Observation
I didn’t realize this was happening until at least halfway through the meeting, and it was too late to change anything. The women all seemed either withdrawn or uninterested in speaking up. Making eye contact, which sometimes works to shift the tide of the conversation didn’t do a thing. I’m not sure what happened.
Maybe they just weren’t that interested in the talk. But there’s no doubt in my mind that the climate and rhythm of the discussion and past discussions played at least some role.
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what’s the gender breakdown of the lab?
I think the ratio in the meeting was about 4:7 women to men.
If you ever get a chance to hear Maureen Walker speak- she applies relational-cultural theory to business models- I highly recommend it. She’s inspiring, and full of ideas about turning traditional “meetings” on their heads in order to give everyone a voice.