*Give Everyone a Say in Your Next Staff Meeting* Many people see staff meetings as a waste of time. To make them more useful, try engaging everyone in the room. Don’t allow the usual suspects to dominate the discussion while others remain largely quiet. If you want to hear from everyone: Ask for ideas ahead of time. People will be able to prepare, so they can present their arguments backed up by facts. Don’t let people hog the conversation. Interrupt them nicely: “Excuse me, George, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I want to make sure we have time to hear from everyone.” Give the podium to different participants. Create airtime for quiet team members by giving them a specific slot on the agenda. Ask different people direct questions. “Are we missing something?” “Have we thought this through from all possible angles?” Cold call on people who don't speak up.