[Alicia Davis] So, Stacie, we’ve noticed some dynamics coming up lately in team conversations where some people are not as confident as others in just jumping into the conversation. And we’ve really had to support teams in navigating through this because we are all very different in how we process things and then how we communicate, right?

[Stacie Watson] Absolutely. You know, a couple of weeks ago, we talked about this idea of communicating with confidence and some of the reasons we do competently communicate, and some of the things that might get in the way, and one of the things I think that is really challenging for teams, is sort of the difference in how we all think and process information. And a lot of times, we’re very busy, and we’re trying to jam a lot of things into agendas, and, you know, as teams, whether we’re executive teams, or middle management or any team, we’re trying to do a lot with often not a lot of time. And I think that you know, there are some really simple strategies that we have found that are really helpful for teams who want to make space for folks, you know, approaching information and digesting information and thinking about information differently. Right?

[Alicia Davis] Right. Well, and even like, we can take you and I for an example, right? I’m a very – I’m a little bit of a slower processor – in the sense that I like to take in the information. I like to think it through. I also like to have information ahead of time, it’s really hard for me sometimes, like in the moment to kind of brainstorm or come up or have ideas, you, on the other hand, have a very different style, right?

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, I tend to be more of an in-the-moment processor, right? It’s sort of that internal processing, external processing. And I think that you know, some of the ways that we have found that are helpful is when we are, you know, when we know we have a topic or two we want to talk about, we sort of plan for that, right?

[Alicia Davis] That’s right.

[Stacie Watson] It allows both of us to have time to do any research, or to kind of be ready for the conversation. I think another thing that groups can do, especially if groups are meeting in person, is they can use post-it notes, so folks have an opportunity to reflect or put their thoughts down without having to say them out loud.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. And even in the sessions that we’ve facilitated, it’s also really helpful to sometimes have conversations in smaller groups, like if there’s a large group that you’re, you know, wanting to encourage people to participate in, like, have them break out into smaller groups to get the kind of get the energy going, get the conversation, get the ideas, get the confidence boosted a little bit, and then talking or presenting in the larger group can then sometimes be a little bit easier.

[Stacie Watson] Absolutely. You know, I think that just when we’re participating on teams, it’s really important to celebrate all kinds of diversity. And I think sometimes we focus on skin color, or how people dress, or all of the other things, and they’re all important. I think it’s also really important to recognize the importance of having folks process the way that works for them and making space for that on the team so that you get the value of their insights and input.

[Alicia Davis] That’s exactly right. So, we’ve got a session coming up in our Learning Academy in June in a couple of weeks on how to Communicate with Confidence. That’s something that speaks to you or maybe somebody on your team, and we’d love to have you check it out. Go to academy.tlstransforms.com. And I’m Alicia Davis.

[Stacie Watson] I’m Stacie Watson.

[Alicia Davis] We are executive and leadership coaches at Transformative Leadership Strategies, and thanks for watching. We appreciate you.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you.