Breaking the mold of traditional meeting dynamics, we explore the power of quiet contribution. Discover how your silent insights can shape discussions, and why you don't always need to 'speak up' to make a significant impact.
You don’t have to speak up in every meeting to contribute to your team
Active listening is necessary to give you the context you need to reflect and provide input in the future
- There are many ways to contribute and add value to meetings beyond being the loudest person in the room
Own the follow-ups
Write a succinct summary of the meeting summary
- Keep a key decisions registry
- Record action items and next steps
- Summarize actions items and clearly describe what the action item is, who owns it, and when it’s due
State the obvious
This is especially useful for people who feel that they have the knowledge to contribute, but who tend to catastrophize what will happen if they do.
- As you sit through more meetings, you will eventually gain enough experience to feel more confident contributing in the ways that feel challenging to you now.
- Jeff Tan is a chief of staff at Agenus, an immuno-oncology focused biotech.
Redefine “value.”
Expand your definition of “value” beyond “expertise”
- There are four major roles that can be filled in a meeting and each contributes value in an integral way
- The leader: Convenes the meeting and leads the discussion on all major agenda items
- Timekeeper: Allocates time to each agenda item and reminds the leader when to move from one item to the next
- Facilitator: Keeps the discussion going by encouraging attendees to contribute and ensure all items on the agenda are covered
- Recorder: Takes notes and gives them to the attendees after the meeting
- A couple of these roles (like the leader and timekeeper) need to be filled by someone who is familiar with or has expertise around the subjects being discussed
Take on the recorder (scribe) role
During the meeting, taking on this responsibility will give you the chance to show that you are a competent and attentive listener who knows how to connect the dots between ideas being discussed
- You have a hand in shaping the narrative for whatever idea is being talked about – you get to choose what gets written on the whiteboard so people can review, react, and build upon it after the meeting
