Prefer to watch instead of read? This video will show you three tools to help you speak up in meetings even if you’re nervous.
Have you ever found yourself in a meeting wanting to speak up but holding back because you're worried about what somebody else will think?
Or maybe you stay silent because you haven’t figured out the best way to express your idea?
You’re not alone: my public speaking coaching clients tell me all the time that thinking and speaking on their feet in meetings is one of the things that stresses them out the most.
After this article, you’ll know three tools you can use to speak up more quickly and confidently in meetings even when you haven’t had much time to prepare.
Tool #1: Prepare for meetings with “Two Questions, Two Comments”
When my public speaking coaching clients tell me they're nervous speaking up in meetings, I'll ask them, “How do you typically prepare for a meeting?"
Often the answer I hear is, “Well, I don’t really prepare for meetings. I have so many that I just look at my calendar, see where I’m supposed to be, and walk right in.”
Sound familiar?
It’s hard to speak up in a meeting if you’re going in unprepared.
Try this instead: Before you walk into your next meeting, I want you to take 90 seconds to think about two questions you want to ask or get answered and two comments you can make.
Perhaps you’ll share a status update or give your perspective on a project. And I don’t want you to just think about your two questions and two comments.
I want you to actually practice your ideas out loud.
This helps you strengthen your “mind to mouth” muscles so you’ll feel more comfortable vocalizing those questions and comments when you get to the meeting.
Tool #2: Get more confident speaking up in meetings by lowering the bar.
Another challenge I see with my coaching clients is that they often have sky-high expectations for themselves. They aren’t contributing to meetings because they think that their comment needs to be the smartest thing anyone’s ever said in that meeting.
Talk about pressure!
The truth is, you don’t need to sound like a genius every time you open your mouth.
Often all you need to do is to ask a simple question or make a straightforward comment to move the discussion forward.
It's like when you're playing baseball: If you happen to hit a home run, that’s awesome. But you’re more likely to hit a single or a double -- heck, even a grounder will get you on base.
So lower the bar for yourself. Don't expect yourself to hit a home run every time you open your mouth.
Instead, try using a simple speaking framework like PREP to make a comment that moves the discussion one step in the right direction.
Tool #3: Set measurable goals for speaking up in meetings.
Once you’re practicing out loud and lowering the bar for yourself, try setting measurable goals to hold yourself accountable.
Let's say you’re feeling nervous because you haven’t spoken in a meeting for weeks. Maybe you say to yourself, “I’m going to speak up in one meeting at some point this week.”
That’s it. That’s enough.
Once you’ve mastered that goal, you can raise the stakes.
“I'm going to speak up in one meeting per day.” Then “I'm going to speak up once per meeting.”
Step by step, you use measurable goals to work your way to your ideal level of speaking up.
So the next time you're feeling nervous about thinking and speaking on your feet, give these tools a try.
As you practice out loud and give yourself permission to lower the bar a bit, you’ll find it gets easier to contribute even when you haven’t had time to prepare.
