𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Micah* grew up in Le Mars, a small town in western Iowa. He preferred the quiet of the local library to the bustle of school activities and would normally read two or three books a week. Early on, he discovered a knack for problem-solving. During high school, he spent countless hours fixing home appliances and farm equipment and even reorganized the library as a summer job. In college, he double-majored in engineering and sociology, fascinated by how to better structure group work. (Years later, he realized this had been an unconscious effort to minimize time around others, although that desire would eventually evolve.)

After college, Micah launched a startup focused on workflow automation. His introverted nature made him thoughtful and methodical, yet he felt drained by regular meetings with the team and consultants about product development, sales, marketing, and fundraising.

As Micah's company grew from three people to fifteen, meetings became more frequent. What started as quick check-ins ballooned into sprawling sessions that left him exhausted and frustrated. He observed that the team's creative engineers, many of them introverts like himself, rarely spoke up. The meetings remained dominated by a few extroverted voices, and important decisions got lost in the endless discussion, even his own voice, despite being the founder.

The irony wasn't lost on him. He designed a company to improve workflow automation yet struggled with his internal meetings.

Returning to his love of process structure, Micah sought a way to make meetings more effective, inclusive, and less draining for everyone. He surveyed his team anonymously about their group meeting preferences and discussed the topic in his regular one-on-one meetings. The feedback confirmed his suspicions: most people felt meetings were too long, lacked clear purpose, and didn't give quieter team members space to contribute.

Inspired by the feedback and his own experiences, Micah implemented several changes:

• Every meeting now had a clear agenda sent out a day in advance. Also, meetings started on time with explicit goals stated at the outset.

• Team members were encouraged to submit questions or comments in advance, allowing all ideas to be discussed.

• In meetings under five people, each member had to vote if the meeting was necessary. While the vote was "non-binding," there was clear pressure to make it useful.

Within a month, the difference was palpable. Meetings became shorter and more focused. Team members who had previously stayed silent began contributing via written notes or by leading subsequent breakout sessions. The team's productivity improved, with several projects completed ahead of schedule.

Micah himself felt less drained and more energized, able to focus on the deep work he loved. Two months later, a follow-up survey showed that all participants reported improvements in work quality and engagement.

“Meetings are by definition a concession to deficient

organization. For one either meets or one works.”

– Peter Drucker

For many introverted people, including founders, meetings can be one of the worst parts of work. (Extroverts often embrace meetings as chances to think, collaborate, and solve problems so that they may have the opposite view.)

However, despite the wisdom of Peter Drucker, with whom I agree on almost everything else, a growing company needs group meetings to share information effectively.

Well-designed meetings encourage brainstorming, spark insights, and foster innovation. They become valuable and motivating when teams use them to efficiently solve complex problems, explore new directions, and align long-term goals with current projects.

Let's explore how to run effective meetings and make the most of your time together.

More Effective Meetings

I've written and spoken about meeting structure countless times, both from within companies and as an outside consultant. Only recently did I realize my bias as an introvert in developing this structure. I mention this because you may want to review this process with others on your team to ensure it works best for your specific circumstances.

This process aims to optimize meeting time. While it demands more preparation beforehand, greater focus during meetings, and additional follow-up afterward, the productivity gains will far outweigh your investment of effort.

Success depends on having a leader who values everyone's time and is dedicated to business growth and personal respect. This approach maximizes attendee participation.

Here's how to set expectations:

Before Your Meeting

• Define a clear purpose for the meeting. The more specific you are about this, the more productive your time together will be.

• Choose your facilitator thoughtfully. While the most senior leader often facilitates by default, consider a full or partial rotation to see if others have the potential. Also, by running a meeting, other people can appreciate how to best support facilitation.

• Know your audience. Accountants and designers, for example, may prefer different approaches to visualizing and discussing information.

• Share materials in advance—distribute content or presentations two business days ahead and send the agenda at least one business day before.

• Give each attendee a role in the discussion. Make sure everyone has an opportunity to contribute. For those who prefer not to speak up during the meeting, invite them to submit questions beforehand or share recommendations afterward.

• Keep presentations concise. Focus on fewer topics thoroughly rather than covering many superficially. Use visuals to enhance engagement.

• Allow attendees to vote. This idea may seem outrageous, but a confident leader will make it clear why there's a meeting and what should be accomplished. Explain that the vote is "non-binding" in cases where the purpose needs to be revealed only in the meeting or the issue has greater importance than the team currently realizes.

Also, consider how you prepare right before a meeting. I like to look in the mirror and take deep breaths (a quick way to check my appearance while calming my nerves). Others might eat a snack, fix a drink, watch something funny, or read an inspiring quote. The goal is to enter the meeting feeling confident and in control.

During Your Meeting

• Begin the meeting by restating your purpose and intended outcomes.

• Start and end on time, which sets clear expectations and ensures attendees arrive prepared and leave as scheduled.

• Set expectations at the start of a new meeting. Explain that you'll emphasize three key components: collaboration, contribution, and conciseness. The goal is to generate great ideas (not to be "right"), ensure everyone participates, and keep responses brief so all attendees have a chance to speak.

• If you have new attendees, introduce them and invite them to share one fun fact. For recurring meetings, consider having a different team member share both a success story and a challenge each week.

• As the facilitator, guide the discussion while keeping decisions open-ended.

“Your job as a leader is to be right at the end

of the meeting, not at the beginning.”

– David M. Cote

• Assign someone to manage time, either the facilitator or another participant. (Time management is much harder than it seems, so please support them in this role.)

• Designate a note-taker to document and distribute meeting minutes. This role can rotate among team members. Avoid having the facilitator take notes, as they should focus on running the meeting.

• Follow the one-minute rule: keep comments under 60 seconds so everyone has a chance to speak.

• Encourage healthy debate. When a major decision faces no opposition, actively seek potential drawbacks. Consider appointing a devil's advocate to challenge ideas.

• If someone dominates the conversation during the meeting, you can remind the group of your expectations (collaboration, contribution, and conciseness) and the one-minute rule. When necessary, interrupt the speaker respectfully by saying something like, "That's a great point. However, I'd like to hear from others too. Thanks."

“There’s zero correlation between being

the best talker and having the best ideas.”

— Susan Cain

• If tensions run high, redirect the conversation toward problem-solving. Keep comments solution-focused. Reference company values and goals to evaluate ideas or pause the discussion for a fresh start later.

• For major projects, consider creating a smaller task force to manage the work and provide regular updates. This approach maintains momentum and helps introverts participate more effectively.

• Close by reviewing objectives and the next steps. For clear accountability, assign each action item to a single owner and set specific deadlines for progress updates.

If meetings become stale, try changing one element. You can introduce humor and stories, invite guest speakers (such as people from other teams, customers, or board members), or incorporate more visuals and video clips.

Even a small change can make a significant difference.

After Your Meeting

• Every attendee should either contribute value or gain value from the meeting. If that does not happen, determine whether that person should participate more actively next time or be removed from future meetings.

• Recognize participants who made meaningful contributions. Depending on the person's preferences, deliver this acknowledgment either briefly in public or a private message.

• Gather feedback on meeting effectiveness through quick surveys or direct questions. For instance, ask, "What's one way our time could have been used better?"

• Distribute meeting notes and clarify any new ideas. For less engaged participants you'd like to see more involved, send a direct message with specific follow-up questions to encourage future participation.

• Send updates on any immediate action items. Remember that the true value of meetings lies in the follow-through afterward.

When an Extrovert Runs the Meeting

This meeting approach described above assumes that you or another introvert will run the meeting and invest the time and energy needed to achieve significant returns.

Extroverted meeting leaders might be hesitant to implement these suggestions. Just as introverts don't naturally gravitate toward constant social events, some of these ideas may feel unnatural to extroverts. Moreover, since they tend to attend meetings energized, spend time engaged, and leave excited, extroverts might not fully appreciate others' concerns about meeting productivity.

Even if you're running the business, you won't be facilitating every meeting. This section offers guidance on how to effectively work with and influence a more extroverted meeting leader if you're an introvert.

Before Their Meeting

“You have a meeting to make a decision,

not to decide on the question.”

— Bill Gates

• Extroverts may view the meeting as work, irrespective of the outcome and productivity of that meeting.  While it may not be possible to fully shift their perspective to align with Bill Gates’ belief that meetings should drive decisions, you can encourage them to recognize that the most effective meetings combine lively discussion with clearly defined next steps.

• Always try to get an agenda before the meeting. If there is no formal agenda, this question is both powerful and disarming: "What do we hope to get out of our time together?" While it's best to ask this before the meeting, you can also raise it at the start. Often, meeting purposes aren't clear or are understood differently by participants.

• Ask the organizer, "How can I help you prepare for the meeting?" This approach allows you to learn topics in advance and prepare thoroughly, a strength for introverts. You can also help shape the agenda's structure, making the meeting more productive.

• When you know the discussion topics, consider preparing a one-pager, slide, or email outlining your key points. This approach can demonstrate how you contribute outside the actual meeting.

• If the organizer is presenting, offer to review or contribute to it before the meeting. They'll likely appreciate the help, and you can guide the meeting toward productivity.

• To the greatest extent possible, schedule buffers before and after meetings so you can be alone and recharge.

• As mentioned above, consider your pre-meeting routine. I like to look in the mirror and take deep breaths, which lets me check my appearance while calming my nerves. Others prefer a snack, watching something funny, or reading an inspiring quote. The goal is simple: enter the meeting feeling confident.

During Their Meeting

• Some meetings naturally draw you into the discussion, while others may require your attendance without a clear purpose, making you hesitant to speak up. Regardless, try to contribute at least once in every meeting.

• You may feel nervous about potential embarrassment but still want to contribute at least one point during the meeting. When shopping at Macy's the week before Christmas, I deal with crowds by planning exactly where I'm going and what I'm getting and putting up blinders to ignore the hundreds of other shoppers. Similarly, you can laser-focus on one specific topic in the meeting to deliver your point or pose an open-ended question.

• If you're concerned about being disengaged but must attend, consider taking notes during the meeting to share with everyone afterward. At a minimum, note-taking will keep you involved. At best, you'll generate ideas or make new connections to share during or after the meeting.

• If you want to contribute, you may offer, "This sounds interesting. How can I help?" This approach may allow you to work collaboratively and directly with someone or in a small group.

• If the meeting is causing you anxiety or frustration, try this subtle trick: breathe in for one second and out for four seconds. This breathing technique lowers your heart rate without anyone noticing and can be especially helpful before speaking up.

• If you start getting bored, try rapid, shallow breaths for 30-second intervals. This breathing technique will quietly raise your heart rate. 

After Their Meeting

• If you want to keep the discussion moving forward, share meeting notes, organize the next steps, or offer insights from the meeting.

• If you hear an interesting point and want to work on a project or collaborate with someone specifically, set up a one-on-one meeting.

• If you want to stay engaged with the group but are concerned about your participation, approach the leader afterward and ask, "What more can I do to contribute?"

• If you don't find value in the meetings, consider reducing your attendance or skipping future sessions that are unproductive and where your presence isn't essential.

Meetings can be a burden on anyone, particularly introverts. However, it's essential to recognize the valuable strengths that extroverted leaders bring. Their energy, enthusiasm, and ability to spark spontaneous discussions drive creativity and momentum within teams.

The most successful companies harness both the thoughtful preparation of introverts and the dynamic engagement of extroverts. When introverted founders and extroverted colleagues learn to value their different styles and strengths, they can fuel remarkable breakthroughs.

Key Takeaway: Productive meetings require clear purpose, preparation, participation, and actionable follow-up, with flexibility to adapt formats for different personalities and needs.

How Can I Keep Learning? Think about your least favorite meeting and choose one area above to experiment with improving it. After making the change, ask attendees for feedback to ensure the adjustment is effective.

---------------------------------

* Micah’s story is a fictional account inspired by various people and situations I've encountered over the years. It was created to provide another perspective on this topic.

I wrote this post with AI editing. Photo by fauxels.

What if the quietest person in the room is the one that changes the world?

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