It might shock you to learn that many of my high-level, accomplished, experienced clients don’t identify as experts in their field. It certainly shocks me, and last year I did a deep-dive into this phenomenon: why is it so hard for women to identify as experts, and what’s stopping them from stepping up and owning their expertise?
What I learned is that there are 3 main reasons, and you might recognize some (or all) of them:
Many women don’t want the friction that comes with publicly owning their expertise. They fear that they’ll be subject to intense scrutiny that will cause extra stress and second-guessing, which will interfere with the quality of their work.
Some women are concerned that declaring themselves as experts will change the way their peers see them, leading to toxic competition and a lack of psychological safety in the workplace.
Others fear that they don’t have enough of what it takes to be considered an expert, and are not able to visualize themselves in that role.
I completely understand if you identify with any of these, and please know that you’re not alone. But I want to point out that one of the most powerful and harmful sexist narratives in our culture is that men are the top experts in every field. In fact, we have become so enculturated to the dominance of male experts, that in daily work meetings, group discussions, and project strategizing we often defer to men’s opinions automatically, even when there are actual women experts in the room!
I’ve taught my Power Voice methods in over 200 workplaces, and I’ve seen these effects with my own eyes. I know you have too, and in my next 4 posts I’m going to help you move beyond your fears and claim your expertise, so you can see and feel the fantastic effects on your career.
Let’s begin here:
There are Four Power Communication Skills that we expect from an expert in any field, any sector and any role. The first is the most important: we expect them to be able to express clear, confident opinions. If you watch an interview with Martha Stewart, you expect her to express firm opinions about the best new pie recipes, nonstick vs copper pots, and the current state of food journalism. If you watch one with Viola Davis, you expect her opinions about working with top directors, launching her own production company, and the state of the entertainment business for older women and women of color. If you watch Kara Swisher, you expect her opinions about the best and worst new media products, the latest Meta and X shenanigans, and which new media outlets are actually worth your time.
When it comes to your own workplace activities, if you can’t express informed and confident opinions about the subject(s) at hand, you can’t gain trust with anyone (that includes stakeholders, Senior leadership and your own peers). Opinions make it clear that you have studied an issue from many angles, and arrived at a strong point of view. They allow others to quickly understand your message, and they become an important part of your personal brand. Many of my clients have spent years hanging back, refusing to speak up even though they have valuable opinions to offer. This leaves them feeling unseen, unheard and unappreciated. Don’t make this mistake!
The language of your opinions matters. You can take time before meetings and presentations to craft strong, confident words that get your point across. When I work with clients on this task, we use “The Three Cs”, which stands for Clear, Concise and Compelling. Make sure that you speak up when expressing your opinions, so that everyone in the room understands that you should be taken seriously. Don’t use qualifiers or minimizers when you speak, and don’t use uptalk at the end of your sentence (That’s when everything you say? Comes out sounding like a question? Because you go up in pitch at the end of every sentence?).
Next time I’ll outline the second of the Four Power Communication Skills. Please feel free with questions, and reach out to me if you’d like to book a Power Voice or Power Communication training for the women in your workplace. I love hearing from you!