3 tips for speaking up in meetings

According to Shapira, many organizations measure a person's leadership readiness in part by how willing they are to speak up in meetings. "How we speak off the cuff can have a bigger impact on our career trajectory than our presentations or speeches, because every single day we have an opportunity to make an impact," she writes.

To help people speak up in meetings, Shapira offers three tips:

1. Prepare a few bullets before a meeting

A senior executive Shapira worked with was "deathly afraid" of public speaking at the beginning of her career, but she was able to overcome this fear by challenging herself to speak at every meeting she attended. To help herself speak up more readily, the executive would prepare comments and questions in advance.

According to Shapira, the executive "is now a role model within her organization and is considered one of the most confident and authentic speakers in her industry." Instead of waiting for inspiration to appear in a meeting, it's better to prepare a few points ahead of time.

2. Ask yourself why you care about your work, organization, or role

Before people create a presentation, go into a meeting, or prepare for a networking event, Shapira recommends asking, "Why you?" This question aims to ask why you care about the work you do, your organization, or your role.

By answering this question, you connect with a sense of purpose and remind yourself that you care about what you're talking about. "It reminds you that your credibility doesn't come solely from your title or years of experience but can also [come] from your commitment and passion," Shapira writes.

3. Pause and take a breath before you speak

Pausing and taking a breath before you speak can help you center yourself and strengthen your voice so you can speak with conviction. You can also build your confidence by asking yourself if you would be willing to speak on the behalf of someone else who has the same question.

"Speaking up in a meeting takes courage," Shapira writes. "You have the ability to affect the trajectory of the conversation, potentially guiding your client towards saying yes to a deal when your colleagues have taken the meeting off track."

3 situations where it's better to hold back

Even though speaking up in a meeting is important, "sometimes it's the person who says the least in the meeting who has the most power," Shapira writes. Being strategic about when you speak up can be just as important as what you say.

According to Shapira, there are three situations where it's better to hold back in a meeting:

1. If you're just trying to show off

Before you speak, ask yourself why you're speaking. If you want to say something "just to show how much you know, it's better to let someone else talk or let the meeting run its natural course," Shapira writes.

2. If you want to empower other team members

During meetings, it's important to let your team members speak up so that they can build their own relationships with clients. "Giving others an opportunity to speak in a meeting is one of the most powerful ways we can build their leadership skills, raise their visibility — both internally and externally — and give the client a more comprehensive sense of support from your whole team," Shapira writes.

3. If what you want to say is better suited for a one-on-one conversation

According to Shapira, senior executives consistently say that their direct reports "need to learn when to leave something to a one-on-one conversation."

Before you speak up publicly or hit "reply all" to an email, ask yourself, "Would this be better said privately?" Talking to someone privately about an issue instead of in a group will help mitigate difficult conversations and make the person feel less defensive.

Overall, "[s]peaking up in a meeting is one of the single-most effective ways to raise your visibility and build a relationship of trust with your clients and colleagues," Shapira writes. "Practice it strategically every single day and you will have a powerful impact on your career and in your business." (Shapira, Harvard Business Review, 4/2/19)

An effective meeting starts with preparation. Without it, meetings can become unproductive and a waste of time. This conversation guide provides the steps to lead a valuable meeting that will leave attendees feeling that their time was well spent.