Winging it with style

Ever walk into or log onto a meeting feeling like you’re on the back foot? Rushed, scattered, distracted?

No time to prepare.
No space to think.
No clear sense of what you want to say.

So you take your place.

Speak when you’re spoken to (and sometimes not as succinctly as you’d like.)   Or say way too much in the hope you’ll sound smart.

You get through it –  as always.

But afterwards?

You kick yourself.

You didn’t ask the key question.

You didn’t land your point.

You didn’t influence the outcome.

You didn’t lead—you survived.

This is the antithesis of quiet, grounded confidence.

But it’s not your fault – because being overwhelmed can do this to all of us no matter how senior, experienced or confident we might be.

Overwhelm steals your clarity.
It strips your presence.
It reduces your impact.

And the most annoying thing? Hours later, we’re crystal clear on what we ‘could’ have said. If only we could turn back the clock.

The key is preparation (you knew that already) but more importantly – preparing yourself.

I think of it as ‘getting in the zone’.

We know there are times when we will just have to wing it.

But the good news?

We can still get on the front foot by doing these three things:

The five-minute pause  – moving or doing some stretches will shift how you feel and give you more focused energy. (If you take 15 minutes, that would be even better!) I like to channel my Inner Amazon. She helps me feel tall, strong and confident from my core.

A single intention or key point written down can anchor you.

A ‘buying time’ question can help when you’re asked to comment: ‘Can you say more about that?’ or ‘What else is on your mind?’  or ‘I’d love to know your thoughts on that Jed before I respond’. Keep some of those in your toolbox.

These simple tips will help us embody quiet confidence whatever else is happening around us.

To your success, always.