Sharing talk-time with Circle Meetings

Here we go again, your talkative team have a new idea, and everyone (well almost everyone) seems pretty excited. You have a small concern, but you can’t find the right time to raise it, and you’d hate to spoil the party…

Research from Harvard, Google and MiT shows the importance of sharing talk-time.

Complex problems need multiple perspectives; even those (especially those!) of less confident speakers. So how can we help everyone feel safe enough to speak up?

Meetings are one of the biggest causes of workplace frustration and Circle Meetings are such a simple way to fix this! You’ll also practice listening and sharing talk-time; here’s how ⬇️

Before you meet:

1. Define the purpose of the meeting. This can be a discussion topic, a goal, or specific question to be answered (here’s some ideas)

2. Agree some basic ground rules so people feel comfortable

3. Agree a facilitator, at least for the first few times

During the meeting, the facilitator will help you:

Talk in alphabetical order. When you finish speaking, ask the next person: ‘What do you think?’

Pass, pause or participate. When it’s your turn you can pass if you’d rather listen first; pause to have a think before speaking or passing; or participate by giving your view on the topic.

⭐ Facilitator tips ⭐

Some people will find it hard to wait their turn, so you might need to gently remind them to wait. Posting ordered names in the chat will help.

It’s great if the discussion ends when everyone chooses to pass. If you run out of time, there’s probably more to be said, so make time to revisit.

Introduction to Circle Meetings + a real live demo featuring Mark Eddleston and the Team from Butter

What you might notice:

🐭 🦔 Different voices: You’ll hear less from the usual suspects and more from the quieter voices: their contributions may surprise you!

👂 🧡 Listening and vulnerability: When we talk less, we often pay more attention to our ears and hearts

😕 😖 Frustration and other feelings: Listening without responding will be hard for some people, and that’s ok; practice makes perfect

🎉 🎉 No interruptions whoop!!!

Over to you!

Try a Circle Meeting in your team, and let us know how it goes. If you’re still nervous, come say hi at Reinventing Work, we 💖 to practice!