Being an inclusive and diverse workplace can benefit a company. It’s important to learn how to run an inclusive workplace meeting so that all ideas have the ability to be heard and respected. Many great ideas can come from sources you might not normally check in with and it’s crucial that your team feels comfortable expressing thoughts that could greatly assist the company. The following are some ways you can create a safe and productive meeting, whether that is in-person or virtual:
- Amplify ideas from all employees
- Give credit where it’s due
- Respond to showboating by pointing out expertise and experience of others — don’t let one person run or hog the meeting
- Rotate administrative duties so that one person (usually someone who is a woman) isn’t stuck with them
- Kick questions back to the right person, the person who is qualified to answer them
And here are some of the reasons WHY you want to make sure all the voices in your workplace are being heard:
- If you act on assumptions about what your employees need, you’ll likely get things wrong more likely than not and be unable to foster a productive team environment.
- You need an overall global picture of what’s happening with your workforce, not a watered down version you’re getting from only one or two sources.
- Your team needs you to be the best leader you can be, especially right now when we’re in a period of upheaval and uncertainty.
- Collaboration is important in a team, even if you’re the leader. Your team needs to know they can come to you with ideas and not be shot down.
- People need to know that you are interested in them — that you actually care. This relates to empathetic listening and being emotionally intelligent as well.