Speaking up in meetings
In a meeting you get the floor without warning and have about a minute. These are real work moments: a status update for the VP, a deadline debate, a budget ask. Lead with your point and follow PREP.
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How to answer: the PREP structure
- Pointyour position in one sentence
- Reasonwhy you think so
- Examplea real-life case
- Point againrestate it, shorter
All 28 topics
- Your take: should we push the project deadline?Speak →
- What would you change about how our team works?Speak →
- How can we cut down on meetings?Speak →
- Agree or disagree: should we move to a four-day week?Speak →
- Why is the project behind schedule?Speak →
- Pitch a way to grow sales by 10%Speak →
- Remote or office for our team?Speak →
- Quick update: your week in reviewSpeak →
- What do you think of the company's new strategy?Speak →
- What's slowing our team down?Speak →
- Do we need to hire one more person?Speak →
- Make the case to leadership for a training budgetSpeak →
- Propose a way to cut your department's costs by 15%Speak →
- Why are customers leaving for competitors?Speak →
- Launch now or polish the product first?Speak →
- How can we speed up approvals?Speak →
- What are we doing that we could stop doing?Speak →
- How do we keep our best people?Speak →
- Why didn't the last launch work?Speak →
- Pitch a new way to do weekly reportingSpeak →
- Give the VP a one-minute status on your projectSpeak →
- How should we split the budget between two projects?Speak →
- Should we expand into a new market?Speak →
- How do we onboard new hires so they stay?Speak →
- What will you do if the project fails next week?Speak →
- Push back on a coworker without offending themSpeak →
- Wrap up the meeting in one minuteSpeak →
- Why do we need this automation?Speak →
Who this list is for
For anyone who gets put on the spot in a meeting: “What do you think?” The topics mirror real questions from managers and colleagues about deadlines, processes and priorities. The goal is to state a position and a proposal in a minute instead of thinking out loud.
A common mistake
Starting with background. While you explain the history, people lose focus and can’t tell where you are going. State your position first (“I’d push it back a week”), then the reason and what you propose.
Sample answer
Your take: should we push the project deadline?
I’d push it back one week. Testing took longer than planned, and we still have two critical bugs. If we ship on time, we’ll spend next week handling customer complaints. I suggest moving the release to Friday and letting the sales team know today.
Questions about this list
What if I don’t know the answer?
Say what you do know and what you’ll check: “The timeline works; I’ll confirm the budget with finance by tomorrow.” That sounds far more confident than vague words.
How do I keep it short?
Keep three parts in mind: position, reason, proposal. Once all three are said, stop.
Is this list useful if I’m not a manager?
Yes. Everyone gets asked “What do you think?”, and a short, clear answer gets noticed faster than a long one.
How a session works
- Spin the wheelYou get a random topic from this list — like a question you didn't prepare for.
- Speak for a minuteLammy turns speech into text. The coach counts fillers, pauses and pace and checks your structure.
- Second takeGet one task and say it again. Your second take almost always scores higher.
More topic lists
Speaking up in meetings
Practice these topics