[winternett]

I had the same issue where I was always compelled to speak up if I felt like there was something important to be said... It really made me look like an a-hole.

I asked a good friend of mine who was a successful CEO that people really listened to what his secret was...

He said he stays quiet until people ask him for his opinion, then he makes sure what he says is succinct and on point as much as possible. That blew me away. Since I have been practicing that method I have noticed amazing results. It's really something that I continually need to work on, and it doesn't work with family and friends (of course) but try it out...

Also, fight the urge to put emojis in company emails, people will lose respect for you ... :\

... Crap, still working on that one.

[theandrewbailey]

This assumes that someone values your unknown (to them) opinion enough to ask for it.

[winternett]

In the scenario I mentioned, it doesn't always involve waiting for someone to always ask you to speak before you say anything, It's primarily the art of holding back on saying anything until everyone else wears out their voices, or until they turn towards you for your opinion.

These days a lot of people feel the need to be first and last to talk. This way, you're in the middle, but not overly invested in being heard, but choosing times when you speak, and choosing your words carefully for relevance, for best overall impact.

Eventually after a while of practicing this, people grow into the habit of looking forward to your input, and they always ask you for it, provided you don't screw up things too often.