Office meetings are regular part of our professional lives. They are set up to share periodic updates, collaborate on new projects, outline management policies or negotiate deals with clients. Meetings are also a great way to get to know the people in your company and an opportunity to showcase your ideas and competencies.

However, many people find it overwhelming and distracting to speak up in front of superiors and colleagues with strong personalities. It is frustrating to have great ideas or to have done the work and not being able to own and present them to the people that matter. Also, your contribution may be overlooked by senior management with you losing chances of recognition or even promotion.

Here are some practical suggestions to make participating in meetings less daunting and more effective:

Prepare notes

As soon as you receive the agenda for an upcoming meeting and it relates directly to your job, write comprehensive but concise notes to remind you what you would like to say or present. For regular meetings, keep updating a list of your important progress as you go. Keeping handy the important points, will help you  feel confident and focused when speaking up.

Be visible

If it is a large group meeting, you may feel invisible among the more prominent members. It may seem safer to sit in a corner, away from the spotlight, but fight the urge to do so. You will find it easier to bring your ideas to the table if you are sitting at the table!

Interject politely

Some of the more vocal colleagues capture the audience’s attention with crisp and interesting things and seem to hijack the whole meeting. Tune in to any pauses in the monologue, excuse yourself for the interruption and speak up. You will have contributed constructively to the agenda and highlighted your capability in the process.

Focus on goals

Make sure you do not appear to speak just for the sake of participating. Concrete ideas focused on achieving results for the team, project or customers, not only show respect for everyone’s time, but also your loyalty and productivity.

Depending on the purpose of a meeting, do try to take steps to stand out and contribute to specific or overall objectives of your organization. With time, you will start to feel comfortable and be more confident.