Four Words to Make Yourself Heard

I coached an HR professional—let’s call her Charlotte—who has been in her role for more than 15 years.
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Even with this long track record of experience, she had a hard time getting the leaders she supported to actually listen to her ideas.

She worked with a group of men whose first priority was growing their areas of the business—not necessarily caring for their people (let it be known that these things are not mutually exclusive…they are, in fact, tied together). Often, when she advocated for a people strategy that aligned with the employer’s interests, she felt like they tuned her out.
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In our coaching, we uncovered a key phrase that shifted how Charlotte spoke up in these meetings. She started using these four words:

“My recommendation would be…”​

In the past, Charlotte would start making her case by saying, “I think we should…” or “I feel like we should...” While these are common phrases, they don’t serve to make the strongest case for your point of view. They make it sound like your reasoning is based in fleeting thoughts or feelings.
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“My recommendation would be..” is simple and holds gravitas. When Charlotte begins her case with this phrase, her idea stands on her 15 year professional credibility in her role.
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It’s a subtle but powerful shift.
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Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

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I heard this phrase in the first ever episode of HBR’s Women at Work podcast titled Make Yourself Heard back in 2018 and it stuck with me ever since. Tune in to the episode for more strategies for assertive and confident communication.