Creating a Safe Space in Design Thinking Workshops

“You’re invited to join the breakout group.” Sounds polite, right? But for many neurodivergent folks, "invited" still feels like expected. If you're facilitating a workshop or team event and truly want to create an inclusive space, especially for neurodivergent individuals, "optional" has to be more than just a word. Here’s the thing: For people who mask, who are managing sensory overwhelm, or who process differently—group and paired activities can be incredibly taxing. Saying “you’re invited” doesn’t communicate that opting out is actually safe. The social and professional pressure to conform can still feel intense—even in well-meaning spaces. If you want to honor autonomy and really foster psychological safety: ✔ Offer multiple ways to participate. ✔ Normalize opting out by saying it aloud: “You’re welcome to sit this out—no explanation needed.” ✔ Provide solo reflection options alongside breakout discussions. ✔ Don’t ask people to “share out” if they haven’t opted in. Inclusion isn’t just about invitation—it’s about permission without pressure. Let’s normalize facilitators saying: — “If group interaction isn’t where your brain is at today, that’s okay.” — “Reflection is participation.” — “Quiet is welcome here.” Have you ever felt pressured to “participate” when your brain or energy said no? #Neurodiversity #Facilitation #Inclusion #PsychologicalSafety #PlayfulWorkDesign #WorkplaceAccessibility #LearningAndDevelopment #Leadership

Ever been on a team that's too quiet? Not focused-quiet. But hesistant-to-speak-up quiet. I once worked with a leader whose motto was: "Silence is 100% agreement." We would chuckle politely. Our silence wasn't agreement. It was fear. Here's what I've learned after nearly two decades coaching people leaders. People don't need to find their voice. They need to feel safe using it. Here are 6 ways to create that safety, without forcing anyone to speak before they're ready: 1. Listen to learn ↳ Pause before responding: "Help me understand your thinking on…" ↳ Reflect back: "Here's what I heard, did I get that right?" ↳ Let people know when their input reshapes your thinking 2. Build confidence before the spotlight ↳ Pair teammates as "thinking partners" to test ideas before meetings ↳ Use 1:1s to help less vocal members frame input as exploratory questions ↳ Normalize iterations. "What if we considered…" often sparks breakthroughs. 3. Model transparent communication ↳ Share your thinking: "Here's my view and why I see it this way…" ↳ Be open about uncertainty. It gives others permission to speak ↳ It's okay to change your mind in public when presented with strong alternatives 4. Facilitate solution-building sessions ↳ Ask: "What would success look like for everyone involved?" ↳ Use "Yes, and…" to build momentum, not shut it down ↳ Try brainstorm rules: build on others' ideas before introducing new ones 5. Disagree without making it personal ↳ Start with: "We're debating the approach, not anyone's expertise" ↳ Use neutral framing: "There are different perspectives here" ↳ Keep feedback focused on outcomes and impact, not personality 6. Make space for the quiet thinkers ↳ End with: "Let's reflect for 24 hours before deciding" ↳ Send pre-reads with clear reflection prompts ↳ Start key conversations with a few minutes of silent thinking When you shift from demanding participation to designing for it, you're not just changing meetings. You're redefining how power flows through your organization. How do you create space for insight that isn't loud? ♻️ Feel free to share if you're working toward conversations where every voice has room. ➕ If you lead people, this space is for you. Follow me, Michelle Awuku-Tatum for insights on: ↳ Human-centered leadership, resilient teams, and intentional culture.

I used to struggle to share my ideas in meetings bustling with dominant voices. Not because I was scared, but because I never felt comfortable. Ouch. My seniors and peers often told me: "Speak up, have a presence, be bold!" Well-intentioned advice. But the brutal truth was that I didn’t feel psychologically safe. So when I took on the role of a people manager, I became the leader I needed. I took on a mission to create a safe space where every team member could share their brilliance, their quirks, their questions, their doubts and feel heard. Here are 3 rarely-used strategies I adopted: ✅ Silent brainstorming: I replaced vocal discussions with written ideas; preventing the loudest voice from dominating. We'd share our thoughts by ideating in silence and voting together.🚀 The best part? No one knew whose idea was winning, leveling the playing field for diverse perspectives. ✅One-pagers for every meeting: People process information differently. To include everyone, I ensured every meeting had a one-pager for context and a list of attendees. This way, team members could prepare in their own way, and those who felt their presence wasn't essential could choose to opt-out. ✅ Mini Workshops > Meetings: These mini workshops were designed to encourage deep thinking, collaborative brainstorming, and silent reflection. Everyone had their moment to shine. We always left with 1-3 actionable takeaways — co-created and ready for implementation. 🚀 In the end, it wasn't about changing my personality; it was about embracing it and finding innovative ways to lead effectively. 💪 By creating a safe space for my team, I not only unlocked their potential but also learned the true power of silence in a world that often favors the loudest voices. What do you think about this leadership style? #leadership #product #teammanagement #womenintech #productmanagement #productmanager

Just because your body is physically in the room during a meeting or gathering doesn’t mean you are present. 🤹🏽♀️ You might be thinking about something else you need to do that day. Maybe you’re hungry and wondering how many more minutes until lunch. Perhaps you’re exhausted after your kiddo had a rough and restless night. Or maybe the current topic of discussion feels irrelevant to you. Maybe you think the topic is boring. Perhaps the facilitator said something confusing and you simply checked out. Or maybe you feel stuck in your own head because you’re nervous to speak up. Because your boss is in the room. Because you don’t yet have experience sharing in big groups. Or because in the past someone has belittled your perspective. There are 100+ reasons you might have floated off from the topic of discussion. Keep this in mind when you are facilitating anything as a designer. ✅ Do what you can to be proactive. 🧠 For example: Make allergen-free and nourishing food and beverages available, ensure accessibility, build in ample time for bio and brain breaks, let people know what to expect in advance, give folks options and different ways to engage, cultivate a space where folks can share real-time feedback, take steps to mitigate the impact of power imbalances, etc. ✅ Plan care-full ways to respond when you notice — or are explicitly told — that something is off. 🧠 For example: Be prepared to call a “pause” to address an elephant in the room, consider back-pocket activities in case the planned activity isn’t working, step out to connect with someone who might need a few minutes to share something privately, etc. You can’t solve for everything. But you can do a lot to cultivate a space where folks feel welcome, well-informed, and supported in the ways they want and need to engage. #Food #FoodSystems #Equity #Design