August 7, 2025

🪜 Not Sure If You Should Speak Up in a Meeting? Ask This One Question

_{Hello Hello!}

_{Silence doesn’t take you far.
When I first came to Canada, I was always the quiet one in the meeting room.
When someone asked, “Any questions?” — I had none. Or at least, I never said them out loud.}

_{It took me a while to feel comfortable speaking up. Sometimes I thought the questions I had were just because English is my second language — maybe I just wasn’t understanding things properly. But guess what? A lot of people in the room were also non-native English speakers. And the questions I held back? They could’ve helped others too.}

_{It’s easy to stay quiet — but staying quiet won’t move your career forward.
Taking initiative and not being afraid to ask questions are things that will help you grow. You get better at it over time, especially if you practice it intentionally.}

_{One strategy I’ve seen smart people use is a bit of self-deprecating humor when asking questions. Someone at my current job often says:
“Help my little brain understand this...”
I haven’t added that one to my playbook yet — but I might!}

_{I hope today’s topic helps you feel more comfortable asking questions and speaking up — because your voice matters more than you think.}

_Enjoy,

_{— Aderson}

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🪜 Not Sure If You Should Speak Up in a Meeting? Ask This One Question

You’re in a meeting. You have a thought — a question, a suggestion, maybe a concern. But you hesitate.

“Is this worth saying out loud?” “Will I sound off?” “What if it’s obvious or irrelevant?”

So you stay quiet.

Later, someone else brings up the exact point you had — and it gets traction. Or worse… the meeting ends, and the team moves forward with something that doesn’t make sense — and you kick yourself for not saying anything.

Sound familiar?

Here’s a simple mental filter that can change that:

“Would this help move things forward?”

If the answer is yes — you probably should speak up.

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3 Ways This Question Helps You Speak Up (Without Overthinking It)

• ⚡ It Cuts Through Self-Doubt and Gets to Purpose

• 🧭 It Reframes Speaking Up as a Contribution, Not a Disruption

• 🪂 It Gives You Permission to Share, Even If You’re Not the Expert

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⚡ It Cuts Through Self-Doubt and Gets to Purpose

Most of the hesitation around speaking up doesn’t come from lack of ideas — it comes from overthinking:

• “Is this the right moment?”

• “Will this make me sound dumb?”

• “Am I overstepping?”

When you ask “Will this move things forward?” you’re shifting the focus off you — and onto the value of your input.

That change in focus kills a lot of unnecessary hesitation.

Instead of asking whether it’s perfect or polished, you’re asking:

• Will this clarify something?

• Will this prevent a misunderstanding?

• Will this unblock a decision?

That’s the real test. Not how smooth or clever it sounds.

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🧭 It Reframes Speaking Up as a Contribution, Not a Disruption

A lot of people — especially introverts and junior folks — worry about interrupting the flow.

But if what you say moves the discussion forward, you’re not interrupting. You’re contributing.

There’s a big difference between:

• Talking just to be heard vs.

• Saying something that helps the team clarify, align, or act

This question helps you tell the difference.

And the truth is, most teams want more clarity, not more silence. By thinking in terms of contribution, you stop waiting for “the perfect moment” and start creating value in real time.

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🪂 It Gives You Permission to Share, Even If You’re Not the Expert

You might hold back because you feel like:

• You're not the most senior person in the room

• You're unsure if your thought is 100% correct

• You’ve seen someone else dominate the conversation

But here’s the thing: you don’t need to be the expert to move things forward.

You might ask the question no one else thought to ask. You might spot something that others overlooked. You might offer a use case that reframes the entire solution.

Asking yourself “Will this move things forward?” gives you permission to participate — not because you have the answer, but because you care about the outcome.

That’s leadership. At any level.

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Final Thoughts

You don’t need to speak up all the time. But you also don’t need to sit in silence waiting for permission.

If your input brings clarity, progress, or alignment — it’s probably worth saying.

So next time you’re unsure, pause and ask yourself:

“Would this help move things forward?” If yes… take the mic. Or drop the message. Or raise the hand. Even a small nudge can create momentum.

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Personal Updates

• 🍁 I’m back in Canada. I miss Brazil already.

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“If you have something worth saying, say it. Silence won’t build anything.” — Robin Sharma

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