Some useful Strategies for speaking in meetings confidently

Regardless of the sector, working professionals need to be a part of some workplace events and one of these is meetings. Sometimes, these meetings are pre-planned or scheduled but there can be emergency office meetings, too. Meetings can be held for various reasons including assessing sales and marketing growth, discussing market expansion, finding performance bottlenecks, and so on. In any case, you have to be a part of such meetings and give your input in the right way. It is important that you learn speaking in meetings with confidence. 

The importance of speaking in meetings confidently

For a section of people, taking a proactive role in meetings and speaking with confidence seems an ordeal. This can be owing to factors like an introverted nature, lack of fluency in English or a limited vocabulary. However, you should not evade speaking in meetings. When you are able to speak confidently in workplace meetings, it fetches you some big benefits.

• You get the scope to present your view on a topic or oppose a view presented by others, in a clear and suitable manner.

• This lets you exhibit your leadership skills.

• When you speak with confidence in a meeting, it shows you in a positive light to others.

• It makes sharing a new idea or feedback on anything easier.

Tips for speaking in meetings with confidence

Not everyone has a natural ability to command attention and that can affect their participation in workplace meetings, initially. However, the good thing is that you can improve your spoken skill and confidence level to participate in meetings with vigour. 

Try the below-listed tips to ensure you can speak in meetings with confidence:

• Preparing and researching the topic

Some workplace meetings are called by the management to tackle critical developments, on an urgent basis. Barring those meetings, you can always prepare well for pre-planned and scheduled meetings. When you gather enough information and know what you want to discuss beforehand, it makes things easier for you. Then you know the things that should be included in your interaction in the meeting. Ensure you make the best of online and workplace resources to prepare for an upcoming meeting. Gather enough data and statistics, if necessary, to establish your points beforehand.

• Using the proper body language while speaking in meetings

For speaking in meetings with confidence, it is important to use optimal body language. Your words do matter and so do your appearance and demeanour. Ensure you do not look down at the floor while speaking or look in different directions randomly. Maintain eye contact with others while speaking. Sitting with an erect back is also recommended. While speaking, you may put on a light smile. However, maintaining a fine balance is also required so that your confidence is not perceived as haughtiness. 

• Developing listening skill

For speaking in meetings with confidence, it is important that you develop listening capacity. You can speak with conviction when you fully comprehend what others have said. If you are not a good listener and remain anxious to speak at the earliest opportunity, you will miss out on important points under discussion. This will make it hard to get the context well. So, develop the habit to listen to other speakers in meetings and speak after understanding and analysing everything well. Developing this skill becomes easier when you practise conversations with veteran coaches on a digital platform like PracUp.

• Vague words and excess fillers

To speak confidently in meetings, making the right choice of words is quite important. When you are confident that should reflect in the words you use in a meeting. It goes hand in hand with conviction. So, evade using filler words as far as you can when speaking in such meetings. Doing so creates the opposite impression on others. Also, avoid using vague words such as maybe, I guess or probably. It reflects your lack of mastery of the topic being discussed. If you are uncertain about any topic being discussed, be clear about it rather than beating around the bush.  

• Improving your vocabulary for speaking in meetings

For some people, speaking in meetings becomes a hurdle as they struggle to find the right words. A limited vocabulary can dent your prospect of speaking with conviction in meetings. You can definitely improve your vocabulary by reading books, magazines and listening to business podcasts or webinars etc. However, boosting your vocabulary with such methods proves to be time-consuming. A better and faster option to enhance your vocabulary would be a practising conversation with people who are ace speakers. For this, an online platform like PracUp emerges as a viable option.

• Using the time wisely

A workplace meeting typically has an approx time frame. You have to use the timing to your advantage while speaking. It is not necessary that you have to speak most of the time or interrupt others when they speak. It would be wise to speak in meetings at important junctures in the ongoing conversation. For example, if the topic being discussed issues meeting quarterly targets, you can join after the main points are discussed. You can join if you feel a crucial point has been missed. 

• Practising conversations

Speaking in a meeting with confidence does not come easy to all. You may feel nervous and jittery when the time comes. This can be owing to a lack of conversing habits. When you develop a habit of conversing in English your speaking efficiency in a meeting will go up. Now, everyone may not find a friend or co-worker to practise conversation with. Attending English-speaking classes is an option but that can be difficult when you lead a hectic life. A better option would be to seek the online platform, called PracUp where you can practise conversing with trained coaches, as per your needs and convenience. 

• Controlling the stress

Sometimes, people get stressed out thinking that they have to attend meetings where they are expected to speak properly. They become overly aware of aspects like their pitch, tone and pronunciation. This hampers their speaking efficacy in meetings and reduces their level of confidence. If this is something you can relate to, do not get worked up. Keeping the stress under control will ease your task. Try to soothe your mind prior to the meeting schedule. Listening to soothing music and sipping your favourite beverage can be a good idea. If necessary, spend some time alone on the office terrace or garden, if you can. 

• Using speed and pause wisely

For speaking in meetings with conviction, you must learn to maintain the right pace and pause when it is required. Speaking too fast will make it hard for others to comprehend you well. It also gives a sign that you are getting nervous. It is also necessary to take a few pauses when you speak in meetings. Pausing for a while before explaining a concept or point in meetings works well. Sometimes, you can take pauses by asking a question as well. If you are unsure about the ways to use pauses and get the right speaking speed, there is a solution. You can improve on these grounds by practising conversations with seasoned coaches on a platform like PracUp.

• Planning your schedules wisely

It would be a good idea not to keep a lot of chores or tasks to be accomplished on the day a workplace meeting is already scheduled. If your mind is bogged down with the thought of tasks to be accomplished after the meeting, you will find it hard to speak confidently in the session.

• Tackling distractions to speak well

To ensure your speaking prowess in a meeting is not hampered, learn ways to control things that affect your attention adversely. The demeanour of a certain participant may seem loud or you may feel annoyed by the way a particular colleague speaks in the meeting. Do not let such things affect your focus. Remember, your motto is not to assess the efficacy of others. You should focus on participating in the meeting and conveying your thoughts and ideas with confidence and clarity. 

Summing it up

Speaking in meetings with clarity and confidence should not be an ordeal. You will be able to handle it with the right preparation and enough practice. You can enhance your prospects by practising conversation with ace speakers. At PracUp, you get the option to converse with veteran coaches to enhance your conversational skills, along with vocabulary.