Be Prepared
Have you ever sat down at a meeting you haven’t prepared for?
And found yourself flipping through documents you know you should have read beforehand while people are talking?
It’s a bit like being at a book club where you haven’t read the book!
Several things happen in these kinds of situations. Of course, you’re going to feel uncomfortable; you can’t intelligently contribute to the conversation, because you’re unfamiliar with the issues being discussed.
This is a severe case of ‘faking it till you make it’ will not serve you well!
Another equally important result is you risk damaging your credibility (those around the table will definitely notice you struggling to keep up) – and this will certainly put a dent in your self-confidence.
So the key to showing up at meetings is to be prepared.
Aside from reading the Agenda, here’s some tips to help you:
Why is This Meeting Happening?
There’s generally 6 reasons why a meeting is called:
For Updates
Sharing Information
Brainstorming
Making Decisions
Problem Solving or
Team Building
Understanding the goal behind a meeting means you can prepare ideas or information that helps to move the issue in question forward. It also helps you to stand out.
Who Else is in the Meeting?
This may be a regular staff meeting, where you know everyone, but it’s still worth checking ahead of time through recent emails or company postings and newsletters to see what everyone’s been up to.
Entering the room and congratulating someone on an achievement, promotion or a family event will make the other person feel valued, build workplace relationships - and adding that human touch can have a dramatically positive effect on group dynamics.
And if you don’t know the people who will be at the meeting – specially if they’re prospective clients or head office managers from corporate visiting – researching them ahead of time online (on LinkedIn or their company website) is a smart move.
Jamie Gruman, Professor of organizational behaviour at the University of Guelph School of Business and Economics focusses his research on how to create thriving and healthy workplaces.
He says even casual conversations can have a dramatic positive effect on our moods, and that without that chatter, that glue, a business can’t function.
Make Time to Follow up
Someone once said that meetings create more work! Well, good ones certainly do as it means people have been assigned tasks to get things done.
Taking a few minutes to send another person who attended a helpful comment (such as a link to a relevant online article or book), or note offering a suggestion, shows a measure of thoughtfulness, which is always appreciated.
These are just a few proven strategies you can use to cultivate a powerful leadership presence, to feel confident and ready.
Any other things you do ahead of meetings to show up prepared?
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