How to use meetings as a stage for your success
When Barack Obama was US President in 2013, some of America’s brightest minds worked on his advisory staff, including many successful women. Nevertheless, their expertise and contributions were often ignored or not given sufficient recognition. To counteract this, these women developed the “Amplifying” strategy, which aimed to highlight and recognize the ideas and suggestions of their female colleagues. This strategy underlines the importance of visibility and successful communication in meetings. I would like to show you how Acting can transform your meetings from boring and pointless to meaningful and successful for you personally.
A meeting is a stage on which we want to achieve certain goals, such as making decisions, solving problems or presenting new ideas. In order to successfully achieve these goals, we need to make ourselves visible at the meeting and successfully communicate our contributions and ideas. In the next few sections, I will show you how to present yourself in meetings and communicate successfully in order to get the best out of every situation and be successful.
Meetings provide an opportunity to present yourself, share ideas and demonstrate your skills. Acting techniques such as body language, voice, tone of voice and the conscious control of one’s own emotions can be decisive here.
To use meetings effectively, you should not only pay attention to your outward appearance, but also to your inner attitude. Acting techniques can help you keep your emotions under control, exude confidence and self-assurance and make a lasting impression.
Consciously managing emotions is also important when dealing with other meeting participants. Enthusiasm and passion for a topic can inspire other participants and convince them of your idea. Emotions can help to build a connection and inspire and motivate other participants in the meeting. When it comes to bringing about change, emotions can help to get other participants involved and actively collaborate.
Success in meetings means not only presenting yourself as a valuable employee, but also contributing to the successful advancement of the company. A good balance between emotions and facts, targeted preparation, presence and communication skills are crucial to making meetings a platform for professional success.
The 6 steps to success in meetings
Strategies and techniques for a convincing presence and communication
- Preparation: Prepare thoroughly for the meeting by studying the agenda, collecting relevant information and data and structuring your ideas and arguments. Good preparation is the key to appearing confident and competent in meetings.
- Body language and presence: Pay attention to your body language, voice and tone of voice to radiate self-confidence and professionalism. Use eye contact, upright posture and clear gestures to strengthen your presence and signal to others that you are ready to be heard.
- Active participation: Show interest and commitment by actively participating in the meeting. Ask questions, share your ideas and opinions, and listen carefully when others speak. This shows that you are a team player and are willing to work with others to find solutions.
- Emotional intelligence: Use your emotions in a targeted way and pay attention to how they affect others. Show enthusiasm and passion for your ideas to inspire others, but avoid negative emotions such as anger or frustration. Learn to recognize and respond to the emotions of others in order to create a pleasant and productive working environment.
- Inclusion and appreciation: Promote a culture of openness and equality in meetings by giving all participants space to share their opinions and ideas. Support and acknowledge the contributions of others to create an atmosphere of collaboration and respect. Inclusive communication promotes joint success and innovation within the team.
- Strategic use of acting methods: Engage with modern acting methods that focus on the targeted use of emotions. Learn techniques such as the Meisner method or the Stanislawski method to evoke authentic emotions and use them specifically in communication. By using the keyboard of emotions consciously and strategically, you can build connections more easily in meetings, influence other participants and respond more effectively to their needs and concerns.
Well then, don’t forget that success in meetings doesn’t just depend on your expertise or experience. It’s also about how well you present yourself and your ideas. If you follow these 6 steps and continuously work on your communication skills, you will not only rock in meetings, but also master the art of performing. Who knows, you might even develop the charm and persuasiveness of someone like Barack Obama, who inspires everyone and achieves great things together with his team.
So take to the stage and show the world of work what you’ve got!
