Stress Free Business Meetings

                            Do you feel scared during business review meets? Or   if you feel dumb at every meeting you attend you have to ask the question: "Did I prepare adequately for this meeting?" Most of the people attend business meeting without the background reading and preparation. They are constantly trying to play catch-up because they did not get across the issues from the last meeting, failed to do the necessary preparation, did not have follow-up discussions with other team members, and generally treated the meeting as though it was an obligation not an opportunity. So the first way to overcome the workplace stress trap of feeling dumb at meetings is to become informed. 

                            But some people feel inadequate generally and try to compensate for their inadequacy by talking excessively and unnecessarily. A good motto is 'God gave me two ears and one mouth so that I would listen twice as much as I talked.'  

1.      Be organized by making notes, only speak if you have something important to contribute, and be brief.

2.      Try not to speak more than a few times per meeting so that your colleagues will expect that what you have to say is worthwhile. And they will listen. In this way, you will no longer feel dumb. 

3.      From a psychological point of view, the reality is that most of us are anxious about our performance. We tend to be more negative and self-critical than positive and self-supportive. This negative self talk increases stress and anxiety and reduces our ability to relieve stress and tension. If we add to this the workplace stress trap of not feeling competent at meetings a sense of anticipatory anxiety and reduced feelings of competence and self-efficacy, we compound our feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty.

          This sounds like a lot of jargon but the reality is that if you want to avoid the stress of being dumb at meetings be well-prepared be prudent and thoughtful in what you say, and believe in yourself.