There’s a popular saying, “Never assume that Loud is strong and Quiet is weak.” Quiet people eschew the spotlight and are often able to view an issue without their ego blocking their view. But it can take extra effort to get the quiet people to come forward and express themselves.

Humans by nature prefer consensus, which provides reassurance and a sense of belonging. But loud opinions can lead to “false consensus”, which is only designed to drown out dissent.

The role of the meeting leader is to ensure that everyone not only has equal time to speak, but also feels safe to express their true thoughts on an issue. Follow these tips to bring out the best in everyone:

• Let the loudest go last

If you already know who the dominating voices are in the room, you can schedule their comments last. Simply suggesting, “Perhaps we start the debate with another voice this time” is entirely appropriate and hard to argue. Or simply call for an opposing viewpoint. It’s a signal to everyone in the room that they don’t have to accept the prevailing winds of thought.

• Force out first thoughts or feelings

Be prepared to put people on the spot. Instead of allowing the discussion to be dominated by the same person, call on one of the quieter people in the room. Push them for the first thought or feeling that comes to their mind. Anger? Fear? Quiet people are just afraid that their ideas or feelings will get rejected by the group. Acknowledging those feelings teaches them that their feelings and thoughts are as equal as any others.

• Remember Round Robin

If you want to be more discrete in breaking the hold of dominating voices or calling out the quiet thinkers, organize debate around a round robin. But choose carefully where to start. Quiet people at the end of the round robin will need extra effort to stop the wave of consensus. Don’t allow dominators to “pass”, so they can go last and lay waste to other opinions.

• Put pen to paper

A great way to avoid Group Think is to give everyone a minute to jot down their thoughts about a particular proposal. This forces everyone to formulate their ideas free of other interfering voices. The meeting leader can then ask people to read what they wrote or even have them submit their slips of paper, whereby the leader can read them out randomly and discuss.

Never assume that Loud is strong and Quiet is weak. Anonymous