You’re talking too much

Early in my career, I got some feedback after a meeting.

They said I was overpowering the conversation. That I should let others talk more.

I am grateful for that feedback. I hadn’t realized how much airtime I was taking up!

So I started paying attention to that more.

How often I was talking.

How often others talked.

And how those compared.

I made it a goal of mine that I would say as little as possible.

But I still wanted to make sure the important things were said.

There are two things that help me do this:

1. Try not to talk first. If someone else can say it, that’s a win in my book. Let silence linger for someone to speak up. I’ll reinforce if absolutely necessary. A good meeting is one when I barely need to speak because my team converses well.

2. Ask questions. It doesn’t need to be a lot, and doesn’t need to be obnoxious. Good questions bring people along a journey in ways a speech just can’t. Bonus, answers tend to be longer than the question :)

Even still, there are many ways I could get better at this.

So remember, you’re talking too much.

How can you make sure others hold more space in the conversation?