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Auditing Who Speaks in Meetings

Track for three consecutive meetings: who spoke, for how long, and how often they were interrupted — hidden patterns show in numbers, not impressions.

30 min Intermediate

Goal

Uncover meeting participation imbalances (who dominates, who's interrupted more, who stays consistently silent) through actual measurement, instead of relying on the leader's general impression, which often misjudges who actually talks most.

Steps

1

Ask a neutral person (or quietly time it yourself) to record each person's speaking time in 3 consecutive meetings.

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Expected Outcome

Immediate

You numerically discover meeting speaking distribution is more skewed than you thought, and a specific pattern (a certain category speaking less) recurs.

Evidence base

School: Inclusive Leadership / Organizational Behavior

Founders: Deborah Tannen · Kim Scott (1994)

Based on Deborah Tannen's research on gendered and cultural speaking patterns in meetings ("Talking from 9 to 5", 1994), and Kim Scott's practices in "Radical Candor" (2017) for designing meetings that ensure every voice is equally heard.

Frequently asked questions

How long does "Auditing Who Speaks in Meetings" take?

This exercise takes about 30 minutes, practiced in a group in a Action format.

When will I notice the effect of "Auditing Who Speaks in Meetings"?

You numerically discover meeting speaking distribution is more skewed than you thought, and a specific pattern (a certain category speaking less) recurs. In the short term: Within weeks of applying "everyone first before repeats", the participation rate of previously silent members rises.

Is "Auditing Who Speaks in Meetings" evidence-based?

Yes — it draws on Inclusive Leadership / Organizational Behavior (Deborah Tannen, Kim Scott (1994)). Based on Deborah Tannen's research on gendered and cultural speaking patterns in meetings ("Talking from 9 to 5", 1994), and Kim Scott's practices in "Radical Candor" (2017) for designing meetings that ensure every voice is equally heard.

Is "Auditing Who Speaks in Meetings" suitable for beginners?

Its difficulty level is: Intermediate. No external tools required — it can be practiced directly inside the app.

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