Verbal Cues as Power Plays in Meetings

In my reading about the most effective ways to run meetings, I found this article “Egos at the Table, a Study of Meeting Behaviors”* quite interesting. In particular, the section on the use of verbal cues in meetings rang very true. The researcher findings support my feeling that people often use speech in meetings to get or show power over others. The author T., Oroszi writes:

“When witnessing members’ interactions in meetings, it is easy to identify verbal cues used to acquire power or to denote power. The use of verbal clues in a meeting is an efficacious tool to denote power or powerless. Hijacking is a term for common verbal behaviors related to speaking in meetings: interruption, recovery, monologuing, swerving, and crying. These behaviors redirect attention from the group and target the focus on the person.

Interruption is when a speaker has his or her works or thoughts disturbed. It is powerful because it allows the interrupted speaker to gain control of the conversation and have their thoughts heard instead (Stratford, 1998).

… Raising the voice is a way to generate power in meetings, making it a valuable method to take control of a meeting (Umiker, 1990). When the facilitator of a meeting initiates open-ended questions, a collaborative tone is established and encourages further communication in the meeting.

Monologues can be used as a power play and describe the behavior when a member answers a question, but elaborates on the topic longer than necessary…”

*Oroszi, T. (2020). Egos at the Table, a Study of Meeting Behaviors. Psychology, 11, 636-645. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2020.114043

Managers must be aware of these verbal power plays in meetings. We should identify “the usual suspects” who hijack, interrupt and with the volume of their voice dominate meetings, as well as the tendency of team members to engage in long monologues. By noting colleagues that use verbal clues to dominate meetings, we can better understand the dynamics of our meetings and take steps to curb imbalances in participation.