Emily Donahoe
Free Lesson

How to Get Credit for Your Ideas in Your Next Meeting

45 min
Dec 2, 2026 12:30 PM

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What you'll learn

Restate your idea with your name on it

Say the idea once, attach your name, and make the contribution visible to the people who decide promotions.

Keep credit when someone builds on your idea

Name where the idea started when a colleague extends it, so the credit stays with the person who made it.

Hold your place when you’re interrupted

Finish the sentence and return to your point without apologizing, so the room hears the full argument.

Restructure meetings so every voice gets heard

Three changes to propose: a speaking order, a note-taker who logs idea sources, and a parking lot for side points.

Ask managers and allies for specific help

Four asks for managers and allies: name the source, say “building on [name]’s point,” or “let them finish.”

Why this topic matters

When women’s ideas get dropped or credited to others, the cost falls on the woman, her manager, and the organization. Research on joint work finds women are rated less competent for the same result (Heilman & Haynes, 2005). This covers what stakeholders can do, starting with you. Hearing every voice is a business decision: compared with individuals, gender-diverse teams made better decisions 73% of the time, all-male teams 58% (Cloverpop, 2017).

You'll learn from

Emily Donahoe

Emily Donahoe

Founder, WOMENSPEAK & Talk Shop Training 20+ years / Story & Presence / Pitching

Publicis Groupe
The Campaign School at Yale
Estée Lauder Companies
AstraZeneca
Willis
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