Voices at the table

• Choose accessible meeting rooms depending on the needs of participants.
  Consider accommodations such as step-free access, working lifts, flexible seating arrangements and adaptive lighting. Thinking ahead about physical access ensures that everyone can participate comfortably.

   

• Share all materials in advance in accessible digital formats.
  Distribute documents, slides and other materials in advance so participants can review them using assistive technologies like screen readers, magnifiers or speech-to-text software:
  • Readable text documents: Provide Word or PDF files that are properly tagged with headings and alt text so screen readers can interpret them. Avoid scanned, image-only PDFs. Word documents are often better because they’re more easily adjustable to fit formatting needs.
  • Accessible presentation slides: Use high-contrast colours, large and readable fonts, and slide titles. Ensure images have alternative text descriptions.
  • Structured spreadsheets: Add clear row and column headers, and avoid merged cells that confuse screen readers.
  • Captions and transcripts: Include captions for video clips and provide transcripts for audio content.
• Use accessibility checkers to check documents. 
  Programmes such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint have built-in accessibility checkers. In Word, go to the ‘Review’ tab and click ‘Check Accessibility’ or go to File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Accessibility. This will show you how to improve the accessibility of your document.
• Use heading styles instead of bold text to indicate different sections.
  Headings created through formatting styles allow screen reading software to navigate documents accurately.
• Make sure the technology used during the meeting works for everyone.
  Check that meeting platforms are compatible with screen readering software and other assistive tools, and enable live captions for hybrid or online meetings. Small technical adjustments can make a big difference in helping everyone participate equally.
• Ask about accessibility needs early.
  When planning a meeting, invite participants to share any specific accommodation requests. Include this in invitations or registration forms, providing a contact person and a deadline for requests to ensure you have enough time to arrange them. Even small accommodations can make people feel welcome (e.g. adjusting the lighting in a room or providing snacks that meet dietary restrictions). You can also follow up individually to see if the accommodations met the participant’s needs.
• Consider participants’ health when scheduling meetings.
  Be mindful that some colleagues may have health conditions or treatment schedules that affect their availability at certain times of day.
• Offer remote participation as a standard option. 
  This allows anyone who needs to to join without barriers, for instance, if they have a chronic illness, injury, mobility challenges or caring responsibilities. 

• Share materials in advance.
  Provide the agenda, documents, and presentations ahead of time in clear, digitally accessible formats. This allows participants to prepare, process information at their own pace, and contribute more effectively.
• Keep meetings structured and focused.
  Indicate goals, time limits and transitions between topics. Structure helps participants to follow along and reduces cognitive overload.
• Offer choices for how to contribute.
  Encourage input in different forms, such as verbally, in writing (through shared documents or Teams chat), or after the meeting. Flexibility helps everyone find a comfortable way to share ideas.
• Limit sensory overload.
  Reduce background noise, avoid overlapping conversations, and keep visuals clean and easy to read. Use uncluttered slides with strong colour contrast between text and background to help all participants stay engaged.
• Use small-group discussion in larger meetings.  
  Dividing into smaller groups can help to draw out quieter voices and give more space to dive into details.
• Include short breaks.
  Offer breaks in longer meetings and brief pauses between topics. This helps prevent mental fatigue and gives participants time to reset and refocus.
• Track participation balance.
  Assign someone to keep an eye on who is speaking and how often. They can gently invite quieter participants to share, either during the meeting (if participants are comfortable with this) or afterward.
• Assign someone to keep minutes.  
  Knowing they don’t have to remember everything that was said can help participants focus on the discussion.
• Support movement and focus aids.
  Movement like stretching or fidgeting, and quiet activities like doodling, crocheting or using certain apps on the phone, can help some colleagues (such as those with neurodivergence) concentrate during a meeting. Normalise these behaviours by mentioning that such strategies can support focus. This helps participants to feel comfortable using them and helps others understand the purpose behind these actions.

• Avoid jargon and explain specialist terms.
  Not everyone knows acronyms or technical language from another field. Use clear explanations and concrete examples to make sure colleagues from different areas of expertise can follow along and contribute. If a technical explanation is needed, briefly restate the idea in plain language and invite questions.
• Balance contributions between junior and senior colleagues or academic and support staff.
  Assign a discussion moderator in the meeting who can balance contributions across different groups of colleagues. This helps counter the natural power dynamics that can give more weight to certain types of expertise. It can ensure that participants with all types of expertise are heard, whether it’s insights from junior staff who are closer to the student experience, fresh approaches from newer colleagues, or the practical knowledge of support staff who know how decisions often play out in practice.
• Rotate facilitation roles.
  Share chairing/moderating and minute-taking across professors, PhD candidates and professional staff to bring out different perspectives and diversify styles.
• Invite cross-disciplinary examples.
  Encourage participants to illustrate points with examples from their own field, then connect these back to the broader discussion. This makes specialist insights more relatable and sparks creative thinking across disciplines.
• Acknowledge all types of expertise explicitly. 
  Take time to recognise the value of different areas of expertise in the discussion at hand, whether that is research knowledge, teaching practice, practical knowledge or lived experience. Doing so shows that decisions are strengthened by a full spectrum of contributions and encourages colleagues from the different areas to participate.

• Respect national, cultural and religious calendars when planning meetings.
  Avoid scheduling important meetings or deadlines on major national, religious or cultural holidays so colleagues are not excluded by timing. You can find many of these in the Diversity Equity Inclusivity+ Academic Calendar.  
• Acknowledge different communication styles.
  Some colleagues may be used to more direct ways of speaking, while others may prefer a more indirect or deferential style. A discussion moderator can help bridge these differences by making sure that both direct and more reserved contributions are treated with equal weight.
• Be mindful of cultural and ethnic references. 
  References to local sayings, sports, TV shows or humour or stereotypes might not be familiar to everyone, and some may carry unintentional cultural or ethnic bias. When using such references, explain them clearly and avoid assumptions that could exclude or alienate..
• Encourage curiosity. When appropriate, invite colleagues to share perspectives shaped by their background, but without making them feel like representatives of their entire community.
• Use inclusive examples.
  Avoid drawing only from one cultural, ethnic or national context when illustrating a point. For example, if discussing case studies in a faculty meeting, include examples from multiple countries or communities so that diverse perspectives feel represented and valued.

• Use clear language.
  Speak in plain English or Dutch (or dialect only if everyone understands it), and avoid idioms or local slang that colleagues with a different native language might not know.
• Speak clearly and at a steady pace.
  This helps non-native speakers follow the discussion and actively take part actively.
• Share written summaries.
  After the meeting, send a short overview of the key decisions and next steps so everyone can review the information afterward.
• Encourage clarification.
  Invite colleagues to ask each other to rephrase or slow down if something isn’t clear.
• Offer the option to contribute in writing.
  Not everyone feels confident speaking in another language. Allowing written contributions gives everyone a chance to share ideas in a way that suits them.
• Moderate the pace of the discussion.
  Have the chair or a separate moderator monitor the pace of the conversation and step in if too many people are speaking at once. A pace that’s too fast can make it difficult for non-native speakers to follow the discussion, so aim for a rhythm that allows everyone to stay engaged and contribute.
• Agree on the language for official documents.
  Decide in advance which language minutes and other official documents will be written in, and indicate when translations have been automatically generated.
• Be mindful of how you respond to non-native speakers. 
  Avoid patronising, correcting or joking about someone’s language use. Speaking in a non-native language takes effort and courage, whether it’s Dutch colleagues speaking English or international colleagues speaking Dutch. Focus on the ideas being shared rather than how they are expressed.

• Facilitate the balance in speaking time so women, men and gender-diverse colleagues are equally heard.
  Assign a discussion moderator to course correct if one gender group dominates the conversation.
• Rotate meeting tasks (chairing/moderating, minute-taking).
  Avoid reinforcing stereotypes by always asking women or junior colleagues to take notes. Share responsibilities equitably by rotating roles like chair, moderator and minute-taker across all genders.
• Intervene if someone is interrupted or sidelined.
  Step in when someone is cut off by saying something like, “Let’s hear them finish their point.” This reinforces respect and ensures contributions aren’t dismissed.
• Use inclusive language. 
  Small changes in everyday speech make meetings more welcoming. Using language like 'colleagues' instead of 'ladies and gentlemen' or referring to a 'partner/spouse' instead of 'husband/wife' is more inclusive. View the gender-inclusive language guide.
• Respect privacy.
  Never share another person's personal information without permission or pressure colleagues to disclose more than they feel comfortable with.
• Respect and use colleagues’ pronouns.
  • Pay attention to colleagues' pronouns and use them correctly. When doing an introductory round, everyone can be asked to share their pronouns along with their name.
  • If someone uses they/them pronouns, ensure this is reflected correctly in meeting notes and in how they are addressed.
  • Address people who accidentally misgender colleagues with respect and gently correct them without shaming them.
  • Consider sharing your own pronouns in digital communications, such as your email address, so others feel comfortable sharing theirs: View the guide on using gender pronouns in digital communication.

To avoid tokenism in meetings, do not place the burden of representing an entire group on a single colleague. One person’s experience cannot stand for the views of all women, international students, disabled staff or any other community. Instead, acknowledge their perspective as valuable but individual, and seek additional input through broader consultation, surveys, or follow-up discussions with others from the same community.

• Don’t single someone out.
  Avoid turning to 'the only woman', 'the one international colleague' or 'the colleague with a different skin colour' and asking them to speak on behalf of their group.
• Frame input as personal, not representative.
  When colleagues from underrepresented groups share, acknowledge their contribution as their own perspective, not a summary of their entire community.
• Widen consultation outside the meeting.
  Gather input from multiple people through contacting representative organisations, conducting surveys or informal check-ins, so no one person carries the burden of representation. See the page 'Getting involved' for examples of representative groups at UM
• Use data and evidence alongside lived experience.
  Back up individual perspectives with data, surveys or research findings. This prevents over-relying on one voice.
• Build diversity into the group itself.
  Especially when a meeting is about a topic that affects a specific group, invite multiple representatives from that group when possible so perspectives are not isolated.
• Provide options for when and how to contribute.
  Provide multiple input channels (written comments, anonymous forms, breakout discussions) so colleagues don’t feel pressured to be ‘the voice of...’ in front of the whole group.
• Recognise and value intersectionality.
  Acknowledge that people carry more than one identity (e.g. a junior staff member who is also neurodivergent and international). Avoid simplifying their input to just one label.