There’s a full moon out, your child has the flu, and your neighbor’s cat has taken to waking you up every morning… at 4 am. Needless to say, you didn’t get much sleep. But now, as you sit in your weekly kick-off meeting, struggling to act as a responsible and capable team leader, the words just don’t come easy. But if you don’t want any of your team members to catch on, try these tips and learn how to look smart in meetings. Even on 3 hours of sleep.
1. „And what did you think?“
In situations where you don’t have much to contribute to the conversation, let the others speak up. The benefits of this move are twofold. While you cleverly divert the attention away from yourself, you also show your employees how important their opinion is to you.
The effect? A more motivated team!
2. „25 percent of all customers… Wow, that’s one out of every four!“
This tip is guaranteed to work: As soon as someone mentions a percent or statistic in a meeting, find another way to phrase that stat. Then make a note of your “realization,” as if to show that the significance of this discovery should not escape you.
Impress your colleagues with your mathematical prowess, and the unbelievable speed of calculation. Your coworkers will interpret your enthusiasm as passionate interest, and believe that you take the subject very seriously.
3. „An interesting idea, but is it scalable?“
Regardless of what you’re discussing – the question of “scalability” is a classic that applies to every situation. Nobody ever knows exactly what’s implied, but whoever’s presenting will usually work to wiggle away from the question of scalability and try to change the subject. And quickly. Alternatively, you can also ask about the utility of the project.
4. „I’d like to put my opinion aside for a moment. What would Elon Musk think of this idea?“
When someone asks you directly for your opinion on the topic at hand, don’t panic. Just smoothly segue towards the opinion of another trusted executive. Naturally, you can select from any number of legendary CEO’s and visionaries, or even throw out an errant quote.
You coworkers will be impressed by your ability to look outside the box, and to consider your current situation in a broader scope.
5. „I think perhaps we should visualize what this might look like, so that everyone can really appreciate the idea.“
Have you lost track of the bigger picture in this meeting? Then take advantage of your leadership position, and ask them to create a diagram.
Effect #1: You’ll finally understand what’s going on. Effect #2: You’ll take on the role of a mentor and show your team spirit by asking everyone to get involved.
If you’ve actually understood what was going on up to this point, you could even start the diagram yourself – get yourself to the flip chart and get it started. With a move like this, you’ll impress every employee in the room.
6. „Can we please get to the point here? Thank you.“
This is a fabulous sentence to use when the rest of your colleagues start speaking circles, and the conversation gets heated.
Call the room to order and demonstrate that the boss – you – can keep a cool head in chaotic situations.
Lean back calmly in your seat, and ask one of the most qualified people in the room to concisely explain the topic at hand. Then, prepare yourself to finish with our final tip – we’ve saved the best for last.
7. „So to summarize, we need to [blank.] That’s my take.“
Wait until the team’s expert has finished explaining the main issue at hand. This might be the engineer, or the project leader – or maybe even someone who works outside of management. Paraphrase whatever they said, but slowly.
This gives the appearance that you not only understood the meeting, but more importantly, that you’re going to proceed with some action points.
You’ve registered the most important results of the meeting, and how your team can move forward. Simply brilliant.
No one is happy about being unprepared, and ideally, this won’t happen often. But, should you find yourself at your wit’s end, maintain your poise and sovereignty as a senior manager, and remain a role model for your team – elegantly ignorant.
