Address exclusion in meetings by reaching out to the organizer and explaining the benefit of your participation.
Deal with over-talkers by privately communicating with them and suggesting strategies like rounding the room for opinions.
Deep dives
Getting left off the invite list for the big meeting
Feeling excluded from important conversations in meetings can be frustrating, but it's often not intentional. The meeting organizer may not be aware of your role, a senior leader may have requested a small attendee list, or your boss might be trying to protect your time. To address this, reach out to the organizer and explain how your participation would benefit the project. If the group needs to stay small, find specific times to attend key decision-making moments. Talk to the leader's assistant or ask your own boss to advocate for your inclusion.
Not getting airtime in meetings
Struggling to have your voice heard in meetings can be challenging, especially when dealing with over-talkers or people who dominate the conversation. Instead of waiting for others to pass the mic, communicate privately with over-talkers and kindly ask for their support in sharing the floor. Speak to the meeting organizer and suggest strategies like rounding the room for opinions or intentionally calling on those who haven't spoken. Alternatively, offer to run the meeting occasionally, creating a structured agenda with allocated speaking slots for everyone.