Feeling overshadowed in virtual discussions?

Mon manager disait souvent : « Ce que vous dites est important, mais encore plus important est la façon dont vous le dites. » Une phrase qui prend tout son sens dans le contexte virtuel. L'intonation, le rythme et le ton de la voix ne sont plus seulement des détails ; ils sont devenus nos principales cartes de visite. Ils véhiculent nos intentions, notre confiance et notre engagement. Que ce soit dans une réunion en ligne ou lors d'une présentation à distance, ne sous-estimez jamais l'impact de votre voix. Cultivez-la, affinez-la et faites-en une alliée dans vos interactions virtuelles. Rappelons-nous : la forme influence la perception. Ce que nous disons compte, mais la façon dont nous le disons a un pouvoir bien plus grand.

Speak Up Early. Try to make your points early in the discussion to ensure your voice is heard before others dominate the conversation.

Be mindful of the audience, if you know their preferred communication styles, using tools like DISC and insights to understand your colleagues better can help when to run things face to face or virtually.

Imagine you're in a virtual team meeting discussing a new project. Speak clearly and confidently when it's your turn to provide updates on your section. Use changes in intonation to emphasize key points, mirroring techniques used by successful online educators who keep students engaged by varying their pitch and speed.

Speaking from a human centered design perspective - cater to individual styles and strengths: Not everyone feels comfortable communicating in the same way and that's ok. Take some time to self reflect to understand your preferred communication style and lean into that. Seeking opportunities to develop your communication skills are great, but don't feel like you have to fully change your style to be like everyone else (i.e. extroverts). Take advantage of different features that are available to you on platforms like MS teams. Use the 'raise hand' feature or utilize the chat. Seek the ongoing support and coaching from a mentor. If you feel comfortable, ping a trusted colleague and ask them to help you break into the conversation.

Use Visual Aids Leverage visuals or share your screen to make your contributions stand out and enhance your points. Sharing your screen helps with engaging the participants to a large extent.

Use visual aids as a way to make things understandable and accessible to all. Overcrowding with lots of texts or hard to read graphics can make it very hard for neurodivergent individuals. Too much text makes it hard to read, listen and process with what is being said.

Using a facilitator can help to ensure that everyone is heard, and that everyone feels safe to contribute in a way they prefer. A skilled facilitator can ask questions that will help clarify, explore and keep the engagement flowing.

Yes, engagement of the peers will happen by asking appropriate questions with the right language using the words being used in the answers/ discussions of previous questions; and sometimes, utilising implied meanings to frame further questions is found really super useful strategy.

Engage Actively Participate actively by asking questions, acknowledging others’ points, and providing constructive feedback. This shows your involvement and can lead to more opportunities to speak.

Listen carefully to what is being said and share your ideas and opinions. It's helpful if you can also draw a thread from other's ideas and opinions too. They feel heard and will.naturqlly listen closer to what you are saying in order to build on your thoughts too.

One thing that I have found important in group coaching is asking effective and appropriate questions (well framed yet very short) at the right time

Engage Actively Participate actively by asking questions, acknowledging others’ points, and providing constructive feedback. This shows your involvement and can lead to more opportunities to speak.

An example I have seen is that using the following elements played a vital role in enhancing post session engagement: - Key learning - Key takeaways - Feedback framed in such a way so as to seek feedback that is always truly constructive in nature

Follow Up If you’re overshadowed during the discussion, follow up with key individuals afterward. You can share your ideas or concerns via email or in a one-on-one conversation.

In regular team discussions, consistently contribute data-driven insights. Over time, your colleagues recognize your analytical expertise, which can be a powerful personal branding strategy like tech influencers are known for their deep dives into gadget reviews, making your input valued and expected.