Interns and recent grads: You know that feeling when you’re in a meeting (or in class) and you have a good idea, but you question if it’s even worth voicing…until someone else says the exact same thing you were thinking?
Yeah, we know: It’s the worst.
If this experience has happened to you on multiple occasions, then second-guessing yourself is a waste of time. Even if you are the most junior person on the team, you have a seat at the table, and it’s time to claim it. Why? Because by withholding your ideas, you’re hurting yourself and the company. Sounds extreme, but think about it: You were hired because of your potential to contribute something great to the organization, and meetings create the perfect and most visible opportunity to prove your potential. If you realize that you’re stunting your career growth by questioning your ideas, it’s time to change that.
Here’s what you can do to make sure that you become the confident, creative thinker who is ready to speak up more in meetings.
Listen to the other voices at the table.
Ever notice how in any brainstorming session, someone will always say something like, “Jumping off of his point…”? That’s because listening to other people’s ideas gets your creative juices flowing. Instead of being concerned about what you want to say, listen to the types of ideas being shared and received during the meeting. This will help guide your thought process as you learn what types of ideas are being valued and rejected and will ultimately enable you to come up with an effective idea that has a better chance of being supported.
Ask the “talkers” questions.
When you genuinely feel like the conversation is going over your head, direct your questions to people speaking. Ask questions like, “Can you elaborate on that point?” or “How do you envision us going about that?” to show that you’re engaged and want to understand the conversation as much as you can. Don’t worry about what you should or shouldn’t know: The reality is that you can’t contribute a new idea if you don’t know what the conversation is about. Not to mention, there’s a lot of assumed knowledge in the working world; there’s a good chance that the person next to you is just as confused as you are, and your question can help to clarify any issues and heighten your team’s participation.
Review the agenda beforehand.
No one likes to go into a meeting unprepared — no one. If you’re concerned about what to contribute to the next meeting, prep by looking over the agenda. This will help you become familiar with the topics and issues your team wants to tackle, and you can plan and practice 3-5 ideas based on the meeting overview. If there isn’t an agenda, ask the meeting initiator to send one over or give you a quick recap of what he or she wants to discuss.
If someone does mention your idea before you do, back them up.
Even if you go in guns blazing, there’s still a chance that someone can mention an idea before you do. If that’s the case, support them. You’ll not only make an ally in the workplace, but you’ll also give the idea what it really needs: fuel.
We hope that these tips help you to kill it at your next meeting. If all else fails, just remind yourself that you were hired out of all the great candidates out there and that what’s important is that you do everything you can to advance the company and your career. We promise that when it comes to positive thinking like that, good things will come your way.
