This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Skidmore chapter.
With the results of the election, a lot of straight white males are a lot more comfortable exercising the power they have over minority groups and women. They are a lot more comfortable being outwardly racist, sexist, homophobic, misogynist, and more. Times like this is when it’s crucial to remember that women belong in essential conversations, and we can’t let the fear of being trampled in the boardroom get in our way.
Navigating male-dominated spaces can feel challenging for women, especially when it comes to being heard, valued, and respected. However, you can ensure your contributions resonate by developing a confident voice, using strategic communication, and advocating for your ideas. Here are critical strategies for amplifying your voice in these settings.
1. Speak with Confidence:
- Know Your Material: Confidence comes from preparation. When you’re knowledgeable and have practiced your points, speaking assertively and holding the room’s attention is more effortless. It requires more time and effort, but you must be willing to apply that to assert yourself in a room full of men.
- Open Strong: Don’t wait for the “right moment” or talk around your main idea—start with it! Leading with a clear, concise point establishes your presence and sets a confident tone. Let the people around you know you are worth listening to.
- Eliminate Qualifiers: Avoid phrases like “I think,” “I might,” or “This may not be important, but…” Instead, make direct statements. Qualifiers can undermine your authority, even when your ideas are strong. Using words like ‘um’ makes you sound hesitant and unprepared; be confident in what you know, and go with it.
2. Body Language:
- Stand and Sit Tall: Straighten your posture to show confidence. Take up space. When you want to be heard you need to make yourself seen. Don’t shy away or try to blend into the crowd. Let people know you are there, stand tall and stand proud.
- Make Eye Contact: Eye contact with someone lets them know you are engaged, confident, and assertive. It also helps you connect with the people you’re speaking to, keeping their attention on you. It shows you’re confident and that what you say matters. If you keep looking at the floor, you can come across as nervous. If you are presenting something and only staring at it, you will look unprepared. The power of eye contact is strong, so use it.
- Control Your Gestures: Use purposeful gestures to emphasize key points. Using your hands can help you emphasize important points and give simple but powerful visual assistance to what you are saying. Excessive or nervous fidgeting can detract you and other people from your message.
3. Speak with Intention and Clarity
- Project Your Voice: Aim to speak loudly enough to fill the room comfortably without shouting. A strong, steady voice communicates that you’re confident in what you’re saying. Getting other people on board is much easier when you’re confident.
- Pause for Emphasis: Don’t be afraid of a bit of silence. A well-placed pause after an important point gives people a moment to process and gives your words more impact. It may be hard for people to grasp the seriousness of your subject if you rush through it. Take your time and allow subtle but important pauses to keep listeners engaged.
- Avoid Rising Intonation: Ending every sentence like a question can make you sound uncertain. Stick to a firm, declarative tone. You know what you’re talking about, but if you are ending your sentences like you’re unsure, it won’t come across like you do.
4. Use Data and Evidence to Back Up Your Ideas
- Be Specific and Concrete. People are more likely to remember and respect ideas that have supporting facts. Referencing data, examples, or case studies strengthens your argument and makes it harder to dismiss. So again, do your research, put the time into your work and it will give you a positive result.
- Prepare for Pushback: In rooms facing resistance, anticipate questions or objections and prepare thoughtful responses. When you’re ready to defend your points, you’re better equipped to stand firm under pressure. This is part of coming prepared. You should know what you are talking about and be confident enough not just to allow for a rebuttal but also to shut it down.
5. Assert Your Presence and Set Boundaries
- Practice Interrupting Respectfully: Don’t hesitate to assert yourself if someone tries to talk over you. Say, “I’d like to finish my thought,” or “Just a moment, I’m almost done.” This lets others know you value your contributions. Make people know your voice and opinions matter. Do not let people talk over you.
- Claim Your Space: Don’t let others take credit for your ideas. If it was your idea and a man tries to restate your point as their own, calmly but firmly address it by saying, “Yes, as I mentioned earlier…” This reaffirms your original thought and maintains your authority. You’re intelligent and prepared; don’t hide it.
6. Lean on Allies and Build Support
- Seek Out Allies: Having at least one supportive and respectable peer can help reinforce your voice. If possible, build a network of allies who respect and advocate for you in group settings. While this is hard for women in a male-dominated industry or room, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. You deserve the same respect as every man in a room, so make them respect you.
- Echoing Strategy: This involves other women (or allies) restating and supporting your point in the room. This amplifies your voice and ensures your contributions are acknowledged. When people around you agree, it will help other people shift their minds and go along.
7. Use Strategic Pauses to Encourage Engagement
- Ask for Input: Create moments for others to engage with your points by asking, “Does anyone have questions about this?” or “What do you think of this approach?” This keeps the focus on your contribution and lets you lead the discussion. It also allows other people to feel heard, which gives them more respect that you are not just telling, but you’re also listening.
- Direct Your Attention: When speaking, shift your gaze to different people in the room, especially those who may tend to dominate conversations. This distributes attention evenly and reminds everyone of your active role.
8. End with Strength and Confidence
- Reiterate Key Points: Summarize the main ideas you want the group to remember. This reinforces your message and shows that you’re serious about your contribution. Repeating the main points reminds everyone what they were and expresses their importance.
- Be Willing to Follow Up: If time is limited or the conversation moves quickly, don’t hesitate to follow up afterward with an email or message reiterating your points. This keeps your ideas on record and shows you’re committed to making a meaningful impact.
Conclusion
Making your voice heard isn’t always easy in male-dominated spaces, but with these strategies, you can command attention, show confidence, and assert the value of your contributions. Whenever you speak up and own your ideas, you reinforce your presence and help build a more balanced and inclusive space for future conversations. Now is a time when sharing your voice is so important, and if men won’t let us into the conversation … well, then we have to make ourselves a part of it.