How to use pointless meetings to sell your ideas and advance your career

Few activities in the business world eat up as much time as meetings. Professionals spend 37% of their time in meetings, and it’s worse for executives, who by some estimates devote 85% of their days to meetings.

But if you look around during a typical meeting, you’ll see people texting, or treating the event with indifference. Too often, these gatherings are regarded as a painful obligation.

Imagine if you approached meetings with an entirely different mind-set–as a place where you can sell your ideas and demonstrate your leadership. With that mind-set, you will help your organization, and not incidentally, your own career.

The following five steps will enable you to sell your ideas, and make your meetings more productive and engaging.

1. Figure out what you want to sell

The starting point is having a sales mind-set. Most people enter meeting rooms with a knowledge of the topics, and some background on them. But rarely do participants come in with a desire to pitch their thinking. Yet if you are invited to a meeting, it’s because others think you have something to say. You need to come prepared to make that point or make your position clear.

For example, let’s say you’re in a meeting focused on a new marketing plan. You’ve been invited because you’re versed in the product being marketed. Decide what point of view you want to get across. Do you support the plan, have reservations about it, or downright dislike it? Knowing what you’re selling will give you a sense of purpose. It will energize you from the moment you walk into that meeting.

2. Listen for your “in”

Once the discussion starts, listen carefully to the exchanges and find the right moment to present your ideas.

There are various times when you can take control. One is when other voices in the room are moving toward the position you want to present. In that case, speak up and say, “I agree with George’s view on this. In fact, I’d like to build upon it.” That collaborative tone will win you listeners.

Another situation in which you can best introduce your views is when the discussion is moving away from what you’d like to say. This is a ripe opportunity to sway the thinking of the room. But be discreet—don’t begin with “on the contrary,” or “I don’t agree.” Those phrases will distance you from the previous speaker and position you as a negative presence. Instead, begin, “Leah and Jamal have argued that . . . and while I see how they arrived at their conclusion, there is another point of view we should consider.”

In both instances, the art of the pitch begins with listening, and showing that you are sensitive to the views in the room and you are building upon them or recognizing them.

3. Cut to the chase with one single point

Pitching your ideas requires getting to your point as soon as possible–or you’ll lose listeners and they won’t be there for you when you do get to your message.

This message should be a one-sentence statement that distills your thinking and defines the essence of your pitch. It can be a message about how to move forward (“As I see it, we need to first get our business partners on side”) or it can be a message about staffing (“Marketing needs to take the lead on this”) or it can be a message about serving a client (“This is too good an opportunity to lose by charging them more than they are willing to pay”).

The point is to have a point—one, simple, clear, compelling idea that reaches the room.

4. Elaborate with clear points

You have your audience listening to your idea. Don’t ramble or wander, or introduce an information dump. Instead, choose two to four points that successfully develop your idea.

Your might briefly elaborate your points, but if you want your audience to stay with you, count them out–use “first,” “second,” “third,” to earmark the points.

5. End with a call to action

You’ll want closure on your idea, so specify what you want the others in the room to do, or what will you do for them. Every sale ends with an “ask,” and every time you sell an idea, you need to ask your audience to act upon what you’ve said. Otherwise, there is no sale, no closure, and no impact.

A call to action can be a gentle suggestion of next steps (“I suggest we move to appoint a team to lead this initiative”) or it can be a more decisive rallying cry (“Given that we all want this program to move forward, let’s set out a timetable; appoint a team; and have a report on progress at our next meeting”) At times your call to action can also be a self-delegated act (“I’ll take the lead on this”).

These five steps will enable you to play a leadership role in every gathering. Your ideas will benefit the organization, and you’ll help make meetings more exciting for everyone.