For those (like myself) who
talk too much, or too little, when they get nervous in meetings
Unblah is a little "meeting-buddy"-app that helps you...
Keep track of how long you've been speaking,
Catch yourself before you talk too much, or too little
Develop a better sense of timing
Unblah Features
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Absolutely. Unblah can help you talk longer and more often. Simply install it, learn to use it and track yourself during your next meetings. The timeline of each call will help you find opportunities where you would have liked to speak up.
Don't stress yourself out just because there's some timer waiting. No one, including yourself, should pressure you to speak "just because."
Set yourself a realistic, exciting goal like "I want to take one, uninterrupted chunk of 40 seconds of airtime in my next call." Then consider your longer interjections on the timeline your personal success!
It's a personal project that I built for myself. It solves a real pain-point I noticed in my life. If you experience the struggle, I hope it helps you as well as it has helped me!
Yes, I'd love that. Sharing Unblah really is an invitation to start a conversation with those affected directly. Let's talk about your personal experience. Let's talk about what works and what doesn't and why that is. Let's discuss what collaboration, meetings, communication, leadership mean and could be. Let's explore that hairball of anxiety, confidence, dominance, mental health, and neurodiversity.
First off: I believe your struggle with this person is 100% real. I fully believe their behavior is affecting you negatively.
But, my answer is a STRONG NO. Please don’t use Unblah as a proxy for a difficult conversation that sounds like it needs to be had.
Think about it: They would never use it anyways, because, as you’re saying yourself “...and never even notice it.”.
They don't have a problem.
You do.
The best thing I believe you can do today is: Lead by example. Start using Unblah yourself, share your experience, make a path they can follow if they choose to. Encourage an open conversation about "communication hygiene."
Now, coming back to the person: You can learn how to have difficult conversations: To get better at it, I can recommend “Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most” by Bruce Patton, Douglas Stone, and Sheila Heen.
Finally, if you currently do not have the resources required for the above: Ask HR or leadership for guidance on how to best deal with this situation.