Don’t let the best ideas in the room go unsaid
Picture the last meeting you attended. What happened? A handful of prominent personalities probably dominated the conversation. Maybe the talkers were even funny and told great stories. These folks are always welcome at a party because they bring great energy. These extroverted team members also love it because they get to be the center of attention with all eyes on them.
Even the introverted team members might welcome the distraction because they’re reluctant to speak out and draw attention to themselves.
So, everyone is happy, right?
If you’re trying to maximize your collective team’s effectiveness, having just a few voices dominate is likely not in your best interest. As a leader, your goal should be to ensure that every voice at the table is heard and valued.
A simple meeting rule you can adopt to help ensure this happens is that nobody gets to speak twice until everyone has spoken once.
An Invitation to Speak
As I noted earlier, not everyone is comfortable speaking out in meetings—especially those who are more introverted. These individuals would rather stick their noses in their phones or laptops, waiting for the meeting to end, as their extroverted colleagues consume all the oxygen in the room.
There are better ways to run a meeting, especially when your goal is to tap into the wisdom of your collective team. However, the challenge will always be that the quietest individuals must be invited to speak—they’ll rarely do so on their own—but their contributions are often the most insightful.
That’s why implementing the rule that everyone gets the opportunity to weigh in once before others speak creates the conditions for even your quietest team member to share their questions or insights.
You can imagine the scenario where Bob, the head of sales, likes to dominate every meeting. He’s confident, has a loud, booming voice, and loves to hear himself talk. Maria from accounting, on the other hand, rarely offers any opinions during team meetings.
However, with our “everyone speaks once” rule, Bob must keep quiet until everyone—including Maria—has had the chance to share.
Changing Team Dynamics
One of the interesting dynamics I’ve observed from implementing this rule in companies is that extroverts, like Bob, start advocating for introverts, like Maria, to speak up early—often for selfish reasons. That’s because the sooner Maria weighs in, the sooner Bob gets to speak again.
While this can create a healthy balance within the collective team, leaders must ensure the rule isn’t treated as a formality. If Bob cuts Maria off after she says just two words, that’s a violation you need to call out. The goal is to give everyone the full airtime they need before someone else jumps in.
Interestingly, this rule has its roots in the Bible, as does the mantra that we all have two ears and one mouth and should use them in that same proportion. If Bob isn’t truly listening to what Maria says—just waiting for her to finish so he can talk again—you’ve missed an opportunity. What if Maria just offered up a golden nugget the collective team has been searching for, but nobody was paying close enough attention to recognize it?
That’s why everyone should pause, listen carefully, and digest what each person says before jumping in with their own take.
The Power of the Collective
Ultimately, if you believe in the power of a collective team—that we are all smarter together—adopting the rule that no one speaks twice until everyone speaks once is a simple but powerful way to get the best ideas on the table in every meeting.
Encouraging equal participation builds a stronger collective team culture, where diverse perspectives drive innovation, trust, and better decision-making. When everyone has a voice, your team doesn’t just communicate—it collaborates, grows, and thrives together.
