When hosting a brainstorming session via video call, what methods do you use to empower others to speak?
I often work with larger, international groups, and I want to be sure no voices are getting left out of the mix, but that I'm also not leaving too many awkward silences. Curious to hear how others like to balance this!
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36 Comments
36 Comments
Sarah Mudd
147
02/11/21 at 5PM UTC
Have you used the "raised hands" feature on the call? I've had some managers who've been really successful navigating using the raised hand and chat boxes. Maybe give them the opportunity to raise their hand to speak to the video but also leave posting in the chat as an option as well.
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1 Reply
Tabitha Ashura
92
Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives
02/11/21 at 5:03PM UTC
Love the hand raising idea and encouraging people to use that and the chat box if they have an idea but don’t feel space to verbalize it.
1 Reply
Sarah Mudd
147
02/11/21 at 5:08PM UTC
I know as an introvert when I'm feeling overwhelmed or intimidated by the group I'm sometimes more comfortable putting an idea in chat. It's like dipping my toe in the water.
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KimmieFH
314
Reach your goals through positive connections
02/11/21 at 5:48PM UTC
One thing that has worked is doing "breakout" groups in pairs. If you know them well enough to pair a comfortable speaker with an uncomfortable one that is great. This kindof forces those less comfortable speaking to discuss their thoughts but in a one-on-one setting rather than to the whole group. Then when everyone comes back to the full group and shares what they came up with their thoughts still come out but they don't have to be the ones to speak in front of everyone.
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2 Replies
Tabitha Ashura
92
Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives
02/11/21 at 5:55PM UTC
Oooh intriguing! I like the idea of the buddy system so more chatty folks can make sure we don’t lose those ideas.
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eponymousIme
66
02/11/21 at 8:05PM UTC
The Zoom break-out rooms feature is ideal for this.
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CLARA UGARTE PERRIN
35
Founder, MetaMorfosis Lab
02/11/21 at 6:01PM UTC
Breaking into small groups works well as it gives a chance to people to share their thoughts with a reduce number of people. Also, using a jamboard allows people to post their ideas and facilitate collaboration.
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Cara Houser
1.77k
Be Audacious - carahouser.com
02/11/21 at 6:40PM UTC
If the group is not too big, I go around and inquire of each participant as to whether they have ideas to add or share. Some are unlikely speak up unless called upon, yet often have unique perspectives. I then draw them out a bit with follow up questions as seems appropriate.
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Margo Poda, MBA, MA
183
Marketing, Research & Policy Specialist
02/11/21 at 6:45PM UTC
This is a *very* helpful thread that ... my coworkers need to read. I have a super tough time jumping in. Thanks for asking!
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Mary Beth Ferrante
61
Creating Company Cultures That Care
02/11/21 at 6:59PM UTC
I agree with break out groups. I also use a whiteboard tool called Mural to allow people to engage anonymously during our culture focus groups sessions.
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1 Reply
Judi Stevenson-Garcia
57
Our future lives in the growing mind of a child
02/12/21 at 3:14PM UTC
I was going to suggest this as well. Mural is an amazing tool with lots of different creative options for brainstorming. It is a fantastic tool to use before, during, and after meetings and allows for diverse perspectives and for all voices to be heard.
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Marilyn (Terri) Simms
13
Soon-to-be-Retired Elementary Principal
02/11/21 at 7:02PM UTC
Google Jamboard is a great place to write their thoughts.
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Madhu
28
UI Development | Agile Project Management
02/11/21 at 7:36PM UTC
Hi, great question! I work with international teams as well but smaller groups. I personally think breakout rooms take too much effort and require longer meetings. You also need a co-host for such meetings.
I prefer encouraging the use of the hand raising feature. If I still see silent members who could add value, I segway the conversation to them with direct questions. I understand that this may feel like putting someone in a spot, so I am also ready to jump in and "save" them with hints.
This can be possible in larger groups with more time on the meetings.
Hope this helps!
User edited comment on 02/12/21 at 2:30AM UTC
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1 Reply
eponymousIme
66
02/11/21 at 8:08PM UTC
I would avoid putting anyone "on the spot." If breakout rooms are not favored, you can throw out a topic or a question and ask people to respond in the "Chat" section of Zoom. That gives them time to compose a response and prepare themselves for speaking "live." Doing this toward the beginning of the meeting as an icebreaker (with maybe a fun question/topic) gets people comfortable with the process, and makes them more likely to participate later.
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Robin Hendricks, M.Ed., CEC
263
Ambition Enabler
02/12/21 at 9:57AM UTC
Hi Tabitha. I didn't see that group size was specifically addressed. Video greatly changes this dynamic. What we can easily facilitate live changes when we move to video. Here's a clear case when size matters ;)
An alternative: Send brainstorm topics in advance and give participants the chance to pre-submit ideas (via survey Slack, email, etc.) and use the meeting time as a discussion forum. Peace.
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Marguerite Thibodeaux
64
People First, Results Follow
02/12/21 at 12:18PM UTC
I try to create a space where everyone feels valued, so I will ask a specific participant for his or her thoughts if they haven’t answered anything yet. I frame it as a valued option, not a punishment for being quiet thus far, something like, “Bobby, you have experience with X. What do you think?”
Another way I make space for more people, is that I’ll use the chat box to gather multiple responses at once and I set the expectation from the get-go that when I ask for chat responses, I’ll give them a minute for multiple responses to come through; they can’t just expect that one eager beaver to answer everything and ignore the session themselves. You can wait in silence (it never feels like as long of a pause for the audience as it does to you, the facilitator) or you can fill the waiting for responses time with light commentary of the question or the answers you’re getting in chat as they roll in.
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Korinne Chiu
15
02/12/21 at 1:46PM UTC
Agree with giving folks a minute to submit the chat. At a recent virtual training, the facilitator had everyone read the prompt, asked them to write it in the chat, but not send it yet, then counted down a few minutes later to have everyone submit their chats at the same time. Then he asked several people to point out responses they were interested in hearing more about. It gave everyone a chance to respond and be acknowledged without taking too much time.
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Jacqueline Cutler
83
Journalist
02/12/21 at 1:16PM UTC
I recently did this and had written out questions for each person (there were only seven) to ensure that everyone would have a chance to speak. Some folks are just chattier and though fun they can take over, even unwittingly. There are always some who will talk more than others, but if you ask someone a specific question about her work then she can talk. Even if you don't have a specific question for each person, just asking opinions, by name, helps. It took longer to prepare for this but it was far more inclusive and am glad I did it.
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Genevieve Horan
25
02/12/21 at 1:30PM UTC
Have lots of prepared questions in case it’s a quiet group. It may just take 1 question to get the conversation started though! Just make sure you have follow up questions if there’s a lull.
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Christine Jacques
141
02/12/21 at 1:39PM UTC
Try giving participants 2 minutes to enter one idea, just one, in Chat, to you alone. Then copy/paste them as if they were post-it notes, with no names, and put them on a slide to share. It will take a little time; you will probably want an assistant to do this.
I haven't tried Jamboard, but it sounds as if it's worth exploring.
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Jeanette Stein
47
02/12/21 at 1:49PM UTC
I like to warn people that I will pause, not to be awkward, but to allow think time and ensure everyone has an opportunity to be heard. Just letting people know ahead of time shows respect, especially when there are second language contributors.
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Emily Kessler
182
Org. problem solver using design thinking
02/12/21 at 1:50PM UTC
Great question! And I'm glad to see so many good ideas here. I agree with Robin's suggestion. Would it be possible for you to pose the brainstorming question/activity BEFORE the meeting begins? Maybe a day or two before? This will give people time to think on it and bring their best ideas to the meeting. There is evidence to show that brainstorming as a group is not as effective as brainstorming first as an individual. https://hbr.org/2017/05/your-team-is-brainstorming-all-wrong
Also, set expectations before the meeting begins, letting folks know that you would like 100% participation.
IDEO has a good list of rules for brainstorming here: https://www.ideou.com/pages/brainstorming
I love the idea of small breakout groups.
Good luck!
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Barb Hansen
3.34k
Ask me anything about Startups
02/12/21 at 2:05PM UTC
Love the suggestions above, I hadn't heard of Mural before (thanks @Mary Beth Ferrante)
Additionally, I do what @Emily Kessler mentioned above, give the participants the questions to be answered/issues to be addressed ahead of the meeting, and encourage everyone to spend some time thinking (and/or writing down their answers, suggestions and additional questions) before the meeting.
Providing a mechanism for people to submit their suggestions/idea/answers prior to the meeting, and planning how you want to integrate them and their ideas into the discussion might work to give everyone a chance to speak.
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Aleeza Lubin
12
Leadership and management specialist in Chicago
02/12/21 at 2:31PM UTC
Whether in person or virtual, verbal group brainstorming tends to benefits those who are more extroverted and quick thinkers, and can be a struggle for introverts and processors.
The comments about sharing background info and questions in advance are key. And tools like Jamboard and mural are key.
In my work I teach people to run largely silent brainstorms. Whether people are broken into pairs (each pair with their own Jamboard page) or if the group is small enough to all work together, provide time for everyone to put ideas up. Then, in the spirit of “yes, and” ideation, do a second round where people must add ideas as a build onto what was already shared. No one is able to shoot down an idea. Ideas with traction will show lots of builds. Ideas without traction will simply be left alone.
If decision-making is required in the process you can try heat mapping, asking everyone to place a dot next to what they deem is the top suggestion.
Tools like these can also be used anonymously adding increased comfort if power dynamics are at play in the group. No need to worry about voting against your bosses idea if no one can tell whose dot is whose...
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Sarah Larson
95
Improving lives by implementing research.
02/12/21 at 4:29PM UTC
Without putting anyone on the spot, especially if the meeting is large, one of things we preface is having the audience promise that if they don’t like something or question something, they will speak up. We explain that this is what the session is for, this is why you’re here, etc. for you experience and to help us be efficient, productive, etc.
In short, explaining that we believe everyone is valuable and to speak up. That way it empowers them rather than forcing a requirement. Likewise, we do use the tools of breakouts, mural, chat, raise hand, reactions, and annotate as previously provided by others depending on size of the meeting.
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Ann Comer-Woods
29
02/12/21 at 5:31PM UTC
Depending on the topic of the brainstorming session, it can be hard for people to start a discussion with a blank slate. It’s easier for people to react to some specific examples of the issue and then expand into more creative solutions/ideas. This hold true in both virtual and in-person meetings.
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Elizabeth Ragone
66
Direct to Consumer Leader
02/12/21 at 8:24PM UTC
Lots of great ideas here. I vote for: prep in advance assignments! Give out topics/questions/idea starters for each group and ask that they nominate a speaker to discuss when their turn. Once someone has actually spoken on the video call, it appears to become much easier for them to speak again with questions or comments when it's someone else's turn.
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Jessica Christy
76
New Law Firm Owner
02/12/21 at 8:28PM UTC
One strategy I use is to ask a question, but say I want to hear from someone who has not yet spoken. Depending on the context, if I can see someone is engaged, but hasn't spoken, I will check-in and see how they're feeling about the discussion (if I know they're an introvert, I try to check-in privately)
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Aleisha Coughlin
29
02/12/21 at 10:07PM UTC
My team and I share a OneNote and we all post our topics we want to discuss. We can also start separate threads if some ideas don't get discussed in that meeting.
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Georgene Huang
2.89k
CEO & Co-founder of Fairygodboss
02/13/21 at 12:41AM UTC
The last time I needed to ensure everyone had a voice, I actually shared material in advance and asked everyone to come with one idea or suggestion on the topic, explaining that everyone would be expected to say something. That way, nobody was surprised and people had a chance to prepare . It took longer but ensured everyone had air time (it was 12 people over a long session so I can see that at a certain size group, it becomes trickier).
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Eva Steortz
82
Disney Executive Turned Executive Coach
02/13/21 at 1:05AM UTC
A lot of the best ideas come from more quiet people not comfortable in the traditional brain storming forum. I like a technique called "Brain Writing" which is basically you give everyone the opportunity to prep before and write down their thought starters. You can collect all the ideas this way and the more vocal people can share theirs and others can build upon them. This way everyone has a chance to be included and trust me there will be some gems in what is submitted.
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Lady anon756
58
02/13/21 at 1:34AM UTC
I am more introverted and almost always put my ideas in the chat stream. I also will frequently ping a more extroverted person in the call and ask them if they could +1 my comment or maybe say it out loud for me.
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Krista Pasfield
42
Director of Operations & Corporate Secretary
02/13/21 at 3:20AM UTC
I completely agree with using the "raise hand" feature. The meeting facilitator can see who wants to jump in and can call on people, just like being back in school :-)
Also, I recommend well-timed pauses. Not endless, but giving folks a moment to digest what was just said can help. Humans tend to dislike silence in conversation, and it's likely someone will jump in to fill the void. If not, you're assured everyone has had their say and you can move on.
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K.
88
02/13/21 at 2:25PM UTC
This is a good question and shows you as an inclusive leader. I suggest allowing as much time as possible, days ahead of the meeting, for participants to gather their thoughts and prepare them. Maybe send out an agenda. For example, Some are introverted and like to prepare before speaking up and they have Amazing ideas!
My suggestion is focus on what others needs and their strengths in order to get the most from them.
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MARNE PLATT
1.02k
Veterinarian, Corporate Exec & Realist
02/14/21 at 8:18AM UTC
Great topic and I love the ideas. I also try to speak before the meeting 1:1 with the people I know are less likely to be comfortable speaking up in the larger group. Then I can call on them in the meeting by saying 'Janine, you mentioned something important to me when we spoke yesterday. Would you mind repeating it for the group?' That smooths the way for them, and it's a simple means of advocacy.
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Tabitha Ashura
92
Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives
02/17/21 at 5:04PM UTC
I just want to thank everyone for these great ideas! Many are things I already do (always nice to hear when you're on the right track), but some were brand new to me (and I'm excited to give them a try). Really appreciate everyone chiming in!
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