8 Ways To Make Your Voice Heard At Work

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This week, I’ve been reflecting on one of the common anxieties I hear about in my coaching practice: speaking up when more senior or “powerful” people are present. 

Most of us can relate. Picture this scenario: you’re in a meeting, engaged and attentive, when you have the urge to contribute. But then the self-doubt also instantly arrives;  is what I have to say smart enough, well-thought out enough, or some other “enough?” Unsure, you stay silent. Sound familiar? This self-filtering is incredibly common, and it’s not just an early career challenge. Senior leaders often experience this same anxiety at their first few meetings with the CEO or the Board.

While different people hesitate to speak up for different reasons, this hesitation typically stems from the same root cause: the fear that speaking up is somehow “risky.” Our brain’s inherent aversion to risk aided in our evolutionary development, but it also leads us to overestimate the risks of taking action and to underestimate the risks of not taking action.

While we focus on and outweigh the risks of speaking up, there are also risks of not getting your voice into the room. People can interpret your silence as apathy, a lack of ideas, low leadership potential, or a slew of other things you don’t want to project. When others don’t have the chance to hear what you think and see your capabilities, you run the risk of becoming invisible. Both speaking up and staying silent pose a risk, but speaking up comes with much greater rewards. 

“When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.” -  Audre Lorde

Ponder this…

Finding the confidence to speak up starts by confronting the catastrophic thoughts that come when you think about speaking up. Think of your worst-case scenario. Now, ask yourself: how likely is that worst case scenario? And if it did come to pass, how would you handle it? Next, think of the best-case scenario of speaking up. It’s probably more plausible than your nightmare. Identify both the benefits of speaking up and the risks of not speaking up to balance your thinking.

Unfortunately, improved thinking alone is insufficient. Eventually, you’re going to have to take a deep breath, open your mouth, and use your voice. That’s where this newsletter comes in. I want to take you through 8 actions you can take to set yourself up to speak up more at work. These actions have proven to be effective for my clients, and I hope they help you, too. 

Join the banter

At the start of any meeting, there are typically a few minutes of idle chit-chat while people are still arriving. Participate in this casual conversation rather than responding to emails and Slack messages. Joining the banter can help you feel more connected and comfortable with others in the meeting, makes your presence known, and gets you warmed for more verbal contributions. 

Prepare, commit, share

Choose one agenda item or topic ahead of time that you will address in the meeting. Preparing for this one item in advance will help you to add meaningfully to the discussion. Commit to sharing your perspective, even if it ends up being contrary or slightly redundant. 

Set a goal

Before each meeting, set a goal for how many times you want to speak. While seemingly simple, a specific goal gives you a target to shoot for and motivates you to participate. Start small and work your way up. 

Be one of the first to speak

Look for opportunities in every meeting to be the first to share your point of view. When you delay speaking, you allow more time to generate self-doubt about the validity of your opinion, and you run the risk of someone else sharing your idea.

Ask questions

If you’re struggling to share your own ideas, start here. Asking probing questions to better understand others’ viewpoints, suggestions, and proposals is one of the easiest ways to engage in a meeting and can lead to more robust understanding and fruitful discussion for all attending.

Get the look

At meetings, hold your body as if you’re confident and have an important perspective to share, even if you’re not feeling that way. This includes good posture, leaning in, holding direct eye contact, and generally being more expansive with your body. Take up space. Holding your body this way primes your mind for confidence and sets you up to speak more freely.

Don’t overthink it

Say the first thing that comes into your mind. The likely reality is that your ideas and perspectives are no less valuable than those of the other people in the meeting; you’re just overly self-critical. Starting initially in “safer” settings, practice speaking without censoring yourself. You will soon develop greater comfort jumping into conversations without preparation.

Appoint a wingman

If you have a more verbose and trusted colleague in the meeting with you, ask them to pull you into the conversation for certain topics. A wingman can also be especially useful if you find yourself in meetings in which you are either talked over or find that your idea is only heard after it’s subsequently voiced by someone else in the room.

Learn More

Want to learn more about using your voice? Check out these great resources. 

How to Speak Up When It Matters

When you notice something ethically questionable, encounter offensive speech, or disagree with consensus opinion, speaking up can be hard to do. Khalil Smith, Heidi Grant, and David Rock share why it’s important to do it anyway.

Speaking Up Without Freaking Out

In this informative and captivating TEDx talk, Matt Abrahams offers practical solutions to handle communication anxiety and provides tools to empower all of us to confidently share our ideas and stories.

Is it Safe to Speak Up at Work?

This episode of WorkLife with Adam Grant examines what it takes to build a work culture of voice rather than silence.

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