Helping Over-Talkers & Under-Talkers Engage Well
How do you stop the over-talkers in your Group, while making space for the under-talkers? This is an essential skill for all Group Leaders to learn, and it isn’t as hard as it sounds.
Remember, you can manage it when someone is talking without having to bring huge attention to anyone. Simply say, “Thank you for sharing, does anyone else have something to share about that?” By doing that, you’ve pushed pause on their oversharing and invited others into the conversation.
After you’ve done that, you can actually enlist the over-talker to help you engage the more quiet people in your Group. Ask them to help create space for the under-talker to share. Getting their help in inviting the other person in can be very helpful.
As the Leader, you might also need to have a private conversation with the under-talker in your Group and ask them to add their voice to the Group. In doing that, you might be able to head off any of the reasons they are not sharing as much. Listen to their reasons, and see if you can help them feel both safe and confident.
As you are paying attention to both over and under talkers, you will find that you are able to make a safe space for everyone in your Group to have a voice.