Ever wondered why some meetings leave everyone inspired and others fall flat? Inclusive meetings spark innovation, engagement, and satisfaction among employees. This article provides practical recommendations to enhance the inclusiveness of your meetings, supporting your overall DEI plan.
Why inclusive meetings matter
When every person in the meeting feels that his or her opinion is important, they are willing to contribute more and work together to come up with the best solutions. People are more inclined to perform optimally, and contribute their best and creative ideas to the group.
For instance, Google has adopted meeting times for different regions to be rotated, equal meeting technology participation, and training of leaders in bias detection. Companies that have their foundations in disruptive concepts understand that different views lead to innovative solutions and revolutionary concepts.
However, the advantages of the inclusive meeting do not stop at the meeting level only. They act as a model for other interactions within the company and open the path to the change of culture. Such shifts do not pass unnoticed, they affect the company’s image and make it a more appealing place for diverse talent who seek equality.
Be mindful of inclusivity when creating the agenda
While each meeting will be unique depending on the purpose and the scale of the meeting; however, an inclusive agenda will make sure that all the attendees will feel that they are wanted and will have a chance to contribute to the meeting.
Planning an inclusive agenda entails acknowledging that not all issues are of equal concern to all the participants, but all participants’ opinions are valued.
- Soliciting input: During the preparation for the meeting, encourage participants to propose items to be included in the agenda so that the items included are of interest to all the participants.
- Segmented discussions: Team meetings such as project kick-offs and other cross-functional meetings where different departments have to be in the same meeting require special consideration. Divide the meeting into parts that are relevant to different positions in the company. Make sure that each department receives its dedicated time while at the same time making sure that the meeting is not boring to everyone. Schedule each segment for a particular amount of time but be ready to change the time if the discussion goes in a different direction.
- Interactive elements: This technique is used in meetings that involve participation, generation of ideas and problem solving. Use activities like brainstorming sessions, group discussions, or even debates to make the team members more engaged and ensure that the shy members contribute to the group’s discussions.
- Clear and inclusive language: Avoid the use of terms that may be considered as demeaning or may in any way cause discomfort to any of the participants. Do not use terms that are likely to be unfamiliar to all the members of the audience.
- Accessibility: Make sure that all the materials that are shared during the meeting are available to all the participants, for example, in case of a participant with a visual impairment, the materials should be in Braille or in an electronic format that can be read by a screen reader. .
What to avoid
- Overloading the agenda: When there are too many topics, the discussions become hasty and some important issues may not be discussed at all. Ensure that the agenda is not congested with too many items.
- Ignoring input: Excluding topics that participants may suggest can make the attendees feel unappreciated and thus not attend the event keenly.
- One-way communication: Do not turn the meeting into a sequence of presentations. Promote discussion and communication so that everyone can share his or her opinions.
What to embrace
- Feedback opportunities: Allow the participants to give their opinions on the agenda and on the meeting. This can be useful in enhancing future meetings and ensuring that they are more friendly to everyone.
- Balanced participation: Ensure that the discussion is not dominated by a few participants. Some of the ways include round-robin sharing or limiting the amount of time a person is allowed to speak.
- Follow-up: Make sure that there are actions that follow up the recommendations and that these actions are well stated and with persons to implement them and time frame. This proves that the contributions are appreciated and implemented.
An inclusive meeting agenda is more than just a list of topics; it is a thoughtfully planned structure that ensures every participant feels included and valued, making space for diverse perspectives.
Help participants be prepared – in their own pace
To achieve this, the participants should be selected from different backgrounds and positions within the organization.
Send out the agendas and any documents that may be required before the meeting. Make the materials available in different formats to cater for the needs of all the people in the class so that they can go through the materials at their own convenience.
Why does this matter? It is also important to understand that people do not think at the same rate. Some people might be shy to speak during meetings, or they might have language barriers, so having time to read through the materials before the meeting will make them more comfortable to speak out. Allowing the participants to think about these contents before the discussion will make the discussions more productive and meaningful.
To ensure that the introverted members contribute to the meeting, you can either call on them to speak during the meeting or after the meeting or offer them a chance to contribute anonymously.
Here are the three most important things to do when creating the pre-meeting materials
- Highlight key points: To help the participants easily follow the flow of the meeting, it is necessary to briefly outline the main points and goals of each document.
- Provide context: Participants should know why some issues are on the agenda and how they are connected to the overall objectives of the organization or project.
- Encourage questions: Encourage the participants to contact you with any questions or concerns they may have before the meeting. Clear up any confusion that may be present at the beginning and make the meeting go more smoothly.
Reconsider your icebreakers
Ensure that everyone is welcomed before the meeting begins and that everyone introduces themselves. Some of the typical icebreakers like ‘’say something interesting about yourself” may not be suitable for everyone since some people may feel pressured or may not be willing to disclose certain information. However, select the activities that can be done by all the members of the group without any strain. For instance, you could invite all the participants to tell something good that happened to them during the week or in their career. This type of question is less likely to put people on the spot and everyone can answer it without feeling that they are being put on the spot.
Set ground rules
Setting ground rules for respectful communication helps create a positive and inclusive environment. Consider these guidelines:
- No interruptions: Ensure that everyone has a chance to speak without being interrupted.
- Active listening: Encourage participants to listen attentively to each other and show respect for different viewpoints.
- Speak from personal experience: Ask participants to share their own experiences rather than generalizing or making assumptions about others.
- Use inclusive language: Remind participants to use language that is respectful and inclusive of all identities.
- Confidentiality: Ensure that personal or sensitive information shared in the meeting stays within the group to create a safe space for open discussion.
Use inclusive language and address microaggressions
Inclusive language is not just about replacing words such as ‘guys’ with ‘team’ or ‘everyone. ’ It is about being conscious of how language affects people and being willing to change how one speaks to be more inclusive.
Pronouns should be used in introductions and email signatures to avoid erasing people’s identities. Even the choice of words like replacing ‘chairman’ with ‘chairperson’ and ‘mankind’ with ‘humankind’ does make a difference. One should also refrain from using words that presuppose something about a person’s experience, skill, or status. For example, instead of assuming that everyone is married and has a husband or a wife, the word “partner” is used.
Inclusive language reduces the chances of microaggressions, which are indirect, sometimes unconscious, actions or statements that can be considered as offensive. The issue with microaggressions is that they continue to perpetuate negative prejudices and prejudice that people have. It is recommended that meeting facilitators should be prepared to respond to microaggressions when they happen. This means stopping the behavior, calling it out, and describing why it is not okay.
For instance, when a Black person is told that ‘I don’t see color,’ the outcome is to erase their experiences as racial/cultural beings. This can be managed by the leaders and the meeting facilitators to say “Let us respect each other’s opinions and ideas.” When a woman is asked, “Are you sure you understand this?” – and such questions aren’t posed to her male counterparts, then it is about doubting her competence. If this happens, a leader can respond by saying, “Let’s ensure we give everyone the same level of trust in their expertise.”
Likewise, telling a white male that he does not require help because he is white and a male is also a microaggression. If someone says, “You probably don’t need help with this, right?” the leader can say, “No one is immune to needing help and direction.”
The language we use can either perpetuate or dismantle microaggressions. Training on inclusive language helps prevent these subtle acts of exclusion..
Practical tips for implementation
Start small and scale up
Make small alterations for quick results, for instance, using gender-neutral language and establishing meeting expectations. Expand the best practices to other parts of the organization to increase the coverage of the diversity.
Leverage external support
It is advisable to consult with outside professionals for DEI projects. The collaboration with DEI specialists can be useful and address the issue of internal stakeholders’ reluctance to change.
Use DEI-focused technology for actionable insights
Employ technology to gather information on the experience of employees in meetings and other aspects within the workplace. The evaluation of this data can reveal the participation rates and areas that require attention.
Use questionnaires to assess the level of inclusion after the meetings. Using Diversio, these surveys can be tailored to the organization’s culture and requirements, thus offering meaningful data.
DEI success is quantifiable and with solid, up-to-date data, you can prove the effectiveness of inclusive meetings and other initiatives within the overall DEI initiatives. Measuring DEI efforts in terms of financial and social return on investment can assist in making the case for further investment.
Learn, adapt, build cross-cultural competency
DEI education and training should be continuous to ensure that everyone on the team understands how to be inclusive. Ensure that there are always resources available for DEI learning to ensure that everyone stays informed and active.
Encourage multiculturalism in teams by offering training and materials. Culturally competent workforce is more creative and efficient.
Set up a process for providing feedback on the meeting’s inclusiveness on a consistent basis. This feedback should be used to make changes and improvements in the future and alter your strategies if necessary.
How Diversio can help make meetings and your organization inclusive and productive
Diversio’s platform provides all the necessary tools for the inclusive meeting practices and to collect the data about how people with diverse backgrounds feel about the meetings and what is their experience in the workplace. From the real-time engagement data to the surveys that can be tailored to the specific organization, Diversio offers the actionable insights that can be used to enhance the DEI initiatives and measure the DEI impact and results. Explore Diversio’s DEI platform to see how it can benefit your organization – schedule a demo.
