Stop auditing quiet people

I hear this a lot: ‘X never speaks up in meetings’. Yet, there never seems to be any empathy for this person, just blame for their lack of contribution. There’s an assumption that just because they are an attendee they should always speak up. 

Instead of seeking to point the finger at the person that’s quiet, I always get managers to think of the following questions instead:

- Are they introverted and therefore less likely to speak when put on the spot?

- Was enough information provided beforehand, so that people could contribute?

- Were they told to contribute, or invited to do so?

- Does it feel safe to contribute without feeling there’ll be repercussions for doing so?

- Are you looking for them to add value or indicate that they’re engaged?

- Is there something more important on their mind that may be affecting their focus?

- Should they even have been in the meeting in the first place?!

In my experience of speaking to people who haven’t spoken up it’s almost always one of these things. Vibrant cultures recognise that we are all wired differently and the people chairing their meetings go to great lengths to ensure that it’s either easy for everyone to contribute or else they’re spared the embarrassment altogether!

Stop auditing the quiet people and start auditing the conditions that make them quiet instead.