As your career progresses, you will be expected to meet with and influence increasingly important stakeholders. Being able to navigate these high stakes meetings with confidence and conviction is a real skill, and one that can truly benefit your career success.
But understandably, when there’s an important stakeholder meeting or presentation on the horizon, many of us wonder how to maximise our presence and confidence during that meeting - without being something we’re not!
Well, wonder no more! These 20 practical tips can help you be heard and feel more confident at important meetings with stakeholders.
We’ve got a lot to discuss here, so let’s get started!
Before any stakeholder meeting, know who is going to be present and, if possible, how they like to be communicated with. Also take time to review the meeting agenda and note where you can make a meaningful contribution. If you have anything you would like to raise at the meeting, see if you can get it added to the agenda.
OK, this one might sound a bit silly, but if you have something particularly significant to impart, practise how you’re going to say it. When you have practised and perfected your delivery, this will help you feel more prepared during the meeting, which can translate into a more polished, confident presentation.
Once you know who will be attending and what you would like to add to the conversation, you could send an email copied to all attendees to pique their interest about what you wish to bring to the meeting. This needs to be more than simply “we need to talk about x” - this is a rather pushy-yet-vague approach that may unnerve other attendees.
A more practical example would be something like “I’ve got some thoughts to share that may help solve the issue with x and y.”
Where you sit in a meeting with stakeholders matters. Aim to sit as close as possible to “where the action is happening” i.e., close to the chairperson or whoever is presenting.
Once you’re in a good spot, use positive, confident body language to cement your physical presence. Sit with good posture, with your shoulders back and as straight a spine as possible. Speak confidently and make eye contact.
Active listening is a great skill to cultivate, regardless of your role or seniority. It’s a loosely defined set of skills wherein you aim to fully digest what is being said by others without distractions - as opposed to letting your mind wander or thinking about how you are going to respond.
To learn more, Mind Tools and Very Well Mind have some great resources about active listening.
90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, so visual cues help bring information to life. If you’re responsible for imparting crucial data or something that requires a lot of explanation, visual resources like charts or graphs are your friend. Visuals can also help simplify complex data and aid memorability.
Early participation within a stakeholder meeting sets a strong precedent that you are going to make meaningful contributions throughout. It displays your intelligence and engagement straight out of the gate and paints you as a valuable asset to the meeting.
However, this tip comes with a word of warning. Your first contribution sets the stage for you throughout the rest of the meeting. When your first contribution is strong, this puts you in a good light for the rest of the meeting. But if your first contribution is poor or pointless, you may end up with egg on your face for the rest of the meeting!
How you say your piece can be just as important as what you say. In order to sound more confident, there are some obvious pitfalls to avoid, such as saying “Sorry, I…,” “... I’m afraid,” “I think…,” or “I don’t know” - as well as the dreaded umms and ahhs.
You should also structure what you are going to say too - especially if you’re presenting. Consider the main points you want to make and the conclusions you want to draw people to. Focus on using “power words” that make you sound resolute and decisive
Speak as straightforwardly as possible - no tangents here, please! Consider how you can convey your ideas as precisely as possible without any room for ambiguity.
If you’re presenting information that you have prepared beforehand, you could even pre-empt certain queries and objections and nip them in the bud, saving everyone’s time and energy.
Neuroscientists have proven that our brains pay attention when someone says our name, lighting up the parts of the prefrontal cortex that make us who we are. Referring to someone by name therefore fosters a strong sense of connection and recognition. So, address people by name in meetings - it creates more engagement than you might think!
Being able to project your voice is an essential professional skill, especially if you regularly speak to larger groups. If you’re speaking loudly and feel like your throat is straining, then you’re probably shouting!
The solution here is to project your voice like an actor or singer does on stage. Don’t create volume by tensing your throat - breathe deeply and speak from your diaphragm. This adds a richer, more authoritative tone to your voice, too.
Here are a few other resources about projecting your voice from Theatre Folk and Wikihow.
Occasionally, a conversation will hit a dead end and the room will descend into an awkward silence. This can leave us mentally scrambling to break the silence.
But it’s less of a scramble when you have a plan. Use that silence to open the floor to someone who got interrupted, to pick up a thread that got lost earlier, or to ask someone to chime in about an interesting point raised earlier.
Sometimes, people will interrupt you or others. Don’t be afraid to speak up for individuals who are clearly not finished saying their piece - especially if that individual is you!
Be polite here. Never shush someone or tell them to shut up. Aim for something that says “OK, let’s put a pin in that thought - please let the contributing party finish their thought first and we’ll come back to you.”
A good example is “Alright Gavin, keep that in mind, we can come back to you when we’ve finished hearing from Rebecca.”
This one’s far easier said than done! When dealing with an interruption or an unpleasant interaction, our natural instinct is often to be unpleasant back or to become defensive.
Yet staying emotionally neutral in meetings is beneficial for all involved. You are all gathered for the same reason: to solve a problem, to decide on something, or to simply understand the status quo - not to put the spotlight on any particular person or their feelings. Which brings us nicely on to…
In a similar vein, remember that when people are short with you, seem to be angry, or they just feel off - and you haven’t been responsible for a failure or disappointing results - then that’s not necessarily a “you” problem. Don’t feel like you have to defend yourself or appease those individuals unless you are directly at fault.
At one of our recent Women in Tech webinars, leadership coach Susan O’Connor shared an excellent piece of wisdom that seems to have originated from television host and comedian Craig Ferguson:
There are three things you must always ask yourself before you say anything:
Does this need to be said?
Does this need to be said by me?
Does this need to be said by me, now?
Sometimes we feel an urge to over-share and overtake the spotlight. Take a step back and think - does this actually contribute something meaningful? Or is this coming from a gut reaction? Is this going to derail the conversation?
That middle question, “Does this need to be said by me?” is particularly impactful. If you can flag a point that is probably best tackled by someone else, feel free to bat it over to the right person, rather than wading in yourself!
When you see that someone is following the conversation but seems to be keeping their thoughts to themselves, encourage them to participate.
If you know their areas of expertise, urge them to share their thoughts when a relevant topic comes up. If you’re less sure about their role, you can still give them the floor, asking if they have something they want to add. Sometimes, quieter individuals just need a bit of help breaking the ice!
There’s a concept in improvisational comedy called “yes, and…” that has also made its way into business and brainstorming. It’s a simple tactic that allows an individual to recognise what someone else has said and then build on it with their own ideas.
Similarly, you can constructively disagree with an idea and add your own suggestions by gently using the complementary “no, but…” technique.
If you think someone has contributed something really valuable, don’t be shy about telling them! Praise their input and ask them to elaborate if it would be fruitful to do so.
With remote and hybrid working options here to stay, it’s important to remember some essential online meeting courtesy too.
Firstly, never try to multitask. People notice when you’re looking at your emails rather than the meeting - especially if you have a multi-screen setup. Just don’t do it. Close all unrelated tabs and windows and be present like you would be in the same room.
Eliminate distractions from your background - especially moving ones as these particularly draw the eye. Blurring and replacing backgrounds can be a good shout but can be even more distracting if they glitch out!
Also, aim to look at your webcam camera when someone is speaking because it looks and feels most like eye contact.
Whether your meeting is in person or online, we hope these tips will help you create a confident, impactful presence in front of stakeholders and team members alike.
However, if you are continually being talked over, unheard, or publicly criticised in meetings, this could be a sign of a toxic workplace. Ready to make a move in the IT industry? Submit your CV here to get no-nonsense advice from our friendly IT recruitment consultants.