Making the most impact by saying nothing
How many times have you sat in a meeting room, surrounded by voices — all competing to sound the most intelligent, say the most things, and be the most important? The purpose of the meeting is long thrown out of the window, and it’s purely a case of who’s opinion wins out.
I used to think that was how things were done, and that’s how you progress. More often than not, it was the more senior members of the org that spoke out the loudest and seemed to hold more sway over the room. As a junior, you naturally assume they must know what they’re talking about — even if internally you’re either checked out or wondering wtf any of it has to do with the project.
Genuinely good ideas can be hard to catch when the conversation moves on to the next so quickly.
So much so, that trying to find an opportunity to share your ideas or even building the confidence to propose a direction is the main challenge in the room. That’s the game, play it or fail.
Be loud, be heard. It’s a game that shapes how you value your ability and how a lot of people still see it as best practice.
I often use a bell curve to describe different creative learnings, and this is no different. You gradually build confidence and seniority, and find your voice. People turn to you and sometimes even listen. Except, at some point, you realised that you’re not adding anything to the discussion — you’re just adding more fuel to the bullshit fire.
Taking the time to assess all the points made, and discard all the nonsense helps shape a holistic narrative of the direction to take. It is easier to say than to do, but it turns out that sitting back and listening can be the most impactful thing you can do. Especially when leading teams.
I’ve often found that waiting until the right time and then sharing a concise summary of the points made with a clear path forward can completely change the tone of a meeting. It either wraps the session there and then, or it pushes others to sit back and take a second to consider each other’s perspectives.
Listen to everyone in the room, give each voice fair consideration, and acknowledge the value they all bring. Individually and as a whole.
You can agree, disagree, or tangent off in a different direction. But, holding together all the disparate threads and unifying them is incredibly powerful. Saying nothing can bring a team together.
There’s a quiet confidence in knowing you don’t need to shout the loudest to say the most. Everyone can be so focused on how they appear in the room that it doesn’t matter what you say or do if you’re playing the same game.
It takes time and practice to articulate an idea in a way that’s both succinct and impactful. There’s a risk of missing nuance from other’s points or ideas. In addition — it's important to note that the listening approach is not about simply taking other people’s ideas and passing them off as your own. It’s about celebrating the contributions of a team and adding your flavour to the conversation. When I offer my direction or ideas I expect the same respect from the room regarding listening and adding value — something that can be led by example.
Maybe by sharing this, I’ve played my hand a little, but that’s ok. It was a colleague who pointed out this behaviour before I consciously realised it was a technique. We were discussing the myriad options of how to improve a specific area of product functionality. I had my take, everyone had theirs — but it wasn’t until everyone had a chance to lay out their own subjective and objective opinions that an answer started to take shape.
The reason this works is that people in the room genuinely feel heard. While some may want to hear their voice, most of the time there are people in the room who honestly want to make a difference and help steer a project in the right direction. Isolating that and empowering those who make great points is invaluable.
A junior’s ideas are just as relevant as anyone else’s. If you’re in a meeting/brainstorming/whatever, you are on an equal footing and therefore have the same rights to create as anyone else.
As a creative director, my job isn't to be the only person in a room qualified to come up with concepts — it’s to help guide the team into curating the best possible outcome to a problem. Whether that’s refining ideas, or simply playing a game of ‘yes and…’ to see where you end up.
Giving the room space to breathe is the most effective way to ensure you can hit home in the right direction. Creativity is being able to pick up the signal from noise and translate that into ideas.
Sometimes just listening is the best way to say something.
