Friday, December 30, 2005
Develop the confidence to speak up at meetings by Sean McPheat
Are you generally quiet at meetings?
Do you tend to observe what’s going on, but hesitate to get involved?
I bet you’ve gone through the following scenario a hundred times:
There you are in the meeting, listening attentively trying so desperately to contribute to the conversations that are taking place.
Sometimes you’re not even listening at all because you are too busy thinking of what you could possibly say!
The person with the biggest mouth is having his or her say, the same old people are talking.
Then “POW! ZAP!” you have a great idea or have a really valuable thing to say but you don’t say it!
You’re too scared. You are frightened that the idea is going to be rubbish or that it is too obvious.
You decide to say nothing!
Then, all of a sudden, as if someone has read your mind, another person comes out with exactly what you were thinking and takes all kinds of credit for it!
“That could and should have been me!” you think and then your confidence takes a massive blow.
I heard a great quote that went:
“It’s better to say nothing and let people think you are stupid rather than open your mouth and remove any doubt”
The first thing you should think to yourself is that you are at the meeting for a reason.
That reason is to take in information as well as to share information yourself.
Exercise
I’d like you to write down a list of all of the times when you have thought of something to say in a meeting but didn’t.
I bet it will be a long list!
Now, just think of all of the plaudits and credit you COULD have got if only you had opened your mouth.
Next to each item write down how it would have made you feel if you would have said it.
What credit would you have got for it?
How does it make you feel now that you have written all of this down?
Confidence starts with making small changes and than making them a habit.
Next time…
* read more at http://www.confidenceworld.com/meetings.htm
CONFIDENCEWORLD was the brainchild of Leading Celebrity and Performance Guru Sean McPheat. http://www.confidenceworld.com/
Do you tend to observe what’s going on, but hesitate to get involved?
I bet you’ve gone through the following scenario a hundred times:
There you are in the meeting, listening attentively trying so desperately to contribute to the conversations that are taking place.
Sometimes you’re not even listening at all because you are too busy thinking of what you could possibly say!
The person with the biggest mouth is having his or her say, the same old people are talking.
Then “POW! ZAP!” you have a great idea or have a really valuable thing to say but you don’t say it!
You’re too scared. You are frightened that the idea is going to be rubbish or that it is too obvious.
You decide to say nothing!
Then, all of a sudden, as if someone has read your mind, another person comes out with exactly what you were thinking and takes all kinds of credit for it!
“That could and should have been me!” you think and then your confidence takes a massive blow.
I heard a great quote that went:
“It’s better to say nothing and let people think you are stupid rather than open your mouth and remove any doubt”
The first thing you should think to yourself is that you are at the meeting for a reason.
That reason is to take in information as well as to share information yourself.
Exercise
I’d like you to write down a list of all of the times when you have thought of something to say in a meeting but didn’t.
I bet it will be a long list!
Now, just think of all of the plaudits and credit you COULD have got if only you had opened your mouth.
Next to each item write down how it would have made you feel if you would have said it.
What credit would you have got for it?
How does it make you feel now that you have written all of this down?
Confidence starts with making small changes and than making them a habit.
Next time…
* read more at http://www.confidenceworld.com/meetings.htm
CONFIDENCEWORLD was the brainchild of Leading Celebrity and Performance Guru Sean McPheat. http://www.confidenceworld.com/
