Taking a meeting

The difference between singing and talking is just a little nuance.

If you were to push the air a little harder through your vocal chords, you could sing (and dance) your way through a meeting!

The same attention that you give to your voice, melody and lyrics when you sing, should be given to how you use your voice, melody (emotions) and lyrics (words) when you speak.

What do you want from the meeting and how are you going to get it?

A good friend of mine says he makes a decision on which voice he needs to use - Clint, Ghandi, or Curly - and that guides as far as how he needs to approach any given meeting. Will he have to be tough, be all zen, or inject comedy to get what he wants?

How you present yourself and identifying the information you need them to have are essential to getting the response you want. If you are unsure of yourself or your plans and present them in a way that is not understandable then you are not going be successful in getting what you want out of that meeting.Respect the time you are being given by being prepared.

Lisa Loeb recently cut a deal with Costco to start carrying her eyewear line. You can be sure she had to be a professional business woman when it came to sitting with the execs to convince them that they should invest in her and her product.

Your general approach to taking a meeting is no different whether you're selling glasses or songs. You should go into it feeling confident that you have a product that others will want, and be prepared to see to it that they get that message.