You won’t be seen as promotion-ready if senior leaders don’t even know you are there. Photo: File.
May Busch admits she was once the timid young woman who failed to speak up at meetings even when she had something insightful to say – until she realised staying silent was hurting her career.
Do you ever find yourself sitting quietly in a meeting, knowing you have valuable insights but not when or how to voice them?
You’re not alone because speaking up in meetings is a common struggle. However, it’s worth overcoming, because what you say (and don’t say) in meetings can make the difference between being promoted or overlooked.
In the middle of my career, I was passed over for many opportunities because I was too quiet in meetings. I wasn’t seen as promotion-ready because senior leaders didn’t even know I was there. So, how did I overcome this common struggle? Here are three simple steps I used to speak up confidently in meetings.
Enlist help: No-one succeeds on their own. We all need help from time to time, and there are two ways you can get help to speak up in your meetings.
First, you can ask the meeting organiser to give you a slot on the agenda. Then you don’t have to worry about finding the right moment to contribute because now your time to speak up is predetermined and guaranteed.
Second, you can ask a colleague to set you up during the meeting. Choose someone you trust and ask them for help ahead of time.
Your request could sound something like: “Hey Beth, I’m a little bit nervous about knowing when to jump in. Could you ask me to say something when we get to the part about X?”
Then, they could say something in the meeting like: “That’s a great point, John. May and I were just talking about this in the hallway beforehand. May, why don’t you share what your thoughts were on that?” Or: “I think this topic is in May’s area of expertise. May, what are your thoughts on this in terms of X?”
Find your sweet spot: This means avoiding doing too much or too little. Here’s how this applies to speaking up in meetings:
Before the meeting, avoid under- or over-preparing. When you’ve done your research and preparation, you’ll feel equipped to contribute. When you do speak up, you’ll be ready to add your well-thought-out perspective.
Just make sure you don’t over-prepare and get caught up in analysis paralysis, which can lead you to feeling burnt out or oversharing during the meeting. Find the happy medium so you feel confident but not overly stressed.
During the meeting, avoid being silent or speaking too much. I shared earlier I was passed over for many opportunities because I was too quiet in meetings. On the flip side, we all know what it’s like to sit in a meeting where someone keeps talking long after they’ve made their point. So keep it short and sweet.
If you’re presenting, start by clearly stating your conclusion and use no more than three supporting points to back it up. If you’re asking a question, make sure it’s well thought out and succinct.
Manage your mindset: What comes to mind when you see that next meeting on the calendar? Maybe you’re thinking: “Oh, great. Another boring meeting that could have been an email.” Or: “Oh no, I won’t have anything to say again. I really don’t want to go.”
While these types of thoughts may be perfectly natural, they’re not helpful for you or your career. The single most important thing you can do to speak up more in meetings is to shift your meeting mindset from negative to positive.
You’ll always have meetings to go to, no matter your role or industry, so why not find a way to make friends with the experience? If you tend to feel fear during meetings, acknowledge the fear and thank it for doing its job (after all, it’s just trying to protect you). Then send it back home because you don’t need it anymore.
If you get drained or bored during meetings, find an aspect of them that energises you. Maybe it’s a particular attendee or a certain topic. Focus on that to feel more engaged. If you put a lot of pressure on yourself to perform, shift your mindset from critique to curiosity.
What are you interested in finding out during this meeting? A great way to contribute strategically during meetings is to ask insightful questions.
May Busch’s mission is to help leaders and their organisations achieve their full potential. She works with smart entrepreneurs and top managements to build their businesses. She can be contacted at [email protected]. This article first appeared on May’s blogsite.
