May 29, 2008
Making Work "Work": Resources for Busy Professionals
Ready for the big meeting?
You've got a big meeting coming up, and already you're dreading it. Why? Because you know your performance in meetings is a career maker or breaker, and you hate the pressure. However, according to Peter Murphy in Project Management Magazine, there are a few things you can do to ensure your meeting performance puts you in the best possible light.
- Be prepared. That means you need to be informed about the matters to be discussed before the meeting starts. Being ready to intelligently discuss matters at hand will lead to feelings of confidence, and will encourage your colleagues to view you as competent and relaxed.
- Rehearse what you’re going to say. Try to visualize yourself successfully communicating your message, and actually enjoying doing it. Rehearse for about 20 minutes the night before, when you’re feeling positive and relaxed.
- Speak with enthusiasm. No one likes to listen to someone who is bored with their own topic! If the subject doesn’t inspire your enthusiasm, shoot for delivering your message with some energy.
- Be ready for objections. Anticipate objections your colleagues might throw on the table and prepare your responses.
- Be certain of yourself. You don’t want to create the impression that you think you might not be able to accomplish something. This requires honesty about your topic. If you need to agonize over something, do it before the meeting and decide whether you can truly discuss it in a positive or realistic manner.