The saying rings true ladies, ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’.

If you want to be seen in the staff meeting, make sure you turn up!

We don’t just mean attend the meeting and sit in your chair quietly for the duration. We mean, if you have a spot at the table (figuratively or metaphorically) make sure they know you are there. Use the room effectively and don’t let others take over your personal space. Make sure you position yourself in a hot seat, not on the sideline. 

If you have something to say sit/stand confidently rather than making yourself as little as possible and say it with punch (more on how to do that later).

Aim for larger angles.

Look across the team with a wide gaze, there’s nothing micro about an affirmative presence.

You can show you mean business without even opening your mouth, and all you have to do is make sure your body language demonstrates that.

In a world that is craving the influence of a female voice, why wouldn’t we want to take full advantage of that? Your voice has a massive impact on your ability to convey emotions. You need to use that to your advantage.

The goal is to sound confident, but not bossy. Strong, but not loud and overbearing.

 And, (maybe most importantly) – You want to sound like you know your stuff, without being condescending or intimidating.

So how do we achieve these ideals that seem impossible to reach?

When speaking try to monitor the ends of your sentences so they don’t rise. This will make you sound more assertive because you won’t sound like you’re asking a question.

And, try to minimise any glottal fry that you may be using. Studies show this vocal quality is less appealing to the ear.

As females, it’s believed that we talk A LOT more than males. I’m sure you’ve all heard plenty of snarky side remarks about males ‘not being able to get a word in’ when they are around females. This belief is often carried around like a chip on our shoulder. It can be used as a disadvantage by others. A sell out attack on females… It can also be used by us, convincing ourselves not to give our opinion and rather keep quiet.

But this is a belief myth!

BUT (and this is a big but…) –

Research by Barbara and Gene Eakins as well as Susan Herring found that when it comes to the “public speaking” domain (including business meetings, lunch breaks, conferences and online discussion platforms) the men well out-weigh the women when it comes to speaking time. These studies showed, men not only take more opportunities to talk, but they also speak for much longer than females.

Who are the chatter boxes now, hey?

Knowing this, how can you ensure that what you say – in the brief opportunity you have to say it – is valued?

Start by monitoring the length of your phrases and keep them varied to maintain interest.

Use words that are commonplace amongst your colleagues and try not to use anything that may not be understood or misconstrued.

Practice what you want to say before hand so you sound more prepared and confident. Priming is key.

And finally, have a structure that you can fall back on if you are caught off guard or asked a difficult question.