Not sharing materials ahead of time is discrimination

The hidden discrimination in ‘come prepared’ culture

Many leaders say they want diverse perspectives to shape decisions. But the way sessions are run often blocks this before anyone has spoken.

Not giving people materials or questions in advance isn’t neutral – it’s discrimination. It rewards those who think and talk best on their feet. Many others, including neurodiverse colleagues, need time to reflect and prepare. Without that, their contributions are lost.

Why preparation matters

We already see this shift in recruitment. At our inclusive recruitment event with Maudsley Charity, leaders shared how giving candidates interview questions beforehand leads to richer conversations. Those with less relevant experience are still obvious – but everyone gets a fairer chance to show their strengths.

It’s the same for agendas. They’re not bureaucracy for the sake of it. They give people time to think through issues and present their points properly.

And in pitches, it’s not about stacking the deck to win work. It’s about giving potential partners the chance to bring the right examples and frame them in a way that’s relevant to your context.

The bias towards neurotypical extroverts

Leadership culture has long favoured extroverts – those who perform best in the moment. That energy is valuable, but it often comes at the cost of depth.

In high performing, diverse teams we see how trust and preparation create space for different working styles to combine, producing stronger ideas than either group alone. Complex problems need both the spark of extroverts and the careful thinking of introverts.

Assuming that people who ‘know their stuff’ can just riff their answers is a neurotypical view. Many people simply don’t work that way. If we only design for neurotypical extroverts, we miss the full value of our teams.

How to make sessions fairer and more effective

This isn’t about killing spontaneity. It’s about making sure everyone has the chance to take part fully.

While strengthening our trauma-informed research approaches with Chayn, we found that sending information sheets and consent forms in advance not only improved safety, but also led to deeper insights. The same principle applies in your boardroom.

When planning your next meeting, interview or workshop:

• give people the agenda up front, including timings

• outline the type of discussion and questions to expect

• share references or links to earlier work being built on

• allow time afterwards for people to contribute further

• build in follow-up sessions to revisit the discussion

Small changes like these move you from exclusion to inclusion – and from shallow conversations to deeper, more effective collaboration.

If you want to design sessions that genuinely bring in diverse perspectives, get in touch with us. We’ll help you create formats that are equitable from the start.

And we’d love to hear from you – what have you done to make your meetings or interviews more inclusive?