As I ready to teach a new cohort of 5 women leaders tonight on public speaking, I think about how good communication leads to better leadership.
Where women get stuck is “I want to speak up and be my own advocate, but how do I do it gracefully? I’ll teach you scripts and frameworks to keep in your back pocket.
Now, let’s dive in.
#1 Reasserting yourself when cut off:
Nothing strips you of confidence more than getting cut off while trying to make a point.
We observed the spouse of a member doing this in conversations. She had the bigger value adds, but she never got to finish her thoughts because he would talk over her mid-sentence. His intentions were good. He merely wanted to help her articulate a thought. We talked about a script to reassert herself: “_____, I’d like to finish my thought.” She feels much more confident to continue her thoughts now.
#2 Asking for Help:
A good leader knows his or her superpower — and limitations.
My favorite example is Bob Iger. At one point in his career ascent at Disney, he was named head of Universal Studios. He came from Sports and knew little about the entertainment industry. When he got the job as head of the movie studios, he immediately appointed key people in the know as his points, and asked for help. It’s okay to say “I don’t know” as a leader. Come from a place of curiosity, versus insecurity. Then his leadership kicked in and he made decisions from an educated place.
#3 Ask for the Meeting:
When in doubt, ask for the coffee.
Yesterday, two women leaders said to me: I’m in a new role. How do I get buy-in from the new team? They could continue to feel invisible or dismissed OR start to build champions in the room. Get to know them. Get to know their motivations. Learn what keeps them up at night? This way, the new woman leader has champions in the room the next time she pipes up in a meeting.
#4 Make a list of your successes:
The same women leaders were intimidated by the new subject matter. E-mobility solutions. Financial versus clinical.
Neither woman would be in the position, if she didn’t prove her stripes. We suggested taking a few hours to list successes from previous client engagements. Maybe she was a master at negotiating. How did she shepherd the client from point A to point B. Have that story about being an able negotiator handy when someone questions your qualifications to be on a tricky client matter.
#5 Tell Stories:
The human brain, from the beginning of time, was designed to ingest information by way of stories.
A woman asked me, “What am I going to say to the new owners of the company? What do they want to hear from me? A private equity firm bought her company. She oversaw risk and compliance. A private equity firm wants to know how the acquisition target is going to make money, who is in management team to insure that, and how is it innovating to generate revenue in the future. That’s it! Being compliant while making money is incredibly key. We suggested she harvest a story of a time she negotiated a tricky risk and compliance matter and saved the company millions. Tell that story.
Even if you don’t take my Masterclass today, I hope you are armed with something from this post.
I wish you well on your public speaking journey!
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