Meetings are a necessary evil, but they’re also a great opportunity to improve your productivity. When you don’t feel confident in meetings, it can be hard to stay focused and productive–but there are ways to overcome this barrier. Here’s how:
Have a clear reason for being in the meeting
In order to be confident in a meeting, you need to know what it is that you want from the meeting. This can include things like gaining new information, clarifying an idea or problem and even getting feedback on something that has been bothering you.
Make sure that your goal for being in a meeting is clear and specific. For example: “I want to find out how much time it would take us to complete this project”.
It’s also important not only have good reasons for being there but also prepare yourself for questions and objections so don’t expect people to just listen without any resistance at all!
Be prepared
There’s a lot of pressure on you to be ready for every meeting, so it’s important to prepare yourself.
- Have a notebook and pen handy at all times. It’s easy to forget things when you’re in the moment, but having a notebook handy will help you remember what was discussed and who your conversation partners were.
- Bring notes from previous meetings with your boss or colleagues about what happened then (or ask them for their notes). This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page as far as understanding previous conversations goes. If there are any gaps between what happened during one meeting vs another meeting which took place years ago—for example: “I said this” versus “You said that”—you may need clarification from someone who was present at both events just so everyone knows exactly what happened! Be sure not make assumptions based on memory alone: ask questions when necessary rather than assuming things based off context alone.”
Be authentic and genuine
- Be yourself. Being authentic is the most important thing you can do in your meetings, because it will help you connect with others on a deeper level and build trust over time. When someone comes across as fake or disingenuous, they are likely to be dismissed as a potential ally and friend (or at least one whose business with you isn’t worth pursuing).
- Don’t pretend to know what you don’t know. This can be particularly difficult for people who are naturally introverted, but it’s crucial for cultivating confidence in meetings because it shows that you’re willing to learn from others’ experiences before bringing yours up instead of closing off new ideas just because they come from someone else’s mouth—and this makes people feel valued as well!
- Don’t try too hard: Remember when we talked about how high self-esteem might make us act differently than we would if our confidence were low? So does trying too hard! If there’s anything worse than being fake or insincere during meetings (which leads me into my next point), then it’d probably have something do with showing off by pretending everything was going perfectly smoothly while everyone else knew better: That’s called “overcompensation.”
Prepare what you want to say
The next step is to prepare what you want to say. This can be a challenge when meeting new people, but if you’re prepared, it will make it much easier for yourself and your team members.
It’s important that everyone involved in the meeting has a clear reason why they are there: What is the goal of this meeting? Who needs what information from each other and why? How will they make progress towards achieving those goals by having these conversations today?
You may find that some topics are more important than others; if so, focus on those first! Don’t try too hard at making sure everything gets covered when there might be something else missing from your agenda (like asking questions). If something comes up during conversation where everyone knows exactly where things stand on an issue then just skip over it until later when time allows for discussion about other issues present in today’s meeting.
Being confident will help you in meetings, but it will also help you be more effective.
Being confident will help you in meetings, but it will also help you be more effective. In fact, confidence is one of the most important factors for success in any endeavor.
Confidence comes from knowing yourself and your abilities, as well as being able to communicate those attributes effectively. If a person has confidence in themselves then they can share their knowledge with others without fear of embarrassment or failure. They will also be able to lead others because they know how they want things done or what steps need taken if something goes wrong during the process of completing tasks successfully.
Conclusion
Business meetings are one of the most common forms of communication. In fact, some studies have found that more than 80% of all work is done in a meeting or conference call. At first glance, this might seem like a good thing–after all, it means that you get to meet with people from all over the company! But when you take a closer look at these so-called “networking events,” there’s often something missing: confidence. If you want your business interactions with others to go smoothly (and not just because they’re required by HR), then here are some tips for making sure that everyone has fun while still getting what they need out of each other: