Top Tips to Confidently Speak Up in Meetings.

It can be intimidating to speak up in a team meeting. Those with great ideas often fear sharing them because they aren’t sure how to speak up when in a group.

Be ready to speak up:
Find out what topics will be covered and educate yourself on the area. Familiarize yourself with the subject matter and terminology.
Anticipate what might come up in discussion.
Prepare a few questions to ask.

When the meeting starts:
Set yourself a goal to speak up in the first 10minutes. You can “warm up” by voicing support for someone else’s idea. 
Listen carefully, and take notes to keep on track.
If you are asked a question, paraphrase or ask a clarifying question to make sure you know what was asked.
Before responding, take a breath and pause to organize your thoughts. Then look around the group, smile, and start.

Practise:
Once a day, when driving, dressing or cooking, etc., look around and pick a random object. Try to talk about it for at least 1 minute. 
If you are listening to a podcast or news program, try to answer the questions posed by the interviewers.
Off-the-cuff speaking is a skill, and like any other skill, the more you practice, the better you become.