3 Tips To Help Your Introverted Team Members Feel Heard

When you're part of a team, you need to make sure you're hearing from everyone in order to get the best, possible results. If you feel like your team meetings are being dominated by the most gregarious and extroverted voices, though, then you might have to take steps to engage teammates who are more introverted. That isn't always easy to do, but these tips should help you get started.

Tip #1: Get To Know These Team Members One-on-One

Introverts, as a rule, don't do quite as well in larger, group-oriented settings where they may feel overwhelmed. This is why, in meetings with everyone, introverts can fade into the background while the more outgoing members of the team do all the talking. To help introverts feel more welcome, you should sit down with them one-on-one. Get to know your team members, and do what you can to make them feel comfortable with you. You'll get a lot more out of them privately than you will at a meeting table.

Tip #2: Embrace Alternative Means of Communication

Introverted team members are often quiet in traditional business situations. However, they have thoughts and input that could be quite valuable. So instead of insisting on more traditional forms of presentation, embrace all the options you have available. From emailing proposals, to group chats, to instant messaging, there are all kinds of ways you can make introverts more comfortable sharing their ideas.

Tip #3: Try To Create A Level Playing Field

When it comes to teams, it's easy to let things become biased. Men sometimes talk over their female teammates, and the same thing happens with extroverts cutting off or never giving introverts time to talk. So be mindful of who is talking the most, and make sure you solicit opinions and thoughts from those who aren't volunteering as much. Also, be sure you thank more introverted team members. Feeling appreciated, and knowing that the effort it took to contribute is valued, is important for getting more team members to speak up more often. These are just a few, simple ways you can help the introverts on your team feel like they're being heard.