Take the Initiative - it's your Meeting
What happens when you’ve been invited to a meeting, but it’s not your meeting to run?
What if you’re further down the food chain than you’d like, and there are far more important people attending than you?
What if you feel intimidated by the other VIP attendees?
First off, this is great news. It means you’ve been invited to attend meetings that powerful people attend. So you’re in the best of company!
Look at it like this:
If you’ve been practicing developing great ideas in all your other meetings then it should be fairly second nature for you to turn any meeting into a place where great ideas can happen.
If you’re working within the premise of the meeting and not hijacking it to some personal agenda, there’s nothing wrong with:
- Confirming aloud the Vision you’re all trying to achieve
- Showing that you care about the Vision
- Confirming aloud and with enthusiasm the opportunity presented here today
- Asking people for more ideas
- Asking for permission to note ideas on a flip chart
- Encouraging others to bring out ideas
You can say things like:
- May I state the Vision just so I’m sure I understand it?
- I feel that with such a great Vision it’s almost like we can’t help but do the right thing
- Would it be polite to write that down? We’re getting some great ideas here (cue flip chart)
- I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here and help develop our Vision
- What’s the best way to do this? How could we do this differently?
- That’s a good idea. May I write it down? That’s a great idea. I’ll just jot it down before we forget it. Anyone mind if I just jot down what everyone’s thinking?
Obviously you’re not going to steal anyone else’s thunder. But you’re tactically aware that a great idea or two has to emerge from this meeting - just like it does with all the other meetings you attend.
Be sure to share the credit with the VIPS. Don’t look like an upstart stealing their thunder.
John ... I’m impressed. Thank you.
The big difference is that in this meeting over all others is that you’ll potentially have the resources and budgets of all the attending VIPS to play with. What could be better!
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