As a sales manager, you probably attend more meetings in a week than a squirrel has nuts stored for the winter. Meetings are the bane of any leader. The time they sap has been well documented and Dilbert has covered the humorous aspects of their drudgery from every angle. Which is why meetings are a huge opportunity for you to shine, says Brian Tracy, a leading consultant on personal and professional development and author of Speak to Win (AMACOM, 2008). Consider the following story.

Several years ago, Tracy conducted a strategic planning exercise with a large company. Executives at all levels were brought in from around the country. During the meeting, several executives from the head office were clearly detached from the session. But two young executives from distant branches, who had prepared thoroughly, were active participants in every question. During a break, the president of the company remarked to Tracy, “Did you notice how important the contributions of those two guys have been to this meeting?” A month later, Tracy learned both of those executives had been promoted to vice president (and one went on to become the president of a billion-dollar company). Shortly thereafter, he heard the company had announced the “early retirement” of the executives from the head office who had sat silently and contributed nothing to the meeting.

“The power is always on the side of the person who has prepared the most thoroughly,” says Tracy. “You job is to speak to win on every occasion. Your goal is to be seen as an important player in every conversation. Your aim is to persuade others to your point of view and to make an impact on your world. You do this by thoroughly preparing for every meeting that you hold or participate in.”

So how do you prepare to attend a meeting? Find out the purpose of the meeting and then research the issues. Make sure you have something to contribute on each issue that will be raised. And make sure you ask a question, make a statement, or take a position in the first five minutes. Those who do are viewed by other participants as having a more dominant, significant role in the meeting; those who wait to speak until much later are often ignored or dismissed as being unimportant to the meeting.

When it’s your turn to speak, use the PREP formula: state your Point of view, give your Reasons for holding this point of view, follow up with an Example of why your reasoning is correct, and then restate your Point of view. “This is an extremely effective way of impressing the meeting planners and participants with your level of preparation,” says Tracy.

Finally, pay attention to the basics. Signal that you are engaged and ready to participate by arriving early and choosing your seat with care. Select a seat facing the door and either kitty-corner or directly opposite the meeting leader. “This is essential to making your most valuable contribution and to being the most persuasive,” Tracy points out.

For more information, visit www.briantracy.com.

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