Ensure you are heard

My name is Caroline and I believe in equity of voice.?

This article has a practical focus, around what we can do differently, so that our contributions; whether strategic or tactical; practical or cultural; are considered and appropriately credited.

This article is not about how to fix institutional and cultural inequality.? That long experienced landscape that undermines the opportunity for all minorities to be consistently and appropriately heard in a professional environment.

?That article (which I’m concurrently writing in my head) includes how to ‘call out’ prejudice, unprofessional behaviour and unfairness. ??How to positively confront and provide feedback to enable that change.

For the moment, here are some suggestions on how to develop approaches to enable a single voice to be heard in a professional environment.

?Why can it harder for a woman to be heard? ?Awareness of self and the environment

?Does any of this sound familiar?

“I sometimes/often…

?o??…undermine my own contribution with imposter thoughts; with expecting not be heard or with being afraid to shine bright and strong

o??…over think how others might judge what I’m about to say and miss the opportunity to contribute

o??…am not given the opportunity to complete my contribution as someone else speaks over me

o??…don’t take back ‘the floor’ out of courtesy or fear of confrontation

o??…miss the opportunity to re-iterate someone else’s key point that was ignored or bring ‘the floor’ back to them

?In March 2021, we, the Women as Resilient Leaders community, surveyed 179 women across various sectors and stages in career and life to identify the core issues they face in the workplace.? We found that the majority of women who responded, across all career transition stages struggle with being heard.?

There is a known bias that people pay more attention to those who look and sound like ourselves.?So if we are in a minority, being heard can become more of a challenge.

?A July 2020 survey found that 45% of female leaders (and 42% of male leaders) agree that “it’s difficult for women to speak up in virtual meetings”.

?What can be done to counter these challenges?

?What can we enable?

When you are the meeting facilitator, get great at meeting facilitation skills.?Keep a look out for a change in body which can indicate someone has something to say.??Encourage the use of chat and raised hands to initiate contributions in virtual meetings.??Proactively and firmly manage interruptions.

?What can we influence?

Together we create opportunities for everyone to be heard.

When President Obama first got into office, his female aides found it difficult to be heard.?So they committed to ‘amplifying others’.?When a fellow female aide made a point, they would repeat it, crediting the original speaker.?This became standard practice in all meetings, and they felt that it encouraged Obama to call on their opinions more often.

Find or become an advocate or message sponsor. ??Ask for support from others prior to professional meetings, so they can help you hold the space for your contribution.??

?What can we change??

There are some options on how we can get better at getting our message across.?Play with different ways of preparing and delivering your message and notice the impact.

If possible, think about what you want to say in advance

Think about the value of the message, and it’s potential worth.?This can empower and motivate you to speak up

Get to the key point early.?Try reducing the additional ‘lead up’ language.?Rather than, ‘I was only thinking, the other day, or ‘whilst John and I were chatting, it occurred to me…’

Use signposting language ‘what matters is…’, ‘the key point here is...’

?On reflection

Take a moment.?

o??What do you do well already to ensure others are consistently and appropriately heard in a professional environment?

o??What do you do well already to ensure you are consistently and appropriately heard in a professional environment?

o??What one thing will you commit to doing differently to ‘ensure we are all heard’?

?My name is Caroline and I believe in equity of voice.?

For more ideas try Dr Lois Frankel's audiobook,?Nice Girls Don't Speak Up or Stand Out:?How to Make Your Voice Heard, Your Point Known, and Your Presence Felt.

The Resilient Leaders Elements framework can support women in having confidence in who they are and what they do. To find out more, come and join us for the FREE RLE Women as Resilient Leaders taster session:?https://lnkd.in/eaZS-3tt