How to Hold Your Own at the C-Suite Table
The Public Speaker shares 4 tips for exerting influence to get your ideas heard.
Lisa B. Marshall
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How to Hold Your Own at the C-Suite Table
You have probably witnessed the situation during a meeting when one person introduces an idea that is passed over. But then, the idea is repeated (perhaps in different words) by someone else and all of a sudden it gets traction. This may have even already happened to you. It’s a challenge that we all face from time to time: getting our ideas heard. .
Although men do face this issue, it is more prevalent for women. In one interesting study, Western Michigan University researcher, Kathleen Propp, handed out cards of information and asked participants to introduce a key bit from the cards to a group. The result? When a man introduced an idea, it was almost always used, whereas when a woman introduced the idea, the most common response was to ignore it. Men contributing the idea were 6 times more likely to influence the group!
Recently I interviewed Linda Descano, President & CEO of Women & Co. Citibank’s online resource for women professionals. Here’s what Linda had to say about influence at the C-suite:
“It’s important to speak with confidence, project your voice, and make eye contact with the one or two key decision-makers in the room. Sometimes I actually direct my comment to the key decision-maker to grab attention. If someone does repeat a point that I made, I acknowledge it, saying ‘Yes, thank you X, for expanding on the point I made earlier. Your comment really helped bring it to life,’ or something like that.”
(Listen to the full interview or watch the video interview)
When you’re sitting in a meeting and you’ve got a mixed audience, it’s important to understand how to make yourself heard. That’s why today I’d like to talk about important skills to help you be heard—particularly at the C-suite table!
Assured Attitude
Linda’s quote touched on my first point already—speak with confidence. Before you even enter the room, it’s important to check-in with what is going on internally. An assured attitude (notice I didn’t say assertive) is critically important—assured in the sense that you believe that sooner or later everyone in the room will hear and respect you. It is important not to feel nervous or intimidated (or show that you’re feeling either of those things).
The point is you can’t go in with an attitude that you’ll never earn their respect or that you’ll have to fight to get your ideas heard. When you go in with negativity, it comes out in your word choices and body posture.
Power Posing
For a quick confidence boost just before your meeting, try holding yourself in a “power pose.” Power poses are simply how we physically express power in our bodies—basically taking up a lot of space with open body postures. Harvard Business School’s Amy Cuddy, Caroline Wilmuth, and Dana Carney found that by holding yourself in a “power pose” for as little as two minutes, it will make you feel measurably more powerful and willing to take risks.
It’s not just in your head. Holding a power pose actually changes your hormones, increasing testosterone (a hormone that makes you feel dominance) and decreasing cortisol (a stress hormone). You can learn more about how power posing affects performance in this paper and in this TED video.
Show Up, Sit Down, and Speak Up!
If you’ve been invited to the table, act as if you belong there. Be an active participant, not a visitor. Choose your seat wisely. Are you presenting? Then sit at the front of the room. Are you leading? Then sit at the head of the table across from the entrance so you can see others as they enter. Are you playing devil’s advocate? Sit directly across from the leader. Are you supporting the leader? Sit next to him or her. Want to be a neutral facilitator? Sit in the middle. However, never sit on the outside (not at the table) or in the corners, if you want to be heard.
Actively and assuredly state your opinions and ideas using the language of leadership, which is precise, clear, crisp, diplomatically direct, and emotionally neutral. Hostile, negative, or emotionally charged words will only serve to sabotage your efforts. In addition, you don’t want to look or sound timid (e.g. “Could we discuss X?”) or defeated (e.g. “They’ll never take me seriously…”). Always use powerful, deliberate gestures and confident language without any hostility or defensiveness particularly when sitting at the C-suite table.
Repetition and Interruptions
In order to exert power and influence in meetings, it is important to understand the importance of repetition. If you feel like your ideas are being ignored or discounted, do not respond emotionally. Instead, simply repeat your idea again in a slightly different way, “Let’s look at it another way…” or “Here’s something else to consider…” The point is to remain in the game by repeating your thoughts and ideas in language that you know will click with the decision-makers.
When at the C-suite table, it is particularly important to back up your ideas with thoughtful analysis. Be prepared to support your point of view with facts and figures. Come prepared with well-researched evidence. The idea is to state your point of view backed-up by a variety of sources. Even better if you can predict possible objections and present additional data that addresses those concerns.
Finally, be mindful of interruptions. Although the research is not crystal clear, there is some evidence that men interrupt more than women and, specifically, they interrupt to take over control of the meeting more than women. Among men, that behavior is typically considered normal. However, for women, interrupting is perceived as negative or rude. So it’s important to balance how/when to interrupt. Don’t wait for long pauses to jump into the conversation. As soon as someone has finished speaking, jump in and make your point clearly and concisely using your full voice and direct eye contact.
This is Lisa B. Marshall, helping you maximize sales, manage perceptions, and enhance leadership through keynotes, workshops, books, and online courses. Passionate about communication; your success is my business.
Do you struggle with difficult conversations? Do you procrastinate when it comes to delivering feedback? Do you know how to effectively persuade and influence others? Learn this and more in my book Smart Talk. Radio personality, Maureen Anderson called it “The owner’s manual for your mouth!” Visit smarttalksuccess.com to get your personally signed copy.
Meeting, woman executive, and woman speaking images courtesy of Shutterstock.
About the Author
Lisa B. Marshall Lisa holds masters with duel degrees in interpersonal/intercultural communication and organizational communication. She’s the author of Smart Talk: The Public Speaker’s Guide to Success in Every Situation, as well as Ace Your Interview, Powerful Presenter, and Expert Presenter. Her work has been featured in CBS Money Watch, Ragan.com, Woman’s Day, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and many others. Her institutional clients include Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard University, NY Academy of Science, University of Pennsylvania, Genentech, and Roche.