• An employee who does not listen well to her teammates’ ideas
should be required to take notes as her teammates talk. The employee should then summarize what she thinks their key points
were and verify her understanding of these points with her teammates. The verification step must be done before any different
ideas or challenges can be brought up. Just listening for understanding and checking in with teammates can sometimes slow
down an employee’s tendency to overpower a conversation.

• If one employee monopolizes meeting time, develop a meeting format that does not allow excessive talking. One method is to place
all presentations by teammates first on the agenda, followed by items that are not open for discussion. Announce at the beginning of
the meeting that you will not be stopping for discussion during presentations. All comments or ideas should be held until the end of the meeting. Then allow very little time for discussion at the end. I once was in a group that did not allow anyone to make a second comment until every member had participated at least once. That put pressure on shy people to speak up, but it also stymied loquacious employees who would otherwise have monopolized the conversation.

• In meetings with obnoxious or intimidating folks, walk over and
stand very close to them. Some employees are looking for attention,
and this seems to satisfy this need. Others may simply be made uncomfortable by this closeness and grow quieter. For whatever reasons, close physical proximity of a speaker or manager tends to subdue some obnoxious employees.

• Structure, structure, structure is what some overpowering employees need. For a given period, structure how meetings are held, how ideas are solicited, and other forms of group communication. During presentations, have departmental rules about how many comments can be made by one person and veto interruptions. Providing guidelines may give the overpowering employee the boundaries he is seeking. Be sure to present this as a means for drawing out communication from more employees. If you do not share your reasons, even good employees may find these rules punitive. Use common sense, and if these rules prove to be too restrictive, change your mind. After all, you did not say that you planned to monitor participation forever. However, if the structure works well for most employees, you may want to keep the new format.

Taken From: 201 Ways to Turn Any Employee Into a STAR Performer