Rewire Your Meetings: 3 Brain-Based Nudges to Make Your Team More Inclusive by Tuesday
- Georgina Brown (hershe)
- Jul 17
- 3 min read
Because bias doesn’t wait for a strategy day
Meetings: the humble petri dish of workplace culture. Where power dynamics play out, ideas are born (or buried), and people decide — often subconsciously — whether they belong or not.
If your inclusion strategy doesn’t show up in your meetings, it’s probably not showing up at all.
The good news? You don’t need a full policy overhaul or a 12-month roadmap to start shifting things. Just a few neuroscience-informed nudges can make your team meetings feel more psychologically safe, equitable, and human — by, say, next Tuesday.
Let’s get into it.
1. Nudge the Nervous System: Safety Before Strategy
Before a single agenda item is ticked, ask: What state are people in when they enter the room?
The brain is constantly scanning for threat or safety. If people feel judged, excluded, or hyper-visible (hello, only woman in the room), their amygdala goes into overdrive, and their prefrontal cortex — the bit responsible for logic, creativity, and decision-making — quietly logs off.
The NIMM Nudge:
Start every meeting with a “brain buffer” moment:
A short pause to breathe or check in (“What’s one word for how you’re arriving today?”)
A grounding ritual (music, a quote, a visual)
Making cameras optional in hybrid settings
Why it works: It shifts people from threat response (Delta distress) into a calmer, more open Alpha brain state — the sweet spot for learning, listening, and contribution.
2. Share the Cognitive Load: Not Just Who Speaks — But Who Holds Space
Ever noticed that it’s often the same people summarising, bridging, or emotionally tidying the conversation? It’s not random. It’s cognitive labour — and it's often invisibly gendered, racialised, or hierarchy-driven.
The NIMM Nudge:
Introduce rotating meeting roles:
A “Process Anchor” who watches airtime, notices interruptions, and invites quieter voices
A “Feelings Facilitator” (yes, really) who gently name-checks mood, tension, or tone
A “Curiosity Captain” who challenges assumptions with one good question
Why it works: Sharing the emotional and mental effort regulates power, builds trust, and increases collective intelligence.
3. Make the Invisible Visible: Language Is a Brain Shortcut
The brain is wired for shortcuts — and so is our language. But words shape perception. When left unchecked, they smuggle bias into the room without us noticing.
The NIMM Nudge:
Try a 5-minute “Language Audit”:
Notice metaphors used in meetings. Are they inclusive? ("Manpower", “blacklist”, “fit in”...)
Introduce a “Pattern Interrupt Phrase” — e.g., “Can I challenge that lens?” or “Let’s slow down that assumption.”
Reflect on which voices get labelled “passionate” vs. “aggressive,” “articulate” vs. “emotional”
Why it works: Brains pattern-match constantly. When you challenge those patterns, you create new neural routes — and new cultures.
TL;DR — Inclusion Starts in the Hourly Habits
You don’t need a new award to run a better meeting. You need:
Micro-moments of safety
Equitable cognitive roles
Language that expands, not excludes
These aren’t just “nice things to do” — they’re how you rewire culture in real time.
Because the brain learns through repetition, and meetings?They’re the most repeated space you’ve got.
Ready to go deeper?
→ Book a BARDO "Neuro-Nudge" session for your team
→ Explore our NIMM for deep rewiring work
Let’s turn every meeting into a moment of inclusive practice — not just performance.
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