Career / Work · Advice & Questions · Oct 16

My manager says I need to speak up, but my useful ideas come after the meeting

Career / Work

My manager’s feedback was, “Your written work is strong, but I need to hear you in the room.” I asked for an example, and she mentioned our weekly planning meeting.

There are eight of us around the table. Two colleagues think aloud quickly, and the conversation often moves to the next topic while I’m still checking whether an idea would work. I usually send a short note afterward. Last week, my note spotted a clash between the proposed event date and our delivery schedule, and we changed the plan.

I understand my manager’s point. The team can’t consider an idea during the meeting if I don’t say it, and a late correction sometimes means reopening a decision. But I also don’t want to start offering half-formed objections just to be heard.

I asked whether we could get the agenda a day earlier. She said we can try, but she also wants me to contribute when the topic is unexpected. I have another review in three months, and “speak up more” feels too vague to practise.

How would you turn that feedback into something workable? Should I focus on joining the conversation faster, ask for a different meeting format, or agree on a more specific kind of contribution?

Discussion

3 community replies

@JulesAfterDark

Ask what your manager needs to hear that she isn’t hearing now. Does she want you to flag constraints before a decision, explain your reasoning or help others develop an idea? Those are different things to practise. You could agree to try one specific contribution over the next few meetings and get feedback soon afterward. Counting how often you speak would tell you less about whether the feedback has been addressed.

@MaxOnMain

An early contribution can be a question rather than a fully formed position. In the event discussion, “Have we checked that date against the delivery schedule?” would have put the issue on the table without requiring you to know the answer yet. That may be a manageable experiment for unexpected topics. You’re offering something useful while being honest about what you haven’t checked.

@MorganSays

The meeting format is worth testing alongside your own practice. You could propose a short pause before the group finalises a decision, with everyone writing down a concern or question. The manager would need to make space for that. The earlier agenda is another useful trial. I’d connect both requests to the specific scheduling clash, so the discussion stays about catching relevant information in time.

My manager says I need to speak up, but my useful ideas come after the meeting

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