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Interrupt the interrupters
Research finds women get interrupted quite frequently in meetings. People of color get quite frequently interrupted in meetings. And so, one of the ways that we can run more inclusive meetings is to have a “no interruptions rule,” or making sure that people who do interrupt others are interrupted: interrupting the interrupters.
And some of the ways and techniques that we could deploy to interrupt the interrupters are firstly to say, “I don’t think this person was done speaking yet.” Or, “Let her finish.” Or, “I’d really like to hear this important point that this person was making. Or, if you are in a position where you can actually give this person feedback, at that moment perhaps you would say, “You’re interrupting this person. Please let them finish.” There are a variety of ways that we can ensure that someone doesn’t get interrupted before they finish their thoughts.
Amplify others
What amplification is, is to ensure that when a woman of color talks about an idea in a meeting, when she presents an idea in a meeting, it doesn’t get lost and end there. The next person who goes after her makes sure that her idea is amplified. Say, for example, I, Ruchika, started an idea, and I said, “This is my idea for the meeting.” The person after me would say, “That was a great idea by Ruchika, and I’m going to build upon that.” And then the next person will say, “That was a great idea by Elizabeth and Ruchika, and I’m going to build upon that.” And therefore, credit lands squarely where it belongs, a woman’s voice and her ideas aren’t lost as the meeting progresses, as often does happen. Often women’s ideas are either interrupted, or they’re absolutely not even heard. And so, this technique of amplification is a very powerful one.