Are Your Presentation Skills Your Hidden Strength?

It’s a man’s world. Do you think this statement is obsolete in 2011? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Consider these sobering facts:

• Only 12 Fortune 500 companies are run by women, down from 15 last year, as three left their posts and were succeeded by men.
• Women earn 77.5 cents for every dollar a man earns.
• The more education a woman has, the greater the disparity in her wages.
• Women work longer to receive the promotions that lead to higher pay.
• Four in ten businesses worldwide have no women in senior management.
• Women earn less than men in 99% of all occupations.

There’s no question that women face certain professional challenges. The majority of the time, women are competing directly with men and being held to male standards. Interestingly, there’s one skill set in particular where women outshine men almost every time—that is, communication.  

From my own observations and from talking with other communication specialists, it seems that many men today struggle with communication issues. They’re in senior level positions and want that promotion to the C-level, but their poor communication skills are holding them back. These senior leaders have excellent credentials, advanced degrees, and strong professional experience but when it comes to their presentation and communication skills, they can fall flat.

In contrast, women are naturals when it comes to communication, facilitation, collaboration, and relationship building. Women typically want the relationship to be the driver of business success. They want to communicate openly and develop personal relationships with co-workers, colleagues, clients, and vendors. Yet they’re working in a world where communication is considered a “soft skill” and where personal relationships aren’t valued, let alone developed.   

But here’s the silver lining to this gray cloud: When women get to the point that they’re in the running for top positions, they stand out and compete well. Because women have this foundational piece of strong relationship and communication skills, they have the ability to bring people into a conversation, to get the masses rallied around a cause, and ultimately get others on their side and moved to action. Those are the traits of a true leader.

So rather than dwell on the challenges women face in the world of work, I propose that we focus on our strengths, develop them, and use them to our best ability. Only then will we see the playing field level so everyone can step up and take their career as far as they want it to go.

This blog is part of my Wednesday for Women blog series, where I feature stories, resources and information to help women gain greater influence, power, and confidence in their professional and personal life. Please enjoy these weekly Wednesday blogs and forward them to the powerful women in your life.

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