Get your share of the airtime in meetings

'How do I get airtime in a meeting? When I pluck up courage to speak, it just seems too sharp.' This is the issue posed by a recent client.

The challenge involves many of the same skills as presenting.

Go to the meeting prepared:

• Do some research about the meeting participants.  What will they be wanting to get out of the  meeting?  How can you take their focus into account with what you say?
• Work out what you want to achieve in the tasks of the meeting and write it down.
• Work out how you will know when you have achieved what you need.
• Also decide what you want people to think about you after the meeting.
• Figure out the key points you want to get across for each agenda item. This will give you a run up, so that you don't have to figure out something brilliant right on the spot.

Build your interaction as the meeting unfolds

1. Arrive at the meeting early, so you can build interaction with the group before the meeting gets underway.
2. Sit where the meeting leader has to see you!
3. Speak up early on in the meeting, so that you register a presence.  This doesn't mean that you have to say something  startlingly brilliant.  You could just ask a question.  Really, just say anything that will start your part in the communication.
4. Interact with the speakers by giving eye contact and nodding agreement.
5. Offer to do one of the agreed actions from the meeting. This gives you opportunity to keep in contact with the other participants.

The 3M Meetings Skills site covers a wider range tiocs related to meetings:

http://www5.3m.com/meetingnetwork/interact/meeting_advisor.html

Remember that it is like a square dance: You need to show up as a potential partner, so that people will let you join in the dance. So grab your partners and give it a whirl

 

Comments

[Tracy W]

Well it's time someone makes their first comment on the blog.

Very useful advice, thanks.

How do you find out what the other people at the meeting will want?

[Lee Wilkinson]

Just ask them, is one way! Obvious but it surprises quite a few people.

Aso you could get quite a distance by pausing to think about each agenda items from their viewpoint. Often colleagues will know quite a lot about some of the participants.