{"id":5071,"date":"2025-07-30T05:48:39","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T04:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/?p=5071"},"modified":"2025-08-07T16:02:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T15:02:16","slug":"speak-up-more-isnt-helpful-rethinking-feedback-for-neurodivergent-and-introverted-teammates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/news\/speak-up-more-isnt-helpful-rethinking-feedback-for-neurodivergent-and-introverted-teammates\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cSpeak Up More\u201d Isn\u2019t Helpful: Rethinking Feedback for Neurodivergent and Introverted Teammates"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou need to speak up more in meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a well-worn piece of workplace feedback &#8211; meant to encourage visibility, confidence, and engagement. But for neurodivergent thinkers and introverts, it often feels more like criticism than care. And worse, it misses the point entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At its heart, this feedback assumes that <em>verbal participation = value<\/em>. It favours the loudest voices and equates quantity with impact. But in the rush to increase airtime, we risk sidelining thoughtful contributions, alienating quieter teammates, and filling meetings with noise instead of nuance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-speak-up-more-lands-poorly-0\">Why \u201cSpeak Up More\u201d Lands Poorly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For neurodivergent individuals, verbal communication in group settings can be cognitively taxing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-list-halo-bullet\">\n<li>Some need more time to process and formulate thoughts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Others may struggle with rapid-fire verbal exchanges or sensory overwhelm<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rejection sensitivity can make even well-meaning feedback feel like deep personal critique<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Introverts often prefer reflection to reaction. Many excel in written communication, one-on-one conversations, or post-meeting follow-ups &#8211; but struggle with live group performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s not that we have nothing to say. It\u2019s that the format isn\u2019t built for how we think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-happens-when-this-feedback-is-taken-literally-1\">What Happens When This Feedback Is Taken Literally<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Urging someone to \u201cspeak up more\u201d without context can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-list-halo-bullet\">\n<li>Encourage speaking for the sake of speaking &#8211; leading to off-the-cuff, unprocessed comments<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add pressure that leads to performative rather than purposeful contributions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create frustration among teammates, who experience increased noise but not improved dialogue<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Quantity isn\u2019t the goal. Quality is. And forcing speech that hasn\u2019t had time to form doesn\u2019t foster psychological safety &#8211; it undermines it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-inclusive-feedback-sounds-like-instead-2\">What Inclusive Feedback Sounds Like Instead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your intention is to encourage engagement or amplify a quieter voice, try these alternatives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cI really value your insights &#8211; how can we make meetings more comfortable for you to contribute?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWould async input or a written summary help you share your thoughts more easily?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cYou often share great ideas outside of meetings. Is there a way we can bring those into the broader group\u2019s view?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These approaches focus on outcomes, not style &#8211; and shift from <em>pressure to perform<\/em> to <em>permission to contribute meaningfully<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"building-meetings-that-include-all-communication-styles-3\">Building Meetings That Include All Communication Styles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feedback about meeting participation should come with a commitment to redesigning the space. Consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-list-halo-bullet\">\n<li>Silent brainstorming before discussion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Meeting recordings or transcripts for asynchronous processing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Facilitators who invite input in multiple ways &#8211; chat, virtual whiteboards, follow-up docs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Norms that value listening as much as speaking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inclusive meetings aren\u2019t measured by how many people talk &#8211; they\u2019re measured by how many feel heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-takeaway-for-leaders-and-teammates-4\">The Takeaway for Leaders and Teammates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of asking teammates to change how they communicate, ask: <strong>How can we create environments where all forms of thinking and expression are valued?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking up should be an option &#8211; not an expectation. Contribution comes in many forms, and leadership means knowing the difference between <em>volume<\/em> and <em>value<\/em>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cYou need to speak up more in meetings.\u201d It\u2019s a well-worn piece of workplace feedback &#8211; meant to encourage visibility, confidence, and engagement. But for neurodivergent thinkers and introverts, it often feels more like criticism than care. And worse, it misses the point entirely. At its heart, this feedback assumes that verbal participation = value. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5074,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"\u201cSpeak Up More\u201d Isn\u2019t Helpful: Rethinking Feedback for Neurodivergent and Introverted Teammates - humans of code","description":"\u201cYou need to speak up more in meetings.\u201d It\u2019s a well-worn piece of workplace feedback - meant to encourage visibility, confidence, and engagement. But for neuro"},"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,49,3,7,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inclusion","category-leadership","category-news","category-personal-development","category-wellbeing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5071"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5083,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5071\/revisions\/5083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}