How to speak up in meetings

Learning how to speak up is a critical career skill

Have you ever received feedback that you need to speak up more in meetings and contribute your point of view? Then this post will help you.

I’m working with a client, let’s call her Tracey, who is a technical expert and head of engineering in a scale-up company. She’s very knowledgeable in both her area of specialism and on people management/leadership (she’s cited as “the best manager” in the business), but as the start-up company has grown into a scale-up, her voice and impact at a senior level have shrunk.

Recent performance feedback shows she needs to be more present, interacting with her peers and the business’s leaders, so they hear her point of view.

But Tracey isn’t one to speak for the sake of it. She is reflective in nature, likes to gather all the information and process it to draw conclusions. So, chiming in on a flowing conversation is uncomfortable for her and she is concerned that providing another point of view might not show her as supportive to colleagues.

Part of the challenge is that Tracey has retreated to her comfort zone as other specialists have joined the business. She wants to give them space to get established and feels letting them speak more is good for them, but she also admitted that she feels intimidated that they are arriving from big-name start-ups and she has been there a while.

So, how did I help Tracey learn how to speak up?

Firstly, I asked Tracey to articulate what her strengths are and what she is known for.

By focusing on her brand and documenting how she generates positive impact, we reconnected her to her self-confidence. It helped her to understand that while product managers arriving from other start-ups bring new ideas, she is the one who translates those ideas into functioning products and creates long-term value to the business and its clients.

Secondly, I suggested to Tracey that she think of speaking up in meetings in three formats:

1. Observation – This is where she can show she is following the conversation and help enable her own and others’ understanding. It’s also a way to challenge others’ thinking without being confrontational. It sounds like: “That’s interesting, how did you get from A to B?” or “That’s a useful perspective, can you walk us through how you see that feeding into X plan?

   
   

2. Information – Here, Tracey can contribute her technical and business expertise. It sounds like: “Just to connect the dots, that plays well into how we are building out X.” or “To expand on that, this approach will make use of X capability and help expand on Y.”

   
   

3. Validation – This is where Tracey adds her support and showcases her strengths: “Yes, I agree, that would help solve X problem we are facing.”

   
   

With this structure - and quite a bit of practice - Tracey now feels she can then prep herself as to how and where she can voice her contribution in an authentic way. A way that still feels like her but in a way that gets her heard.

Finally, we also talked about referencing Tracey’s style in meetings to give context and increase engagement with colleagues. It's also a way to ease herself out of her comfort zone, for example: “You know I like to reflect, and I will certainly do that, but my initial thought is X. However, let me come back to you with further insights.”

And, to show how she adds a different perspective, I suggested she articulate which lens she is using, for example: “With my team manager hat on, my view (or question) would be that we think about X.” or “With my engineering lead hat on, how do you see that feeding into the product strategy longer term?”

It will take practice, but in just one coaching session, Tracey has gained both the confidence and tools she needs to address feedback and make her voice heard again. And still be her.

If you’d like to speak up more and be heard in meetings for the right reasons, why not get in touch and let me help you understand your style, what value you bring and how to find the right questions?

Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk

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Check out my other articles on careers and confidence: You can grow your confidence, Pick your shine time, 5 steps to building confidence and Want more confidence? Take control. And this article from Forbes shows how speaking up strategically is a career superpower.

Photo by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash