How To Silence The Over-Talkers In Meetings

If you’ve been in organizational life for longer than a week, you’ve probably been dragged into a meeting…a meeting with an over-talker. 

You know the type. Over-talkers are colleagues who feel compelled to comment on each point—sometimes talking over others to express it. 

They’re the ones who ask “questions” that are actually just rambling declarations of opinion that end with a “So what are your thoughts on that?”

The Problem with Over-Talkers

The big problem with over-talkers, besides the time wasted, is the effect over-talkers have on others in the room. Quieter, more introverted, and often lower “status” members of the organization who are in on the meeting don’t get the opportunity to offer their comments—and so we end up making a decision or even assuming consensus when not every perspective has been considered.

One loud person asserts themselves in every situation when you really need to hear multiple voices.

Short of a total personality overhaul, it’s hard to silence an over-talker permanently, but there are some things you can do in the meeting to lessen the opportunities they have to butt in. My favorite:

Pair-and-Share

When it comes to discussion points in the meeting, pair people up. There is no need to overthink it; just have them pair up with the person next to them and share their thoughts with their new partner. But when it comes time to bring those paired conversations into the larger room, ask each person to share their partners’ ideas instead of their own.

Beyond summarizing their partner’s ideas (saving us a lot of time compared to hearing the over-talker’s entire diatribe), this method also allows the sharer to add their perspective to their partner’s ideas, so more perspectives are shared automatically. 

Sometimes, the over-talker may still be tempted to add his comments (let’s be honest…it’s usually a “his”). However, the facilitator can simply remind everyone that their turn to share will come soon when they share their partners’ ideas. 

Over time, the tone of the meeting changes, and you may even find the over-talkers using their unquenchable desire to speak to add ideas to their partner’s comments…not their own.

Like verbal judo, the over-talker’s weight gets added to the under-sharer’s opinions and the whole room benefits from more perspectives.

Pair, share, and then promote each other’s ideas.

The Hidden Cost of Over-Talkers 

Over-talkers seem like enthusiastic participants in the broad picture, but they are constantly interrupting a conversation, leaving little room for others to share their perspectives. 

Unfortunately, that also wastes time and stifles creativity and innovation as the over-talkers tune out multiple voices we need to hear if we want to explore a problem from different angles.

It’s like one person is monopolizing the entire conversation, and you are missing out on valuable insights that other quieter participants have to offer.

This can mean poor decision-making or incomplete understanding. It also leads to low productivity in the meeting, leaving us less time to address the issues. Sometimes, this frustration of being unable to speak or given a chance to speak leads to disengagement, undermining the effectiveness of the meeting.

How to Manage Over Talkers: Introduce a Facilitator

The facilitator is one of the best ways to manage over-talkers. They can ensure the meeting stays balanced and that all participants are equally involved. This helps keep the meeting on track and creates an environment where everyone is heard.

However, for this to work, you must set clear expectations right at the beginning of the meeting.

These expectations can include limiting the time each participant speaks or asking the facilitator to intervene when the over-talker dominates the conversation, reminding them of their time and encouraging others to contribute. 

The facilitator may also ask the over-talker to summarize their points in a sentence or two to maintain the flow of the meeting (while also letting them speak.)

Leverage Technology to Balance Conversations

Technology can also play a key role in managing a conversation in a meeting. We are also talking about virtual meetings, which have been quite popular since Covid-19.

Today, we have tools like chat functions, collaborative documents, virtual polls, and others that encourage participation and give everyone a voice in the meeting. 

Through these tools, getting input from everyone is easier, which helps minimize excessive talk and time waste.

Everyone has a chance to contribute without any need for interruptions or verbal instructions. Moreover, we allow participants to contribute their thoughts in real-time when we use tools like Google Documents and shared whiteboards. 

Hence, everyone has an equal opportunity to express their ideas and cannot dominate the conversation.

Wrap Up

Dealing with over-talkers is a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be, or at least it should not affect productivity or input. 

Using strategies like pair-and-share, empowering facilitators, or setting clear meeting goals, you can create a positive environment where all voices are heard and equally respected. 

Remember, we do not need to silence the over-talker; instead, we should allow everyone to contribute.