5 Strategies to Boost your Confidence in a Meeting

While you don’t need to speak your mind in every situation, you do need the confidence and communication skills to speak up when it’s called for. This insightful guide will show you simple-yet-actionable ways to prepare for meetings, demonstrate confidence, and impress colleagues and clients.

Do you have difficulty speaking up in meetings? Maybe you have trouble thinking up things to say on the spot. Maybe your brain goes into overdrive, and you end up rambling instead of making a point. Or maybe you’re just shy. Whatever the problem, chances are, you’ve tried everything you can think of to remedy the situation, but nothing seems to work.

Well, you don't have to worry anymore – we have your solution. In this guide, we'll take your hand and walk you through simple strategies that you can employ to join the conversation and share your ideas in the spirit of collaboration. Let's dive in.

1. Be prepared?

Before the meeting, think about what will be covered and who will be there. Then ask yourself how you can contribute. How can your expertise help your colleagues with the issues being covered in this meeting? What input can you offer to contribute to the conversation??

You can also do extensive research on the topic up for discussion to give you an upper hand. This tip is a game-changer as it can help you overcome fear and shyness, boost confidence, and turn your thoughts into words. This is especially important if you’re worried about what other people might think about what you say. Make yourself an expert on the subject and you can ensure that your contributions to the meeting will be insightful and relevant.

In addition, plan to settle in before the meeting kicks off. This way, you allow yourself to ease into the physical meeting environment. If the meeting is virtual, log in early and familiarize yourself with the webinar controls. With adequate preparation, you can boost your confidence and impress colleagues and clients.?

2. Speak early?

The longer you sit and worry, the harder it becomes to speak up – and the easier it is just to keep quiet. So the best thing to do is offer a question or comment at your earliest opportunity. This will help you eliminate your internal gremlins and whispering doubts.

Commit to a simple strategy such as saying something in the session’s first 10 to 15 minutes. Depending on the situation, you can welcome attendees, ask a question, or offer your opinion. Anything to break the ice and help you get comfortable with speaking up.

3. Contribute and ask questions?

Even if you don't have a new idea to bring to the table, you should still try to join the conversation. Your colleagues will benefit from knowing what you think about an idea under discussion. You can start with simple confidence exercises such as giving an affirmative nod indicating you agree with a point made.?

Listen intently and provide support for specific ideas as well. For example, you can back up a colleague's comment by saying, “Great idea! I agree.” Here’s the trick: A thoughtful response is always better than a jumble of random thoughts running wild in your mind that doesn't align with the meeting's mission.

Asking questions is another easy starting place for speaking up in meetings. You can prepare your questions in advance or ask them based on the discussion at hand. When you ask questions, you show your team that you're involved in the project, and it keeps you engaged in the conversation. This will help build your confidence for future meetings.?

4. Dress for the occasion?

Wear comfortable clothing that makes you feel good. Often, you can make yourself more effective with your outfit alone. On the other hand, constantly fidgeting with your attire makes you seem nervous and demotivated – definitely not a good look.?

Go with a trusted outfit that you know looks good on you and makes you feel confident so you can focus on your topic, not your appearance. This tip is essential, especially if you’re presenting.?

5. Practice

Take time to squash those negative thoughts and instead picture yourself at ease, crushing the conversation. Then bring that image of the conversational you to every meeting. Practice what you’re going to say several times before you go to the meeting. Doing this will help mitigate your anxiety and fears when speaking up.?

When you arrive at the meeting, engage one or two people in conversation before the session starts. This can help you get comfortable and settle in.?

MetaGrowth can help?

At MetaGrowth, we’re committed to helping you build your team’s confidence so they can keep hitting their goals. In addition, with our accountability sessions, you can review prior commitments and follow up with each staff member.?

You can continue to increase sales and foster business growth with the proper guidance, strategy, and coaching. So let us help you implement the MetaGrowth Coaching System in your organization, and you'll see increased participation in your team during meetings and more meaningful engagement throughout your company.

Contact us today, and we’ll help you create a clear, deliberate path for sales success that aligns everyone in your organization with your goals and expectations.