How to Avoid Domination of Colleagues at Work
There are numerous obstacles in the workplace to actually getting things done, and some of the biggest and most difficult obstacles can be the people you work with. Employees or colleagues who routinely dominate conversations, meetings and project efforts because they are the loudest or the most talkative person in the room can derail a department's productivity. Dealing with them effectively and professionally takes some skill.
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Instructions
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Use humor to deal with colleagues who dominate conversations and meetings. Many co-workers are overly talkative or domineering when sounding off in public forums. Crack a joke to take control of the conversation again, then direct it to another individual in the group.
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Speak bluntly with colleagues who dominate other team members by arguing with them or criticizing them in a nonconstructive manner. Feedback and constructive criticism are good; demoralizing employees and co-workers is not. Take the person aside and explain how their approach to criticism isn't just rude and dominating, it is hurting the overall goals of the team or department.
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Use alternative presentation methods to counteract employees that try to dominate meetings. Have all employees present write down their thoughts on a topic, and then read them yourself. Or, when an employee speaks, tell them to make their point in 30 seconds or less.
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Plan for dominating employees in advance. If you're running a meeting with an employee known for her overbearing manner, arrange the seating to keep your back to her for the meeting. Have frank responses planned for interruptions; if a dominating employee goes off topic, simply say "I'm not here to talk about that right now," and move on to the meeting's topic.
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Involve others in counteracting dominating co-workers. If someone is hijacking a conversation, turn to the group or an individual, and ask them to challenge the dominating employee's point. Not only will the offending co-worker get the point, employees who are normally quiet will have an opportunity to speak.
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