I was on a coaching call recently, and my client was agitated about her colleague. “Every time any topic comes up,” she said, “Pauline jumps in.”

Pauline (name changed, of course) always contributes to everything. She shares her opinion in every discussion, even when her experience isn’t the most relevant in the room. Making matters worse, she often interrupts more junior employees mid-sentence.

My client wasn’t trying to silence Pauline, she was trying to figure out how to modulate the conversation so everyone could participate. This dynamic is not unique to this organization. In my experience, when managers lack clarity or confidence in addressing it, avoidance becomes the default and the issue remains unresolved.

There are many hidden costs to a loquacious teammate. When one voice dominates, even unintentionally, several problems emerge:

• Quieter team members may stop speaking altogether, not because they lack ideas, but because it’s too frustrating to compete for airtime.

• The group overweights one perspective when the same person contributes repeatedly. In this case, Pauline’s ideas can feel more important, simply because she speaks more.

• Engagement drops because colleagues mentally check out. They may multitask or disengage from ownership of the outcome.

• The team can become frustrated and even angry.

None of this makes Pauline a bad person, in fact she can be applauded for her eagerness and enthusiasm. The issue isn’t her intent, it’s her impact.

Regardless, as a member of the group, there are ways to manage the problem. If this dynamic shows up in your meetings, here are practical ways to rebalance the conversation, in a respectful and positive way.

Change the structure of participation.

• Ask everyone to write their ideas on an index card or shared document first, then go around and hear one idea per person.

• Use a round-robin format where each person speaks once before anyone speaks twice.

• Break into small groups or pairs so quieter voices have a safer entry point.

Make airtime visible.

• Bring in a talking stick or object to signal whose turn it is to speak.

• Set a gentle norm such as “step up, step back” at the start of meetings.

Name what you need, in the moment.

• “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet.”

• “Who else has a perspective on this?”

• “Let’s pause and make space for other voices.”

• “Let’s hear from those with direct expertise on this issue.”

Redirect without reprimanding.

• “Thanks, Pauline. Please hold that thought until we hear from others.”

• “I’m going to stop us there so we can broaden the discussion with other perspectives.”

Have a private conversation with Pauline as this is sometimes the most respectful way to handle the problem.

• Acknowledge Pauline’s engagement and enthusiasm.

• Explain that some more reserved team members need more quiet in order to contribute.

• Ask Pauline’s direct help in managing the flow of conversation. This will give her a role, and she can see another way to contribute other than dominating the discussion.

Often, highly verbal teammates don’t realize the effect they’re having.

Strong teams rely on balanced participation.

If one voice fills the room, the team loses access to its collective intelligence. Your role as a team member, leader or facilitator is to create conditions where everyone has a voice.