More Women on Stage: Backing the Panel Pledge

Written by Sharon Longridge

Nudging women to speak up

Recently I met with the female head of Organisational Development (OD) at a major Australian company. While in conversation about working together to develop the company’s top talent, she mentioned that it was a great time for me to be a woman. Initially I thought it was an odd comment, then she went on to described the Panel Pledge. It’s a national initiative seeking to increase the participation of women in public forums, conferences and the media. Currently in Australia women are seriously underrepresented. The Panel Pledge toolkit describes the alarming gender disparity, “It is estimated less than 15% of panellists in Australia are women. Less than 12% of experts cited in business newspapers are women. Such optics have consequences.”

The OD leader explained that as part of her company’s commitment to the Panel Pledge, when staff ask to attend a conference, they only get approval if there is an equal number of women and men presenting.

As a communication coach and media training specialist, I regularly work with businesswomen from across industries. I emphatically know that there is no lack of female talent. So what explains these appalling statistics?

One explanation can be found in the pervasive unconscious bias that favours men as spokespeople. A friend who curates business leaders conferences coyly suggested that the reason there were so few women presenting at her events was because “they just aren’t out there.” I suggested she might need to look a little harder and challenge the habit of enlisting the usual suspects - prominent businessmen.

Overcoming their internal bias

Many women I have worked admit they are reluctant to do public speaking. Opportunities to participate in industry panels or media interviews  are met with statements like  “I’d rather not” and “can’t someone else do that?”

I actively support women to overcome this self-sabotaging reflex and not fall prey to their ‘inner critic’. For women, this mental hand-brake makes overcoming the external barriers to inclusion much more challenging. Many highly articulate women I've worked with wrestle with self-doubt despite their expertise and impressive track record.

Part of my work is supporting women to deliver exceptional presentations for board meetings, conference keynotes and for internal stakeholders. In these presentation coaching sessions we pay equal attention to:

• The tactical communications: what needs to said and how to express powerfully
• The internal narrative: how the speaker wants to feel and aligning their internal voice with their strategic intention

Some women need permission to be commanding and inspiring. They need to be encouraged to believe in their capability and own their expertise. This involves updating out-dated self-perceptions and embedding new habits of mind. For many of my clients, this work is essential for them to command the stage with authority.

When clients cultivate a strong self-belief, they instinctively say “yes” when asked to address larger audiences. Over time, they actively create opportunities to extend their influence and raise their profile. With the right tools and support, this transformation can take place surprisingly quickly and it has significant benefits ranging from stress reduction to professional advancement.

Diverse views = better outcomes

When women are encouraged to speak up, we all benefit. Diversity of opinion leads to better decision making. According to the 2015 McKinsey & Co report companies with greater workforce diversity perform better financially "Our latest research finds that companies in the top quartile for gender or racial and ethnic diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians."

I congratulate all the businesses who have already made the Panel Pledge. I encourage many more Australian companies to follow that lead. 

Up-skilling women in leadership

Forward-thinking organisations are investing in their women so they command the room confidently.  Your Leadership Voice: Women in Focus is a program that I co-direct with Professor Anne Lytle at the Monash Business School. The explicit intention of this intensive executive education program is to build professional women's communications skills and confidence.

Over the course of 6-days, we explore many facets influencing ranging from negotiations skills and the neuroscience of feedback to crafting high impact presentations and harnessing the media. Conversations about neuro-performance and self-compassion are complemented by nourishing early morning yoga classes.  According to our graduates, this is a transformational program which gives the "X-factor" so they can step up and stand out.