|
1. Because women have naturally higher
voices, it's particularly important to insure we're speaking from our
diaphragm which gives our voices resonance and authority. To check if you
are, place your hand on your abdomen while you speak. If you're hand's not
moving, your diaphragm's not engaged. An easy way to practice engaging it is
to lie on the floor with a heavy book on your stomach and breathe until the
book is moving up and down. When you stand up, your voice will have dropped
about an octave.
2. It's important for everyone to be aware
of how they are taking up space. As women, we often make ourselves smaller,
rather than larger. As you sit in your next meeting, look around at the
posture and attitudes of others at the table. If you're leaning back with
your hands in your lap while others are leaning forward, move to the front
of your seat, sit up straight, and lean in toward the group. Also, we trust
you when we can see your hands, we don’t trust you when we can’t—keep you
hands where others can see them.
3. Listening without interrupting is a
vastly underrated skill set-- and interruptions come in many forms. As
women, we often interrupt by agreeing and encouraging—“Absolutely,” we’ll
say, or “I know exactly what you mean,” not recognizing that this can
interrupt others' thought patterns. Instead, I recommend signaling your
encouragement and agreement via non-verbal techniques: leaning in, nodding
your head, and smiling.
4. Multitasking comes easily to women,
consequently many of us take it for granted—neglecting to formalize our
thoughts into words. But research has shown that one of the most effective
ways you can plan for success is by instituting checklists—yes, those
work-a-day items that inevitably get left on the front of the refrigerator
when you go to the supermarket. But before you write this idea off as too
simple, consider that both surgeons and pilots complete rigorous checklists
before they begin operations—in fact, pilots have a list of twenty five
items that must be checked off, in order, every time they leave the ground,
despite the fact that most of them know the list by heart.
5.
In this economy it’s critical to have access to multiple areas of expertise.
One way to ensure this is to barter your brain power. To begin, I recommend
sitting down with one or two friends who have a wealth of knowledge about
something you’ve always wanted to know, but haven’t yet had the time or
inclination to learn and telling them frankly how much you admire their
expertise. I would then ask them if there’s anything that you do that they
have always wanted to find out more about. These shared talents can be
gold—or, better yet, worth their weight in gold.
 BUY
NOW!!!
email this page to a
friend
|
