The way that work is organised in large companies, it’s inevitable that you will spend a lot of time in meetings, some of it useful but a lot not.

Where to sit

Not next to the boss – you’ll look like a sycophant. It’s not a good place anyway because you won’t get eye contact. The best place is usually opposite the boss or the chairman, but anywhere where you can get good eye contact with the key people is good.

Eye contact

This is essential so make it early on. Check out everyone in the room, not just the speaker. Men are easily sucked into macho power politics played out in a meeting room and think the only powerful place to be is holding court.

In fact, strong eye contact with the speaker or your boss will give them visual cues and increase your influence in the meeting room.

If you are speaking and someone challenges you, don’t just answer them but have eye contact with everyone in the room. This diffuses the challenger’s power and means everyone else stays engaged too.

Use bulletpoints

These are a very useful way of communicating your views whether they’re mental notes or scribbled down. Three is a good manageable number, not too many and not too few. You can even preface your comments with I’ve three things to say’. It provides a frame for your comments.

Take a breather

The odd pause when you speak is very powerful – it works like a verbal highlighter. So if you want to emphasise a point or give credit, pause before you move on.

When people are under pressure or on the back foot, they tend to talk more. If you’re the chair or the most powerful person in the room and talk without pause, people will feel excluded.

Body language

You have to signal before you speak. This might be simply eye contact with the chairman or previous speaker. Or you may have to signal more strongly and put up your hand. Either way you need give some kind of cue and receive an acknowledgement before you speak up.

If you want to make a point positively it’s better to lean forward slightly. Leaning back can give the impression that you are evasive or are defensive.

If you're shy

If you are in a weak position or find it difficult to speak up in meetings, name what it is before you say it. ‘I wonder if it’s Okay if I say something about x at this point’. Asking permission politely is a great way of getting the floor, but you have to know what you’re going to say next!

If you're loud

Remember that if you hog the airwaves, people will soon get used to the sound of your voice and not hear what you’re actually saying.

Tips from:
Tina Lamb, The Impact Factory
Professor Cary Cooper, professor of behavioural psychology, Lancaster University
Noreen Tehrani, chartered psychologist