How to Impress in a Meeting
Meetings can be stress-inducing, particularly if you are called upon to speak in front of the group. When it's your turn to wow those around the conference table, consider a few quick tips to ensure that you are concise and come across as knowledgeable. Enter the meeting prepared and ready to engage your audience to ensure that you leave the group with a generally impressive recollection of your participation in the meeting.
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Instructions
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Be prepared. Gather all your documents the day before, no less than several hours before the meeting. Review all your information to be sure you have everything you plan to discuss, including enough copies for one or two extra unexpected attendees. Be sure that all printed documents are clean and straight. Double check that all electronic media such as slide-show presentations, video conferencing and Web data will be available and cued for your meeting.
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Be short and to the point. Prepare your information ahead of time. Know your information to the best of your ability so you don't ramble when it's your turn to speak. Speak on the highlights and provide a general overview at the beginning of the meeting. Move into discussing your points in detail. End by closing with a final review of what you stated and any lasting points attendees need to remember.
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Leave behind something valuable. Provide attendees with something to keep your points and topics at the top of their minds and easily accessible. Provide a website address that leads to more information or distribute some of the meeting handouts for attendees to use to reference at a later time. Provide your contact information or offer to meet one on one for deeper details on a particular issue or interest.
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Let your personality shine. You want to be comfortable when presenting information, but you also want your attendees to get a chance to feel connected to you and what you're saying. Avoid using a monotone voice when delivering information. Occasionally use light anecdotes that relate to what you're discussing, even if it's a short and simple story about how you were preparing the information --- such as getting rained on while heading to the copy shop.
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