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How to gracefully handle a coworker without making him out to be a fool?
I have a colleague who blurts out unreasonable deliverables on a regular basis during meetings. He kind of speaks before he thinks and then his stance doesn’t really make sense for the rest of the team’s collaboration.
He's genuinely a good person who means well. I don’t want to put him down, but rather give him a chance to flesh out his idea... especially for the sake of team cohesion and morale. Has anyone ever been here? Any ideas on how to go about doing so would be much appreciated!
Anonymous
07/14/20 at 8:04PM UTC
It may also be that he has a disability and really doesn't mean to. Many of us have a hidden disability that effects how we are in meetings and it isn't always easy to mask ab behave like everyone around us.
Devney Ayers
Masters in organization development and change
130
07/14/20 at 10:53PM UTC
I agree! That's totally possible and more likely than someone trying to be rude on purpose. This person probably really wants to contribute and doesn't know how.
Maybe offer to tell your coworker in private that you really like their ideas and you don't want to miss anything, and they could by over looked in the meeting. For meetings, would they be willing to write their ideas down as they think of them and possibly discuss the last 15 min of a meeting or see if they would be willing to do a Google Drive with running list of ideas and then periodically the team can sit down to discuss? This way, your coworker isn't interrupting, and their ideas get the attention to see if they can be brought to fruition. Even if the idea isn't great, I bet it may spark something that can generate a great idea.
Lady PeleRetired Project Manager
3.96k
07/14/20 at 7:55PM UTC
Perhaps over coffee (or I suppose Zoom these days), you can say that you really appreciate his enthusiasm and ideas. Because you don't want them to be overlooked, it might help him to think through his ideas before presenting them.
Something I learned years ago was W.A.I.T. or Why Am I Talking? That helped formulate my thoughts before speaking.
© 2022 Fairygodboss. All rights reserved.