In Meetings & Presentations, Choose Presence over Precaution
How often have we felt tongue tied in meetings? Had H.G. Wells been part of a Corporate office, he could have written about ‘The Invisible Man (or Woman)’ sitting in every boardroom meeting.
Often, a lot of us have sensed thoughts circling our heads during the course of a meeting. We keep waiting for the opportune moment to voice them out. We play it out in our minds… maybe even rehearse it. But before we know it, the meeting’s over or worse still: someone else has already made the same point.
Whatever it is — a thought, a question, an idea, a point- it is best to put it on the table without waiting for that elusive ‘right moment’. Scan for a window to jump right in and speak up!
What’s a good window to start speaking? It is always difficult to butt in and interrupt the speaker. So, try and make the most of the below meeting moments:
- when a meeting participant finishes his/her point
- when a speaker transitions to the next slide during a presentation or takes a pause for water, clearing the throat etc.
- Sometimes when the meeting room wondrously goes silent
What else holds us back? Perhaps that we haven’t yet framed the point well… that our point doesn’t matter enough.. that more important points have already been made…that we will get judged by our boss and colleagues…
In my view, it doesn’t help to overthink. It is just another meeting after all, not some life or death situation… even if our worst fears come true and we do end up making a fool of ourselves (which we won’t), no one in their busy work lives is going to remember us the next day. So take the meeting for what it is and yet make the most of it.
Once, before my project-review presentation in front of the C-suite, my manager caught me getting jittery. He walked up to me and said, “Don’t fuss over it so much. It’s not like you will get murdered by them for making a mistake!” Back then, I had laughed at his remark. And though it sounds exaggerated, it is so true! Perhaps sometimes, we end up taking ourselves too seriously and become too conscious. How can we avoid that?
There is this mental trick that could help: it is a secret one of my school teachers shared with me before an Extempore Competition to counter stage-fright: “Think of everyone in the audience as buffoons, even your superiors, because when you are speaking, you’re the boss: own the moment!”
I am not advocating arrogance here. But a few mental switches can help us fight back inner timidity.
