Teach speak-up skills, not just encourage speaking up

Give team members specific language for raising concerns, not just permission to raise them.

Why it works

Permission to speak up is necessary but not sufficient — many people lack the skill to raise a concern without it feeling like an accusation, or to disagree with a senior colleague without seeming disrespectful. Providing concrete language reduces the interpersonal cost of candor by lowering the verbal execution barrier, especially for those from cultures or backgrounds where direct challenge is less normative.

How to do it

1. Share specific phrases: "I have a concern I’d like to raise," "I want to understand the thinking here," "I see it differently."
2. Run low-stakes practice sessions where team members try out these phrases.
3. Create a team norm that using these phrases is a sign of engagement, not obstruction.
4. Make the entry point to candor as easy as possible — even a simple hand-raise or a channel for written concerns.

Evidence

Voice behavior research finds that both motivation and ability to speak up are required; having something to say and feeling permitted to say it does not automatically produce the communicative competence to say it effectively. (mechanistic)

The specific practice of pre-teaching language for speaking up is a practitioner application; the underlying voice behavior research supports the two-factor model (motivation + ability) but does not directly test this intervention.

Common mistake

Repeatedly telling people "you can always come to me" without ever practicing how, which leaves high-stakes moments as the first attempt at a difficult skill.