Are you speaking up or grandstanding?

If you know anything about me, you know “speaking up” is my thing. After all, the title of my book is Speak Up, Dammit!

I stand by my conviction that organizations are better when they hear from every voice – but do you need to be the loudest voice? Or speak most often? Heck, no!

So how are we to know when speaking up is valuable … or grandstanding?

Here are three tips to help you decide:

1. Pre-Meeting: Before you step foot in the room or click the meeting link, consider the meeting purpose and who will attend. Ask yourself (or someone knowledgeable) what the room needs to hear, what’s important to them, and how your role and perspective can move the conversation and business goal forward.
2. During the Meeting: Listen closely. Often, we listen with bias, seeking comments that support our point of view. At times, that can be a helpful strategy [message me if you want to learn more]. More often, it prevents us from fully understanding others’ perspectives.
3. After the Meeting: Get curious. Ask meeting attendees for feedback. Rather than focus on filler words and eye contact, ask others if your contributions were valuable – and why or why not. What would they recommend if you were able to “do it over?”

If the meeting was recorded or transcribed with Otter, watch the recording or read the transcript. This is an excellent way to assess and learn more.

Finally, many virtual meeting add-ons (including my favorite noise reduction app, krisp) record the amount of time you spoke during a meeting. While this won't measure the quality of your contributions, it will indicate if you’re sharing too frequently (or not often enough).

Most of all, enjoy the silence!