How to Speak Up in a Meeting When You’re Nervous
Prepare one point before the meeting and a short sentence that introduces it. Use the meeting’s process to get a turn, explain the point and let others respond. You can contribute while nervous; you do not have to become the person who talks most.
Choose a contribution the meeting needs
Look at the agenda and identify a question, update or recommendation you can help with. Write it in one sentence. “We need an owner for the final review” is easier to retrieve than several minutes of silent preparation about how you might politely introduce the possibility that a review could be useful.
Prepare the entrance as well as the point
In a formal meeting, follow the chair’s process for recognition. In an informal discussion, use a pause: “Before we leave the review, there is one responsibility we need to assign.” If you know it will be hard to get space, ask the facilitator beforehand to include your item. This is often more effective than trying to find a perfect interruption.
Give the point enough support
For a fictional project meeting, you might say: “The draft is ready, but nobody has been assigned to approve it. Can we name the reviewer before we agree on a release date?” The room now knows the status, the problem and what you need. You can supply more detail if someone asks. You do not need to lead with everything you did to discover the problem.
Keep uncertainty honest
If you are working from an older schedule, say that. “The schedule I have does not list a reviewer. Has that changed?” is both clear and open to correction. If someone has already solved the issue, thank them and move on. You made a useful check. There is no need to defend the continued existence of the problem so your contribution will count.
Handle an interruption without a volume contest
You can say, “I’ll finish the recommendation, then I’d like to hear your concern.” If interruptions continue, involve the facilitator. When the topic moves on, decide whether your point still affects the decision. An essential constraint may need to be raised immediately; an unrelated observation can wait for the right conversation.
Let one contribution be enough practice
Choose a meeting where you can prepare and aim to make that one useful point. Afterward, notice whether it was understood and what would help next time. Do not grade yourself on how relaxed you looked. The work moved forward because you supplied something the group needed. That is a perfectly reasonable reason to have spoken.
More help for your next talk
If you want a practical guide to preparing, delivering and recovering during a talk, Speaking for People Who Don't Speak brings those skills together. Get the paperback on Amazon.
Next: How to Give a Short Project Update Without Rambling · What to Say When You Are Unexpectedly Asked to Speak.
Browse practical speaking help · Ask Michael about a workshop for your team