A manager, who has recently been promoted to that role, had difficulty speaking up in the presence of senior management. She confessed to her mentor that she tended to escape into active listening mode instead of speaking up. She pointed three kinds of interaction opportunities with senior management:
- She is presenting to senior management
- She is in discussion with peers where the senior management is present
- She is part of audience when the senior manager is presenting
She sought practical tips from her mentor on how she could improve. What would you suggest?
Suggested Solution:
Mentor provided a few general tips that apply to all kind interactions and a few that would apply to specific scenarios.
General tips:
- Stay at the right level of detail and use language that they will relate to
- Be crisp and concise; be respectful of your leader’s and other people’s time
- Maintain eye contact with whoever you are addressing
- Clarify a question if you do not fully understand
Scenario #1: Manager presenting to senior management
- Take the audience from where they are to where you want them to be
- Address the entire audience not just the leader
- Do not overexplain
- It is ok to say, ‘I do not know’ or ‘I am not sure’ and get back later
Scenario #2: Meeting of peers in the presence of senior management
- Have clarity on the intent of the meeting
- ‘Time’ your intervention; Raise your hand, if in doubt
- Use ‘bridging’ phrases to connect to the flow of the conversation
- Never put your peers down in front of the leader
Scenario #3: Senior leader is the presenter, and you are in the audience
- Listen from the perspective of the leader and connect the dots
- Understand when Q&A is expected; Often good to raise your hand to ask a question
- It is ok to ask a question to clarify your understanding or how it applies to you
