5 ways of making meetings more inclusive

Have you ever come across employees who stare at their phones, or who are bored in meetings? Or others who never speak up? But as a leader, you should know that there are concrete solutions to make your meetings more collaborative and productive. “While employee diversity brings many benefits to companies, it is also a huge challenge for them to manage”, reminds professional coach and trainer Joanna Menezes, who hosted this webinar on the subject of inclusive meetings.

There is no diversity without inclusion

“Inclusion remains the key to success, i.e. creating the conditions for everyone to feel welcomed, respected, supported and valued,” she explains. And that means creating a work environment that is conducive to everyone's psychological safety, as well as more inclusive meetings.

What exactly do we mean by that? “Meetings in which everyone's contributions are valued and everyone feels safe from judgment, for example,” answers Joanna Menezes. Unfortunately, this kind of ideal meeting is still far from reality. According to a Harvard Business Review study conducted at a major global bank, only 35% of employees say they feel comfortable contributing regularly to meetings. Introverts, remote workers and women are often among them.

The importance of inclusion in meetings.

Implementing more inclusive meetings, where all ideas are heard, has many benefits for the company:

Greater capacity for creativity and innovation
Improved problem-solving and decision-making
Improved communication and collaboration
Increased commitment and retention
Employee well-being and team cohesion