4 Proven Actions to Speak Up More in English Meetings
During the 20+ years I have been helping professionals improve their business English fluency, one of the biggest challenges I have seen is the lack of confidence to speak up during conversations and meetings in English.
Today, I’m excited to share how you can overcome this obstacle, and start voicing your opinions more on a variety of topics in front of others.
Speaking up in English at work matters because it enables others to see the best of you, which will naturally lead to career opportunities like promotions.
When you are confident about speaking up in English, it will also eliminate the frustration that comes with finishing a meeting knowing that you could have contributed more.
Many non-native speakers struggle with speaking up due to the fear of making mistakes and being judged by others on their English. This is a mindset issue, which I go deeper into inside the Impactful English Academy.
Too often it’s the fear of making mistakes and being judged by others that prevent non-natives from speaking up.
For today, we’re going to explore four strategies about how you can confidently contribute to meetings and shine. They are:
1. Connect with the Importance of Speaking Up
2. Prepare Your Mind for Success
3. Support Colleagues’ Ideas
4. Ask Good Questions
Here’s a detailed look at each action.
1. Connect with the Importance of Speaking Up
Meetings serve as platforms for collaboration, decision-making, and knowledge-sharing. By actively participating in meetings, individuals not only demonstrate their competence and intelligence but also position themselves for career progression. However, remaining silent during meetings can hinder professional growth and hide one’s potential from colleagues and superiors.
Therefore, the starting point in your confidence-building journey is to connect with the reasons why you need to speak up more during meetings.
Use Self-Coaching Questions
Self-coaching questions can help individuals deepen their understanding of the importance of speaking up in meetings and clarify their motivations for increasing their participation. Consider asking yourself these questions:
1. How do you think your level of participation in meetings aligns with your professional goals and aspirations?
2. How do you envision your role evolving within the team or organization as a result of increased participation in meetings?
3. Imagine yourself actively contributing to meetings with confidence and clarity. What does that look and feel like?
2. Prepare Your Mind for Success
Your state of mind before the meeting will determine the quality of your participation during the meeting. So how do you prime your mind for success? Well, it’s all about preparation.
Understand the Meeting’s Purpose
First, make sure you understand the meeting’s purpose. Begin by gaining a thorough understanding of why the meeting is being held. Is it to brainstorm ideas, make decisions, provide updates, or discuss specific projects? Clarifying the meeting’s purpose enables you to align your contributions with its objectives.
Plan Three Key Points
Second, plan three key points. Based on your understanding of the meeting’s purpose and agenda, identify three key points or ideas you intend to address during the discussion. These points should align with the meeting’s objectives and reflect your expertise or areas of interest. Planning ahead empowers you to enter the meeting with a structured approach, ready to contribute meaningfully to the conversation.
Additionally, I encourage you to explore ‘speech frameworks’. These help with clarity and overall structure. Inside the Impactful English Academy, I teach 5 powerful speech frameworks.
Visualise a Successful Outcome
Third, visualize success. Before the meeting begins, take a moment to visualize yourself actively participating and confidently sharing your insights. Picture yourself articulating your key points with clarity and receiving positive responses from your colleagues. Visualization can help alleviate pre-meeting nerves and bolster your confidence in your abilities.
3. Support Colleagues’ Ideas
A powerful way to gain speaking space in meetings is to support colleagues’ ideas when they speak up. Acknowledging and validating their contributions not only fosters a collaborative atmosphere but also provides opportunities for individuals to transition into sharing their own thoughts and perspectives.
Acknowledge Contributions Verbally
You can begin by acknowledging contributions verbally. When a colleague shares an idea or perspective during the meeting, acknowledge their input by offering praise or appreciation for their contribution. Highlight the value it brings to the discussion. Simple phrases like “That’s a great point.” or “I appreciate your insight.” can go a long way in boosting your colleagues’ confidence.
By acknowledging and validating your colleagues’ ideas, you help reinforce their confidence in their contributions. This positive reinforcement creates a supportive environment where team members feel empowered to voice their opinions without fear of judgment, and this will indirectly help you feel more at ease to voice your ideas.
4. Ask Good Questions
Asking strategic questions is another effective way to participate in meetings. Whether prepared in advance or formulated spontaneously, well-placed questions demonstrate engagement and can significantly enhance your participation while showcasing your active listening skills.
Prepare Questions in Advance
Consider preparing questions in advance. Review the meeting agenda or anticipate the topics that are likely to be discussed. Based on this, formulate relevant questions that align with the meeting’s objectives. Preparing questions beforehand allows you to proactively contribute to the discussion and demonstrate your preparedness.
Seek Clarification
Seeking clarification on points that may be unclear or ambiguous is one of the primary functions of questions. If you encounter an idea that you don’t fully understand, don’t hesitate to ask questions to gain clarity.
By seeking clarification, you not only enhance your own understanding but also provide an opportunity for the speaker to elaborate on their points, benefiting other meeting participants as well. If you would like to learn some useful expressions for seeking clarification, you’ll find over a hundred in the Impactful English Academy.
Conclusion
Confidently speaking up in meetings is a skill that can be cultivated through preparation, engagement, and practice. By working on your mindset, preparing strategically, and supporting colleagues’ ideas, you can quickly build the confidence to voice your ideas and unlock opportunities for professional growth.
