in your team:
1. Share agendas in advance
Where possible, share meeting agendas and requirements ahead of time so people have time to prepare. “Forward planning is quite important,” says Ha. “Research has shown that introverted people like to walk into situations where they know what's expected of them.”
Sharing an agenda in advance, along with any specifics of what might be required (for example, coming prepared with ideas about how to approach a specific challenge) will give them time to think and plan. This doesn’t just help quieter team members – it helps your meetings run more smoothly as a whole.
2. Establish rules about input – and structure meetings
Consider how to structure meetings so everyone has a chance to weigh in and minimise the risk of a few louder people dominating. “This could be making sure everyone gets a turn to speak or by actively inviting input from your quieter team members,” says Alter.
This is especially important for virtual meetings where it’s harder to pick up on social cues. Alter advises setting up clear rules about not interrupting, with deliberate pauses that give introverts the time they need to jump in.
3. Don’t put people on the spot
Rather than expecting people to weigh in during a meeting, provide plenty of time and channels for input afterwards. “Allow people the time to digest and follow up when they have the space and capacity to do so,” says Ha.
“That way, it's not about expecting everything to get done at that moment but giving people at least a few working days to provide feedback, whether through email, sending an update via team messenger or even taking it offline for a one-on-one chat.”
4. Offer alternative ways to share input
What are other ways you can gather feedback beyond speaking in a meeting? “Set up different ways for people to share their ideas,” says Alter. “This could be through collaborative documents during the meeting or written feedback after the fact.”
Virtual meetings have plenty of in-built ways to gather input. She suggests making the most of chat functions alongside video calls and using polls to gather everyone's insights.
5. Consider accessibility
Think about how you can make it easier for people who may come from non-English speaking backgrounds or have other accessibility needs. While most meetings are recorded these days, making transcripts after meetings available is a simple but effective tool too, says Ha.
“Allowing people to go back and review what was covered in the meeting helps if someone may not have quite caught or understood a point covered,” he says. “Ticking a box and spending some time just reviewing the transcript is powerful – it sends a great message saying ‘everyone is included, we're going to make it as easy as possible for you to understand what was discussed.’”
This can be a big help for the team as a whole too, as plenty of people prefer reading over watching a video.
Most importantly, take the time to talk to your team and learn what will help them speak up and feel heard in the workplace, building an inclusive and encouraging environment for everyone involved.