How to impress your boss in your next meeting: 3 strategies for sharing your ideas with confidence

You’re in a meeting—and a brilliant idea pops into your head.

But you don’t say it.

Instead, you think:

What if it’s not good enough?
What if they shoot it down?
What if someone else already thought of this?

Then someone else jumps in with a half-baked idea…and they get the credit.

The Problem

Staying silent doesn’t get you noticed.

Your ideas? They’re valuable. They’re needed.

But no one will know unless you say them.

And the truth is, no one is sitting there judging you as harshly as you’re judging yourself.

When I first started my career at Google in 2006, my palms would sweat every time I would say something.

And you know what? Even as an exec, my heart would still beat faster if there were important people in the room.

But every time I stayed silent, I knew I was losing out on an opportunity to share an idea, move a project forward, or contribute in a way that helped the business and my career.

And yes, there were times when I said something useless and was told, “Jenny, we just covered that.” Oof! Awkward. 🫣

But I’ll take 10% useless comments and 90% useful comments over 100% silence all day long.

If I’d always stayed silent, I never would have risen from entry-level to executive in 18 years.

The Big Small Thing

One of the 9 traits I write about in my new book, Wild Courage, is Shameless—the courage to put yourself out there unapologetically.

Staying silent won’t get you noticed. But speaking up—even if your idea isn’t perfect—can move the needle for your career.

Here are 3 easy ways to confidently speak up in your next meeting:

1️⃣ The “Half-Baked Thought” Opener

Lower the stakes by prefacing your idea with a collaborative phrase:

• “Here’s a thought I’ve been kicking around…”
• “This might be a bit outside the box, but…”
• “I haven’t fully fleshed this out, but one idea could be…”

Why it works:

You’re giving yourself permission to contribute without the pressure of perfection. It frames your idea as something open to discussion — and people love that.

2️⃣ The “Build On It” Strategy

Build on what’s already been said:

• “I really like what [Person] just shared. Building on that…”
• “One way we could take this further is…”
• “Something that might help us get there faster is…”

Why it works:

It’s less intimidating to speak up when you’re adding to an existing idea. And you position yourself as a thoughtful, collaborative team player. Win-win!

3️⃣ The “Anchor in Data” Move

Nervous your idea won’t land? Back it up with something concrete. People trust facts, data, and real-world examples.

• “Here’s what we’ve seen from customer feedback…”
• “In Q3, we saw a 15% lift when we tried…”
• “A similar strategy worked for [another team/project/competitor]…”

Why it works:

Data makes you sound confident, credible, and prepared—even if your idea isn’t perfect. Even if people don’t agree with your idea, they can’t argue with the facts.

How This Helps You Get What You Want

When you speak up in meetings, you:

• Build your visibility and influence
• Show your team (and leaders) that you’re engaged and thoughtful
• Position yourself as someone ready for more responsibility

So here’s your challenge:

At your next meeting, use one of these 3 strategies to share an idea.

Because no one can read your mind.

It’s time to share what’s in it.