Women: How Can Your Voice Eko in The Business World?
In today’s society, many women are undermined in the business world, especially when it comes to leadership roles. This could happen due to cultural and social biases or even the fact that humans are extremely responsive to vocal characteristics on which they base their opinion. Research indicates that when women attend business meetings, they are frequently talked over, interrupted and unheard.
Here are a few reasons a woman’s voice lowers her chances of maintaining leadership roles in business settings:
It is known that women speak at a higher pitch than men (one octave higher approximately), making them sound less authoritative and assertive.
A high-pitched voice is less likely to be heard and focused on, especially in noisy places. Therefore, a woman is more likely to have difficulty projecting her voice in a large meeting room or courthouse without the risk of sounding too harsh.
A high pitch gives the listener the impression that the speaker is younger, which in the business world, is perceived as a less credible and experienced person.
Due to the posterior gap in female vocal folds, women’s voices are usually more breathy. This causes a woman’s voice to be perceived as more seductive, yet less assertive.
Finally, sometimes women tend to upspeak, raising their intonation at the end of their sentences, which makes them sound more hesitant and less firm.
So, how can we help women EKO their voice?
There are so many different ways in which women can feel more confident in the expression of their voice. One way is to work on lowering the pitch in order to sound and be more powerful, in control and confident. However, this alone is not sufficient since it could become counterproductive and difficult to sustain with time. In fact, the main focus should be on developing a richer voice quality and a deeper resonance. Moreover, women have to choose a more effective language in communicating their message to others. Notice the difference between “I think this color is the best” and “I decided to go with this color palette”. In the second statement, the speaker sounds more assertive and confident. Other aspects to consider are intonation and voice projection that play an important role in helping women speak with ease during general meetings or public presentations.
To sum up, as women and entrepreneurs ourselves we want to play our part in seeing you thrive, succeed, and take the lead in your workplace. We are here to guide you to unleash your full potential and discover your voice of influence.
References:
Anderson, R. C., & Klofstad, C. A. (2012). Preference for Leaders with Masculine Voices Holds in the Case of Feminine Leadership Roles. PLoS ONE, 7(12). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051216
Cheng, J. T., Tracy, J. L., Ho, S., & Henrich, J. (2016). Listen, follow me: Dynamic vocal signals of dominance predict emergent social rank in humans. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145(5), 536–547. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000166
Jacobi, T., & Schweers, D. (2017). JUSTICE, INTERRUPTED: THE EFFECT OF GENDER, IDEOLOGY, AND SENIORITY AT SUPREME COURT ORAL ARGUMENTS. Virginia Law Review, 103(7), 1379-1485. Retrieved October 31, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/26401668
Leongómez, J. D., Mileva, V. R., Little, A. C., & Roberts, S. C. (2017). Perceived differences in social status between speaker and listener affect the speakers vocal characteristics. Plos One, 12(6). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0179407
Tresh, F., Steeden, B., Moura, G. R., Leite, A. C., Swift, H. J., & Player, A. (2019). Endorsing and Reinforcing Gender and Age Stereotypes: The Negative Effect on Self-Rated Leadership Potential for Women and Older Workers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00688