How you come across as a meeting participant can be pivotal. The skills involved in getting your point across are not vastly different than those of a keynote speaker giving a speech to a meeting group.  

"Like public speaking, the art of effective business-meeting communication is very much a learnable skill. Here are eight important, yet often overlooked, tips on speaking well as a meeting participant.

1. Keep it upbeat. Speech tips and body language aside, nothing is more critical to constructive give-and-take in a meeting than emphasizing the upside. Rather than criticizing, stay focused on the implicit value of what someone else says.

"Stay solution focused, offering up twice as many positive comments as you do negative,"

2. Talk to the entire group. We've all been treated like a fifth wheel -- being part of a group, but somehow off the planet when someone is supposedly addressing everyone in the room. When speaking in a group, move your eyes around and talk to anyone who's listening to what you have to say. "When responding to a question, address the entire group, not just the person who asked the question.

3. Reach out and encourage feedback. Another meeting pitfall is that hollow sound of silence -- comments by speakers that disappear over the horizon leaving no follow-up discussion in their wake. This silence is not golden. So actively encourage comment and feedback based on what you have to contribute. Not only does that make for a better meeting, but it can broaden, amplify and substantiate your remarks.

4. Mirror the tenor of the meeting.  Another business meeting basic is establishing a comfortable atmosphere where everyone feels at ease. One effective way to achieve that is to establish a consistency in communication. If, for instance, most participants are keeping their remarks short, do the same. If their tone is low and reserved, follow their lead.

5. Don't be a time hog. Anyone speaking in a business gathering wants to take enough time to identify and, if need be, dissect the point he's trying to convey. But it's all too easy to slip into a filibuster. Be thorough, but don't take so much time to get your message across that you lose others' attention or, even worse, alienate someone who may be waiting their turn to talk. Again, if others are being succinct, try to do the same. If need be, keep an eye on your watch when you've got the floor so a comment meant to be short doesn't dissolve into a diatribe.

6. Check the cliches and rhetoric. A central tenet of powerful business-meeting communication is being as clear as possible. Don't muddy your message by wallowing in tired catch phrases.

 7. When and if necessary, take it offline. Not every in-meeting topic warrants brain surgery. Don't derail meetings or drag them on endlessly by going into detail that can be addressed at another time.

 8. Be aware of your body. Not everything you convey to others comes by way of your mouth. How you say what you say is equally telling in your ability to share your thoughts with others.

Here are a few body language precepts you may wish to embrace (pun definitely intended): * Lean forward. That indicates an active interest in what's going on.

* Pay attention to your hands when you're talking. Not only can too much movement prove distracting, putting your hand in front of your mouth when speaking implies dishonesty or something to hide.

* Be positive in both words and movement.

Don't limit supportive interaction to just what you say. Show it by nodding your head, making eye contact, raising your eyebrows and making other gestures that demonstrate that your interest and involvement in the discussion aren't mere lip service.

Jeff Wuorio is a veteran freelance writer and author based in southern Maine. He writes about small-business management, marketing and technology issues, and can be reached at jwuorio@adelphia.net.