Women, Are You Too Modest?

I was working in a London recently with a group of very talented female managers. They were an amazing group of women, professional and inspirational. Yet when it came to the exercise in Women Ahead where they are asked to look at their strengths and attributes, the room fell unusually silent and I could hear mutterings of:

“I could list all my faults but this is too flippin’ hard!”

Needless to say with encouragement we uncovered multiple talents once we got over the modesty forbids hurdle… Yet if we women are to succeed in the world of business we have to overcome this disinclination to blow our own trumpets!

Men Can Do It

Generally speaking, (and inevitably I am generalising here) men don’t have this problem. I have interviewed both men and women; at times I could have torn my hair out as I tried to get the nuggets of gold I knew were there from female applicants. 

No one will know how good you are if you don’t tell them.

It’s not enough to be good at your job, beavering quietly away in the dark. If you want to get ahead, people need to know about you and the quality of your work.

Coleman’s Research

Harvey Coleman, who now runs a high profile diversity company in the U.S., has estimated that doing your job really well accounts for about 10% of what you need to get ahead.  30% is the image you project, how well you fit the company profile, with the remaining 60% being how well you put yourself out there! Yes, that’s right, a mere 10% equates to doing your job well!

It makes sense really. You may be doing a great job, head down, quietly and with no fuss, never straying from your remit, not speaking up in meetings, not volunteering to help with new projects, etc. Potentially the ideal worker for a manager who doesn’t have an inclination to develop staff. They will be happy to keep you just where you are!

Take a few minutes to think about your organisation. Are there opportunities to raise your profile? Do people know about you? Are you in the right networks? Are those networks open to you? (In the case of women, or minority groups, it’s often difficult to break into these).

Blow Your Horn!

Once you get to a certain level it’s no good expecting people to just notice how good you are. Sometimes you just have to stand up and give them a good long blast on your horn and let ‘em know!

When did you last blow your own horn? Do you find it easy or difficult? Do share!

How to Get Your Point Across!

Do you sometimes feel like no one is listening to you? Does it feel that in meeting after meeting the same old stuff is being trotted out and no one really listens to anyone? Here are a few tips which might help you to stand out more in the workplace, to get your point across and make a real impact!

Six Tips to Help You be Heard:

1) Abandon PowerPoint.

It’s usually dull or overpowering.
We’ve all sat through presentations from someone who has just been on the power point course and use every gizmo going. They either stun their audience into silent submission, or extreme catatonia. People mentally switch off or, are looking at the gizmos not the content. Worse is the person who simply scans in reams of script that no one can read anyway!

If you must use it try to keep to three main points on one page, points that back up what you are actually saying. And don’t turn to look at the screen; keep eye contact with your colleagues.

If it’s the norm in your workplace to do presentations using the dreaded Power Point try leaving it behind for at least one day. Introduce an element of surprise, dare to be a bit different. You might start a trend…

2) Pose a direct question.

Involve your audience from your opening words. For example, if you’re reporting back on sales figures don’t begin with a bald statement of the figures. Try and create a sense of mystery about them. I don’t mean host a quiz (although that’s an idea!) Try ‘Do you remember what sales area broke records for us this last time last year?’ Or ‘How many staff do you think completed our latest on line survey on working conditions?’

Asking a question is open and so requires closing; people’s interest will be piqued.

3) Give Some Details.

Actually putting some context into your talk is helpful. People remember detail and it adds an air of credibility and authenticity. For example, if you’re talking about a trip to another site or office, include some description.

4) Give it Some Height. 

If you are at a seated meeting,stand up when it’s your turn. Studies have shown that people attribute power to tall people. This is an important point if you are a woman and therefore probably shorter than your male counterparts. I’m not advocating teetering about on heels but own your space and inhabit it all. Remember that information is received in many ways but the most commonly quoted statistics estimate:

7% is the actual words that you use
38% is your tone of voice
55% is the appearance of the speaker.

Be careful with that last figure. Words are clearly important but if what you are saying is incongruent with your body language and expression, people will believe the body, not the voice. Look as if what you have to say is important. Be interested in what you are saying; if you don’t look captured by your words it’s certain no one else will!

 5) Be Specific.

When you are explaining ideas use examples that people can visualise easily. People find abstract ideas harder to remember and understand. If you want your ideas to stick try and come up with a good analogy. When we’re told the national debt of a country is so much we generally don’t understand or remember.

However, if we’re told that it’s the equivalent of every person living in London having a massive £100,000 overdraft, it sticks.

6. Men and Women use Different Body Language

Remember that women nod to say “I am listening, I understand, carry on”. Men nod when they agree with what you are saying and they do not give as many obvious listening signals as women.

Do share your most helpful tips for making effective presentations.