Tip: Anxious about speaking up at meetings? Flip your thinking!
If you, or someone on your team, has a fear of speaking up at meetings, Vinita Bansal, writing in Medium, suggests you can become bolder by flipping your point of view.
Instead of worrying about looking stupid, or people won’t like your idea or opinion, or thinking it’s better to not risk saying something that doesn’t make sense, “invert your thinking”.
Here are Vinita’s self-talk ideas:
1. I won’t know what others think unless I say it. What can I learn from sharing my views with others?
2. It’s OK for others to disagree or not like my idea. How can I use this information to improve my thinking or make decisions?
3. Others can only value my opinion when I speak and share my honest opinions. How can I slowly add value to these discussions?
4. I may not have the complete information or the best idea, but even if there’s a small chance it can be useful to my team, I am responsible for sharing it and not holding myself back. How can my idea help my team?
Shepa Learning’s one extra piece of advice is don’t ramble. Write out key bullet points to keep your thoughts clear and concise before you speak.
SHEPA LEARNING COMPANY WEEKLY POSITIVE NETWORKING® TIP
No. 1014, June 14, 2023
By Gayle Hallgren and Judy Thomson