Just a few seconds is all it takes for a woman to accumulate a whole raft of derogatory adjectives. No-one can doubt Anne Marie Morris’ passion as she struggles to be heard above a rising swell of predominantly male voices. They laugh and jeer or cheer, depending on which side of the house they’re on, and serve to drown her out even further as she increases the volume even more.

 

Some of the words used to describe her in the press?

Shrieking, screaming, battleaxe, human fireball
Audible only to dogs, clambering to her hooves, masculine parting in her hair, voice sharp as a turk’s kebab….
‘Has she been in a fight?’ (The Mail)
‘The noise would have sent a family of howler monkeys whimpering for cover’ (The Telegraph)

Wow!

Anne Marie’s message seems to be lost in the furore over the manner of delivery.

So leaving aside the reaction of the House was there anything else she could or should have done to get her message heard more effectively?

Women often struggle to be heard by men – partly because of hearing differences and partly because of gender issues. Some of the things we advise on our Women in Leadership Training Course include:

 

  • Take a deep breath before speaking so you can project effectively
  • Use the lower registers of your voice so you sound more authoritative and in control
  • Use pauses to underline a point
  • When raising your voice doesn’t work, do something else!

We have a range of exercises on our training course that address this and other issues that women often face in the workplace. If you’d like to know more do join us…

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