If you can’t own it, get off the stage.
This post will be a serious one, it however is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. We’re worth more! Frankly, I’m saddened by how I’ve seen women treat public speaking versus men. Do men tweet, “I’m so nervous,” or, “I cant believe I’m doing this?” … Nope. If we want the same recognition and pay, we need to own it. That stage is yours, and you are the only one who might believe you’re not worthy. Get over it, ladies.
During the recent Blogher preparation, Twitter was abuzz with ladies discussing how nervous they were, what they should wear and the inevitable, “But it’s a ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE!”
Shameful, isn’t it? We are human and have a right to worry about what others think, but I see too much of that owning our confidence. I counted SIX tweets from women at #MNBlogConf speaking about sitting in a corner because of nervousness or not wanting to interact. We as a community need to recognize that and make sure we are including everyone, and to those who don’t want to go out of their comfort zone: It’s time to grow.
I’m astonished that no one else is calling out this behavior. It’s time to support other women, but not debilitate ourselves.
This is a fantastic post! Confidence in what we are doing, knowing what we want, and where we want to go really goes a long way. Thank you for posting this!
[...] but more of a social media/interactive marketing conference. Soon after, Kate-Madonna Hindes posted a blog which pretty much confirmed that I wasn’t alone in what I was [...]
I wonder if part of it might be not wanting their blogs critiqued. Maybe nervous about sharing what their writing about.
Read
http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2010-09-01-single-women_N.htm
Maybe its time men and women both started focusing on being HUMAN, just a thought.
Having confidence in yourself is important, I agree %100 percent, however it’s not just a woman’s issue. It’s felt by and is commonly and issue on both sides of the genital line. Spoken, tweeted, facebooked, myspaced and announced to all. You see a woman afraid though, and it’s feminist alert time. Social interaction, or the lack of it, is not just an issue of being afraid. It can come from a number of different issues.
How about you focus issues of humanity, and not just those of a woman.
“Frankly, I’m saddened by how I’ve seen women treat public speaking versus men.
Frankly, I’m saddened that you automatically place women in a lower standard then men in the first place. Just because someone stumbled, doesn’t mean they aren’t still on the same playing field.
You preach the rise of woman, but in everything I read from you all I see is you placing woman on some lower standing. Even worse, they way you say these things implies that you have somehow risen above us all, and are now here to show us the way. Is the blog just your way of making yourself feel better?
Dear Concerned Human,
I loved that you took the time to post. I think you make some incredible points: “How about you focus on the issues of humanity and not just those of a woman,” is a great line. However, it falls short in the experiences I’ve witnessed. Women were the ones who tweeted they were uncomfortable conversing and women were the ones speaking to me about wishing they could speak without being nervous. I’ve never heard those words from a man. As with all my blogs, it’s personal experience. I empower myself to remember that women don’t need to ask permission to do something that is ingrained in us to do. We are human beings and we have a voice.
If the blog just my way of making myself feel better? Absolutely. I blog because I’m passionate about something and want to get the feeling or idea off my chest. I speak from experience, as someone who has addressed large crowds with a feeling at the pit of her stomach that no one would want to hear what I had to say. I used to get physically ill before grabbing the mic. I had to understand I didn’t need anyone’s permission to do what I wanted to do.
Thanks for stopping by.