3 ways to conquer your self doubt in key procurement meetings
Any procurement professional knows that meetings are a key personal branding opportunity.
They are the vehicle in which you work collaboratively with your team, understand what is happening, and most importantly, have an opportunity to impress those around you.
And unfortunately, in procurement, there’s often no such thing as a quiet achiever: research shows that those who speak more at work are more likely to become leaders.
So, what happens when you want to speak up in these meetings, but you’re crippled with self doubt?
A fear of speaking up in meetings is extremely common, and unfortunately, it’s something that affects women more than men.
Research shows women often speak less in meetings for a number of reasons, including that they are conscious of taking up too much time, over-explaining, or simply that imposter syndrome is holding them back.
If you’re being crippled by self-doubt during meetings, here’s three ways to conquer it:
1. Announce your idea
When everyone is excitedly giving their opinions in a meeting, it’s sometimes difficult to pluck up the courage to interrupt.
This fear can be compounded if you’ve ever been in a situation where you’ve moved past your fear, only to stumble over your first few sentences, and then feel embarrassed as a result.
In order to prevent this from happening, a great way to conquer your self-doubt in meetings is to announce your idea first.
For example, instead of interjecting straight away with your point about supplier payment terms that you think are unreasonable, start with an announcement of what you’re going to talk about.
For example, you can say:
- Can we take a step back and think about this from a supplier’s perspective?
Or - How about we consider the payment terms for a second?
Pre-announcing your point gives you the space to take a breath instead of potentially stumble over that first sentence, and then allows you to make the rest of your point with confidence to ensure you are heard.
2. Ensure you know the what and the why
When you want to say something but your heart is beating in your chest, it’s difficult to think straight, and also to think through why your colleagues might care about the particular point you want to make.
But in order to conquer your self-doubt, it’s important to think about more than just the idea you want to share – and instead understand why it is important to your audience.
The reason for this is because, if you do work up the courage to share an idea but it isn’t well-received, you may find yourself in a negative self-doubt cycle.
Take, for example, the idea that long payment terms may negatively affect your supplier. Instead of simply sharing your thoughts on this, ensure that you do so in a way that shows how it will ultimately affect your procurement team.
You can state that longer payment terms may put the supplier under so much pressure they may have to close their doors, which would in turn negatively impact your organisation. Stating the ‘why’ will help your colleagues better understand your point and appreciate it more.
3. Ask for feedback
Meeting dynamics are often complex, and procurement meetings are also often rushed with lots on the agenda.
Yet still, if you make a point you think is important, it’s critical that you gauge what others think – both from a self-confidence perspective, but also to see whether the team wants to take action.
In order to ensure this occurs, after you’ve made your point, try inviting feedback by asking your procurement colleagues what their thoughts are, or what they would do about a certain issue.
That way, not only will you ensure you are being heard and understood – your colleagues will also feel like they are part of the conversation too.
Do you ever worry about speaking up in meetings? What have you done to overcome your fears? Let us know in the comments below.
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Find more Women In Procurement & Supply Chain news, insights, and best practises at Procurious.com.
Read more at Procurious.com:
- Women in Procurement: Uncertain of your chances? Go for it anyway
- How to be more confident (and seem more competent) in your procurement career
- Becoming fearless: Facing imposter syndrome
- Is quiet quitting a fight for self-care in the workplace?
- How to silence your inner critic and be kind to yourself after a layoff
- Men for Women: Three Revelations from Procurement’s Male Campaigners for Change
