CHRISTINE LIU: OK.
Meetings-- I love collaborating with my colleagues,
but sometimes meeting and the dynamic of speaking up
can be really awkward.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
SPEAKER: --November, they were like, you're not even.
CHRISTINE LIU: I don't know when I'm supposed to like, chime in.
Or I don't want to speak over anyone.
And I'm just waiting for the right moment.
And before I know it, sometimes the meeting is over,
and I'm like, wait, I didn't say anything.
I just feel a lot of pressure to make sure that what I say
is worth it.
By that point, I've already psyched myself
out of saying anything.
I just want to speak up at a meeting.
I mean, it seems so friggin' simple, right?
And I want to be the person that people
know that can bring ideas.
I don't know.
Can I improve?
This is what I want to know.
JUSTIN HALE: I've been confident in my life before,
but being confident about speaking up, no.
So I just shrunk when I was faced with that kind of moment.
CHRISTINE LIU: That's Justin Hale from VitalSmarts.
He's a speaker, master trainer, and the host of One Productive
Minute.
JUSTIN HALE: If I look stupid.
I have no experience.
So, yeah, I can completely relate to that.
CHRISTINE LIU: It was so reassuring, and honestly,
really refreshing to hear even a guy who is like literally
paid to be good at this.
Wow, I just spit on myself.
Even a pro sometimes has trouble,
or has like human feelings.
So when I spelled out the problem to myself,
I just want to speak up more in meetings.
It seems so simple.
Can you explain why that is?
Like, why does it feel harder than it should be?
JUSTIN HALE: It's either a lack of confidence
in your own ability to be able to do it in a way
that you'll be heard, or it's a lack of confidence
other people are going to make it safe for you to say it.
Maybe it's both of those things, and that makes it even harder.
CHRISTINE LIU: How do you judge, oh, maybe I really
shouldn't say that in this environment or in this meeting
because you'll look bad?
JUSTIN HALE: Ask yourself, how can I say this in a way
that I can be 100% honest?
And at the same time, be really respectful.
CHRISTINE LIU: What's a good, like, opening move?
Or, example of--
JUSTIN HALE: A move--
CHRISTINE LIU: That you think are good.
Yeah, just like just to get things going.
JUSTIN HALE: Facts, story or conclusion, and ask,
is such a great way to break right in.
Here are the facts.
Things we can actually see, hear, and observe.
Here's why I care about the facts, or my proposal,
or my concern.
And then end with some really nice open ended--
what do you guys think?
I'd love to hear your views.
If there are other people that see it differently,
please let me know.
CHRISTINE LIU: Theoretically, really simple.
However, in real life things don't always go to plan.
So what if I start talking, and I lose track,
and I don't have the framework.
I'm lost.
JUSTIN HALE: What you shouldn't do is talk more.
That's what most people do, is they
try to double down on their words to get out of it.
Don't do that.
How can I summarize what I'm trying to say in one sentence?
Just very simple.
Just say the one sentence, and then stop talking.
Practice what you're going to say beforehand
to increase your confidence.
Don't make the first time you say
it, the most important moment.
CHRISTINE LIU: So Justin's advice
was to definitely practice before the actual moment.
Luckily, I do have a meeting coming up.
It's about HBR, TikTok, and brainstorming.
I really want to try posing an idea regarding
international content on our platform and getting feedback.
All right.
So, hey.
Yeah, like I have--
OK.
Well, OK.
This is practice.
It's really helpful.
So here's what I have to do.
I have to think about the framework.
When you start with facts, you get a buy-in.
You want to start with data or something that you can measure.
I was looking through the TikTok demographics--
Next, bring in your story.
This is your perspective.
This is the meat of it.
And most people make the mistake of leading with this story.
I love learning about things outside of my purview
on TikTok.
If you lead them with facts, then the story
will be a natural progression, and they'll really
listen and be like, oh, OK.
I see where you're coming from.
Did little digging, and it looks like we're 72% West,
but that means 28% international.
I love learning about things outside of my purview
on TikTok.
And then the third step, ask, is crucial.
You want to say, hey, this is my point of view.
I'd love to hear what you guys think.
You just want to ask a question that invites engagement
and invites real talk.
Should we, and can we, use our international editors
to use TikTok as a platform to share
global and international insights that might
be interesting to our audience.
OK.
Here we go.
I practiced, and I think I'm ready for showtime.
Let's see how this goes.
SPEAKER: [INAUDIBLE].
This is something that I feel like doesn't
belong [INAUDIBLE].
CHRISTINE LIU: Actually, I have something that
like touches upon like light--
not even controversial, but like,
oh, that's different for me.
And I was like digging into the analytics.
It was interesting to me that 72% were US audiences,
but the rest were international.
So that's like a big chunk.
I love TikToks that take me out of my every day.
Like street fashion in China or Turkish cooking.
And I love learning about different languages or words.
I'm wondering are there people in our HBR network,
including [INAUDIBLE] and [INAUDIBLE],,
that could share just like, oh, here
are interesting things about work life or school?
Is that something that we could try,
and then, like, are there people in our network
that could, like, authentically talk
about the international culture lens?
SPEAKER: Yeah.
I'm writing [INAUDIBLE].
CHRISTINE LIU: I think I did OK.
It wasn't the best performance of all time.
I was just doing my best.
And I just know that the next time is going to get easier,
and it's going to get easier.
I mean, I feel a little bit more confident,
and isn't that the best thing?
So speaking up in meetings, it's not
the biggest problem you'll probably encounter at work.
But it is real, and it is one of those small things that
happens all the time every day.
So conquering this little thing can actually
create a big impact.
If you're still watching, one, thank you.
But two, I'm really curious.
Like what do you want me to explore?
What problems do you have at work?
I'd love to solve them.
Please leave a comment.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
And if you have any other ideas, throw them my way.
All right.
Peace out.