In today’s lesson I’m sharing communication strategies to help you speak up in meetings so that you can speak your mind.

If you’re ready let’s get right to it.

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First of all it’s important to get into the right mindset. This is especially needed when we feel like we’re in a daunting situation or we are nervous about communicating.

Step 1: Challenge Your Belief System

If you’re nervous about speaking up in a meeting, your current belief system is probably such that you feel like you don’t have anything of value to contribute. Or maybe you’ve convinced yourself that you’re not a good communicator. Worse yet, maybe you’ve got it in your head that no one will want to listen to anything you share. Let me stop you right there. Of course you have value and of course you can contribute meaningfully to the conversation. It’s just about figuring out what that is. You can be as good a communicator as you want. It might take deliberate effort on your part and there’s time and energy that goes into taking you from an OK communicator to an outstanding communicator, but it is possible. And people will want to listen to you. Most of the time, the best way to get people to listen is to tailor your message to the audience. So as you can see, it’s absolutely essential to challenge your preexisting thoughts surrounding concepts you’ve previously internalized that are getting in the way of you confidently speaking up in meetings. If there’s a negative feedback loop that’s wreaking havoc on your self-esteem and identity then it’s time to rewrite the narrative. If you need to assume a new professional identity, meaning decide that you’re the person who’s going to be confident and speak up in meetings, then do that. Find that new identity.

Step 2: Speak Up Early On

Contribute early on in the meeting. You remember how in school we had presentations to give and we could sign up to give the presentation early on or later on? Signing up to give the presentation early on alleviated the stress of dragging it out and just nipping it in the bud. Similar concept here. When given the chance to speak, take it. Seize that moment. If you are given the meeting agenda ahead of time, this will be easier to prep for. In other words, knowing the topic ahead of the meeting will allow you to think about points you’d like to make on the subject.  

Step 3: Do the Research

If there’s a situation that needs more information or further investigation into a topic is required then that’s a perfect opportunity for you to take. By volunteering to do the research on a topic that needs it, you’re taking action. You’re engaging with the follow-up and already signing up to essentially present at the next meeting. By default, you’ll have something to say and value to contribute. By signing up to do the research and be the person to act on next steps, you’re demonstrating that you care about the initiative, the project, the organization, the team, and the company at large. It’ll most certainly get you those brownie points you so deserve.

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Amazing~ So there you have it. Three ways to effortlessly start communicating with greater ease in meetings. You’ll be able to not only speak up more effectively in meetings but also have the confidence to speak your mind in professional group settings.

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Alright Explearners, that’s it from me today. Thank you so much for joining me for this lesson. I hope that you enjoyed it.

Feel free to give a big thumbs up if you're watching on YouTube, if you're listening to our podcast, then make sure to leave us a nice review. You can leave up to five stars. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much. And if you are more interested in reading this as a blog post, you can check out our transcript of this lesson, which can be found on our blog at explearning dot co forward slash blog. And while you're there, feel free to sign up for our newsletter. It is 100% free and you'll get all of the newest lessons from explaining and any news happening over here at explaining. All right. I will see you in the next exporting lesson. Until then, tip of the awesome work and I will see you soon. Happy Explearning, everyone.

About the Author and the Explearning Academy:

Mary Daphne is an expert in communication, executive interpersonal skills, and personal development. She is the founder of the Explearning Academy, a platform dedicated to helping individuals enhance their social fluency, boost their careers, and elevate their social game. Through immersive group coaching programs like the Executive Communication Lab and self-guided journeys, participants gain the social superpowers and career catapults they've been searching for. If you're ready to take your negotiation skills to the next level and connect with like-minded individuals, visit academy.explearning.co and explore the various plans available. Join the Explearning Academy community and unlock your full potential.

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