Women Seen and Heard: Speaking With a Strategic Vision

Women seen and heard: Speaking with a strategicand women now control about half of all the small
vision By Lois Phillips, Ph.D.businesses in America. As women move up in
Excerpted and adapted from "Women Seen andtechnology fields, they are not only going to be starting
Heard: Lessons Learned from Successful Speakers"companies but also providing new opportunities to
by Lois Phillips, Ph.D., and Anita Perez Ferguson, M.A.other women seeking top positions.
(Luz Publications, 2004), Published Newsletter, 2005.Here are seven techniques that will help you take
According to Catalyst, the premier research sourcecharge and stay focused.
regarding women's advancement into top1. Be Direct
management roles, stereotyping of women remains aIf you propose action, be direct about your proposal in
problem, particularly with regard to women's capacitya way that is easy for everyone to understand. For
to communicate about and solve problems as well asexample:
men do. So, if you are a woman or are helping womenWhat we need to do now is . . . . If not, there are going
advance do this exercise:to be three predictable consequences. They are...
Imagine yourself at the front of a vast auditorium,2. Be Logical
about to begin your presentation describing aWhen you present arguments, use logic and stay
technology advance. You know your stuff, and wantfocused on your topic. For example:
to bring people together to increase mutual success.When our industry analyzes the impact of practices
But the audience may wonder if they should take youthat produce pollution, we must consider the quality of
seriously. Although you are the epitome of cool, youour air and water, and toxics in our soil, particularly if
are still up against the stereotype of woman as illogical,we want to show our business partners that we can
emotional, and details oriented. How do you preparebe a good citizen.
yourself to deliver your message so it makes an3. Be Specific
impact?Avoid generalizations. Be specific about your expertise
The truth is that even when women achieve positionand concretize your success. This can be difficult for
and status, women speakers need to gain credibilitythose of us who want to avoid bragging. For example:
before they are believed. The voice of authority hasI've spent ten years in the field working with over 300
historically been and remains a male voice; think Johncorporate clients as well as computer science
Wayne, Lee Iacocca, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.researchers and graduate students, and I have learned
Men start with credibility as leaders; women have tofive lessons that saved our company millions. They
earn it.are...
The audience needs to realize that it is no accident4. Don't Disclose Too Much
you are standing in front of them. You have advancedWhen you present an emotional story, make sure you
yourself and your company en route to the podium. Asaren't venting, blaming, or playing the victim. Use just
women move into roles and occupations formerlythe right amount of self-disclosure, not so much that
occupied by men only, women need to be aware ofyou become self-indulgent or sink to self-deprecating
the unique position they are in. Even more importanthumor. Be brief and frame the story in such a way
than knowing your topic, your overarching message tothat you are making a specific point. For example,
the audience must be:someone might gain credibility in this way:
"I am a capable, competent leader and dynamic"I am a cancer survivor. At first, I was devastated by
speaker. I am going to give you the gift of my wisdom.the news. While I certainly wouldn't recommend
In fact, this presentation may change your life!"choosing to have cancer, ironically I feel that I'm a
Persuasive speaking skills are critical to abetter person and have a richer life as a result. I'm
businesswoman's success. For example,even a better manager. Today I'll share three lessons
entrepreneurs need to get private equity banking whichI've learned from surviving cancer that apply to
means speaking to venture capitalists and making theensuring that our company survives and thrives..."
pitch. Executives need to motivate teams to work5. Collect Facts. Use Facts
smarter, not harder. Top executives are in charge ofResearch and refer to the most current and accurate
change and that requires that they become dynamicfacts to back up your opinion. You can have a lot of
speakers. The anecdotes presented must be on point,legitimate feelings and great stories to tell about your
the examples must dramatize the need for change,subject, but without the facts to support them, you'll
and the information must be presented with a viewprobably lose your audience. For example:
from the top, looking out at the horizon. A woman'sWe need to understand how California economics are
speaking style must reflect a strategic perspective ifaffecting our bottom line. When I first traveled out of
she is to be seen, heard, trusted, and remembered asour cocoon in Silicon Valley to visit urban schools and
a leader.colleges, I was shocked to realize that only 2% of all
It is possible to deliver your message in a morestudents own computers and - most of them do not
assertive style without giving up women's moreown ours.
"feminine" sensibilities, commonly thought to be6. Keep Your Eye on The Big Picture
empathy, compassion, and a collaborative approach toLeaders focus on the big picture and don't get mired in
life. Successful speakers have good advice for you:the details. Leaders are futurists who can mastermind
1. Dare to be bold.big changes. What's the biggest problem in the
2. Develop strong communication skills.industry? They'll take it on. For example, Cynthia
3. Keep your eye on the big picture.Dwork, a senior researcher at Microsoft, has tackled
4. Present your scenarios in terms of humanthe problem of spam because her company has a
consequences.major financial stake in its elimination. She sees it as a
Dare To Be Boldpuzzle worth solving, predictably satisfying grateful
Being assertive is a requisite for being a leader: itcustomers and creating more profit for her company.
comes with the territory. Nothing "virtual" about it. TellingTo make sure that you are seen as a big-picture
people what they should do or how they might thinkthinker, your presentation must begin with a statement
about something is a new role for women who haveof your vision and then an action plan with specific
been programmed by convention to smile and besteps for the implementation phase. Approach the big
pleasant, defer to men, and avoid stirring uppicture with big questions. Ask yourself:
disagreements, particularly in public. Being bold and• What is the ideal future scenario I
outspoken is difficult if you had few role models andsee for this particular challenge or problem?
you were encouraged to be "seen and not heard" by• Why is my vision and action plan a
parents, teachers, friends, religious teachings, and thewin-win solution? What are the benefits and who
media. Think back to your early years and givebenefits?
yourself one point for each true statement below:• What are the broad general
Self-assessment Quiz:strategies that will allow us to realize this vision
ï‚ People in my family would solicit mytogether?
opinion or ask me what I thought.• What must I do to ensure that we
ï‚ People told me that I was worth listeningachieve this vision?
to.Now get specific and build your action plan:
ï‚ I watched movies or read books about1. Outline your speech point-by-point and remember to
women in unconventional roles.explicitly list your main points in advance of your
ï‚ Friends and co-workers usually ask meexplanations and provide examples for each.
to lead our group or team.2. Move forward in a logical manner, one step at a
ï‚ People often quote me, repeating atime. Build on each successive idea.
catchy phrase, interesting fact, or meaningful anecdote.3. For each point, use transition words such as "First,"
Scoring:"Second," and "Third" so it is easy to follow you.
• Score of 1: It's important to find4. Prevent taking impulsive tangents when you speak.
positive role models who are dynamic presenters.You're driving the train so stay on track. Look ahead
Notice how they organize their ideas and theirand carry your listeners along with you.
presentation style to be effective, and try their7. Present Your Scenarios In Terms Of Human
techniques. Volunteer to be on a panel, or make aConsequences
presentation at a staff meeting. Find people whoIn this post-Enron world, people appreciate knowing
encourage you to develop these skills and who willthat while all decisions have risks, you have thought
give you a pat on the back and helpful feedback.through possible consequences. Can you walk the
• Score of 2 or 3: You have theaudience through the implications for groups, teams,
potential to develop into a dynamic speaker. You are indepartments, and individuals? This is where your
a position to imagine yourself in roles that require youconversational skills will be useful. Each customer has
to motivate people to change.a story. Give those statistics a human face. Present
• Score of 4 or 5: You have a trackthe best and worst case scenario. People can be
record for effectively using your presentation skills andsurprisingly flexible if leaders are straight with them
personal style to advance yourself and yourabout bad news. Budget cuts, moving the facility,
organization to a whole other level.merging, acquiring, or even downsizing are better
Develop Strong Communication Skillsdiscussed from the podium than the water-cooler.
Public speaking has almost always been structured asMotivational presentations can align our listeners around
a monologue, not a dialogue. The audiences' eyes anda compelling vision of the future such that they are
ears focus on the speaker, who is expected to havewilling to accept short-term pain for long term gain.
a strong personality and point of view. Women tend toWhether providing solutions to problems or finding a
be more conversational and less authoritative in theircure for spam, women may not have been
delivery of facts and a story. They want to relate, areencouraged to speak up in the past but this is a brave
interested in how others feel, and seek commonnew world, one that requires participation in the
ground. These are admirable qualities in intimatedebates and discussions that matter most. Women
gatherings and useful in presentations, but being amanagers have years of experience and insights to
public speaker or leader requires a more assertiveshare. Ask yourself: Do you want to play a role in
communication style. At the podium, your commitmentshaping the future of technology? If you do, you'll need
to your vision must trump any tendencies to beto develop your public voice.
deferential. Women in technology industries haveConsider this: your good ideas could build a business
barriers to break; research tells us that women aren'tas well as improve the local economy and, ultimately,
reaching the executive level in technology any morechange the world. All great ideas had to overcome
easily than they have in more traditional industries. Aprofound skepticism but at least they had greater
University of Pennsylvania study found that womenlikelihood of a public hearing if they came from a man's
make up 9 percent of executives at telecom, mediamind, pen, hand, or mouth. Women's great ideas were
and Internet companies, lower than the 13 percentmore typically shared in diaries, letters, or private
average for all companies. This statistic is unfortunateconversation, but today, women speakers have a
because women bring a new perspective to therange of opportunities to be a force for change. E-mail
business world that could develop a more diversemay be tempting but leaders require face-time
customer base for products waiting to be designed.whenever a choice point occurs. As the speaker with
If unrewarded, women become discouraged anda strategic vision, you will be seen, heard and
frustrated and leave corporations to start their ownremembered.
businesses where they are assured greater likelihood1. Johnson, Steven. "Winning the War on Spam: Digital
of success. In fact, the number of woman-ownedenvironmentalists devise a clever strategy for
firms has grown by 28% in the past seven years,bankrupting junk mail purveyors." Discover, June 2004.
three times the growth rate among all employer firms,