How To Get Noticed in a Meeting with Senior Managers
The other day, I was asked by a very talented, driven and well educated young professional, “How do you get noticed in a meeting with senior managers”?
My advice
Make sure you plan how you will present yourself in a meeting as much as what you will say in the meeting. This is equally true if you are making a presentation or if you are asked to attend as a participant.
Did you know it takes only three to five seconds for someone to form a first impression?
While you might think that impressions are based solely on intelligence or experience, most studies show that first impressions are shaped by what can be seen or heard in the initial few seconds of the greeting. This impression, coupled with intelligence and competence will get you noticed…for the right reasons.
What impression do you want to make?
Here are a few things to do to get noticed and create a positive impression.
Practice your communication style
Do you speak clearly, professionally and at an appropriate pace and sound level? Does the energy in your voice convey confidence and competence? Speak up. Be mindful when choosing your words. Avoid passive fillers, for example, “I, like, go to the meeting and, like, guess who’s there….…”, or “So, I’m like, let’s set up another meeting, or “It’s, like, a successful product introduction?”. Use action verbs instead. Here are revised examples: “Went to a meeting the other day, and guess who was there?” Or, “Set the next meeting for a month from today.” Or, “Make the next product introduction a success.” Video yourself speaking and then ask a colleague or friend to review the video. Have them identify ways you can improve your verbal communication to create a confident impression. If necessary, attend a presentation skills workshop or hire a communications coach to identify ways to be a more effective speaker.
Plan your wardrobe
Do your clothes project an appropriate business image? For example, if you’re trying to cultivate an executive presence in a formal industry and company, do you dress the part by wearing more conservative clothing? If you want people to view you as creative, do your clothing and accessory choices reflect your individual creativity? Personal shoppers and stylists are great resources to help you upgrade your wardrobe and overall ‘look.’
Practice good business etiquette
How is your handshake? A weak or limp handshake is an obvious sign of a lack of confidence, so work on making sure that you offer a firm hand when meeting others. Practice business etiquette. When you first arrive in the meeting, greet everyone with a firm handshake, introduce yourself and remember each person’s name. Use that person’s name whenever speaking to them in the meeting. And when the meeting convenes, say goodbye to each person by name. These are important things to do to ensure you are creating a confident and professional impression.
Examine your body language
Do you smile and make eye contact when first meeting someone? One of the best ways to appear confident is to maintain eye contact in social interactions. Good eye contact shows others that you are interested and comfortable. Stand Straight. Don’t slouch. Straighten your back, pull your shoulders away from your ears, and uncross your arms and legs. Practice sitting at the end of your seat with your elbows and forearms on the table. When you walk into the room, take a lesson from those who are confident and walk with your head up, your eyes looking forward and acknowledge everyone in the room.
Take notes
Most people will bring a pen and pad (or their iPad or laptop) to a meeting, but not everyone uses these to take thorough notes. When you are in a meeting, listen to those speaking and write key points that each participant makes. Take notes after the person has finished speaking. Use your notes to determine main ideas from the meeting. Identify important talking points as well as conflicting points, different personalities and hidden agendas. This becomes your meeting playbook. Use this playbook as a guide to actively participate and get noticed at future meetings. Like all good playbooks, keep your information current and update with valuable insights.
For sure, your note taking will be seen by others. This will create curiosity by those who are not taking notes. Those who may not have noticed you before will begin to ask you questions and may ask you to share your notes with them. This is a good opportunity to have a follow-up meeting with them and make another great impression.
Step-up and take action
How many times have you been in a meeting and someone says, “That’s a great idea.” What usually happens? Nothing! Or the one hour discussion about a topic ends and everyone runs to the door to leave for the next meeting. Many suggestions were discussed to solve the problem, but no one took responsibility to move the problem to the next step. How to get noticed? Create an action plan and discuss this with the meeting leader. Hold yourself accountable. Your hands-on attention will create an impact, make an impression and get you noticed.
Take the initiative to act upon an idea that you believe in – whether it was presented in the meeting by you or someone else. Take action and show others that you can be responsible enough to hold yourself accountable and to complete the task.
Pre-meeting preparations about your communication style and wardrobe, when in the meeting make observations of others, listen and interpret meeting dynamics; take thorough notes and then create a playbook that you can act on are the things that will elevate you, earn you respect and get you noticed. Take time to manage your image and this will improve the odds of making a positive impression in those meetings with senior managers – and will help you exude confidence and competence in almost any situation. Let us know how we can help you get noticed in your business meetings or any other business related event.
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