This is wrong. You have to use your shoe. It worked for Kruschev.
This is it exactly. Do not raise your voice, but do not stop talking when you are interrupted.
But do not start over when the interrupter finishes. Treat the interruption as if it hadn’t happened.
ETA: I would not use any introductory phrase like “can I say something?” or anything like that.
Regards,
Shodan
I’ve been in meetings where it’s almost impossible to get a word in edgewise due to the usual loudmouths wanting to hear themselves speak. Every time I would think of an idea or try to provide input, the same thing was babbled out by someone else.
I sometimes found it useful to be the voice of reason as things were wrapping up.
Summarizing what was just agreed to and who had what actions is a good way of participating and leaving a good final impression. If you just spent time in a meeting where no agreement was reached or no actions were forthcoming then it’s OK to voice your concerns about that too.
You’re not out of luck. The problem isn’t the quality of your opinion versus everyone else’s. You just can’t express yourself as quickly as everyone else can. You have to work on being able to express your opinion faster. This might be more difficult because intelligent and well thought out opinions are harder to deliver with speed and clarity than uninformed opinions, but it’s not impossible. All it takes is some practice and a willingness to feel foolish a few times before you get it right.
Giles and Omar Little have given you good advice on how to get a word in. All you have to do is talk, and people will stop and listen. If you start to talk and then get lost in thought, then someone else will try to save you from embarrassment by changing the topic.
If you hesitate before you say something, then you’ll miss your chance to speak, and other members at the meeting will chime in with whatever they want to say. What I do is I think of things I want to say before the meeting. That way when the topic comes up I can launch into my prepared but spontaneous sounding statement at a moments notice.
You can also come up with some quick and meaningless interjections that will turn the spotlight toward you for a brief moment. Then when everyone turns toward you, you can launch into whatever you wanted to say. I say something like, “what about the issue of X?” What Shecky said in the second post also works (“That’s a great idea! Have we also tried…”), because people stop and listen to compliments. When they do stop, you can turn the conversation toward whatever it is that you want to say.
Also remember that intelligent and profound doesn’t mean complicated. Be as succinct as possible with your words. If people don’t understand where you are going within the first two sentences then what you’re saying is probably too complicated.
Don’t assume this ability will come to you without practice. Pick a strategy before the meeting and then try it out. After a few attempts you should start becoming more confident with your speaking ability and you’ll hesitate less when you have something to say.
I agree. Don’t ask for your voice to be heard. Just make it heard. Assuming you’ve tried working with the facilitator of the meeting and he or she is not doing the job properly. If people are talking over each other and interrupting each other, then there’s no real order and the faciiltator isn’t facilitating at all. That’s when you just jump right in, but use your manners and be respectful.
There’s no reason to be any more rude other than, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to make a comment about x topic before we move on.” And then make your point.
But don’t look to anyone else for permission to speak. Don’t ask if you can contribute. Just contribute if you have something to add. Kind of like posting on The Dope: you don’t need permission to speak up, you just post.
But don’t talk just to talk. That’s what all those others are doing: talking just to hear the sound of their own voices. If someone contributes “your” idea, do maybe say a quick “I was just going to say that!” - it doubles as a compliment while also reinforcing the idea that more than one person had that thought, so maybe it’s worth exploring.
Study what the talk-hogs are doing. How do they get the floor in the first place? Do they dominate with body language, set up subtle clues that they’re about to speak (maybe coughing or clearing their throat just before), talk right over another person? Are they so senior or so respected within the group that everyone else automatically shuts up when they speak? Odds are they send out some “I’m going to talk and you’re going to listen” signal that you aren’t picking up.
Start laughing manically, keep it loud until all heads turn to you and they are silent. Then ramp it down gradually until you are chuckling to yourself, shaking your head sadly as you look at the floor.
Then stop, leave it a beat and say “fucking amateurs, getta load of this…” and insert your comment.
It is really surprisingly effective in most corporate environments.