Where are all the women? Let me paint the scene: it’s Wednesday evening and Edinburgh TechMeetup is in full swing. Because of a projector mishap, we all crowd into a small conference room to see the presentations. I suddenly notice I’m the only woman in the room. When the guy next to me ignores the ten other bodies crammed around him and asks me to hold his beer, I realise I’m in trouble.
In general, I don’t like to talk about gender issues. Highlighting disparities between the achievements of men and women feels unproductive, and like a cop-out. Why were there no other women at TechMeetup that week? Perhaps they just had more demanding social calendars than me and the 50 men who attended.
Then again, maybe there is something more perverse than the release of SATC2 at work. On Friday, Informatics Ventures hosted “New Approaches to Leadership for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs, Managers & CEOs”, a workshop with an exclusively female guest list, headlined by three powerhouse women from the States.
Two things made this conference different from other “women in business/entrepreneurship/tech/science” events I’ve been to in the past.
First, Fiona Murray, a native Brit who now lectures at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, made a convincing case for addressing womens’ business issues separately from mens’. Namely, successful business people speak a certain type of language, which men tend to speak better than women. It’s easier to talk about these differences—and learn to emulate the more successful behaviours—in the absence of men.
(If you don’t believe me, imagine trying to learn to juggle in the presence of a bunch of acrobats. Now imagine learning to juggle in a class full of juggler-noobs. Isn’t that more palatable?)
Second, this event was strictly no-apologies. Our hosts weren’t offering us counseling for any wrong-doing we might have suffered, or opportunities we may not have been offered. Instead, Fiona and her colleagues told us that successful habits are learned, and improve with practice. We identified a few big targets (for instance, the all-important ability to convey a clear and inspiring vision), and got to work.
Of course, this man-woman dichotomy isn’t the only one that’s relevant to learn from in business. Compared to entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, Scottish entrepreneurs pitch more tentative, less visionary futures for their businesses. In part, that’s a response to differences in the funding climate, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from the bullish confidence of our American peers. Likewise, women experience a different business climate than men, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn how to achieve the same level of success.
So let’s get over this “woman thing”. And while we’re at it, this “Scottish thing” as well. With practice and determination, we’re every bit as good as the next guy.
StartupCafe 
One of these days I will make it to Tech Meetup! Something else always seems to get in the way… 😦
Wow, sorry to have left you on your own this week! Was 100% intending to TechMeetup, but wound up staying in the office late and then opted for an invite to watch Junior Apprentice. Probably reinforces two further stereotypes of trying to over-acheive / seek approval, and preferring a more social event.
Interesting points about what made the Women’s workshop different this time…
Great article Hilary and so interesting to come across a new site like this!
May I make one point? Whilst I’ve always strongly believed there is a strong case to be made for women-only training, I do take issue with one aspect of your post.
“successful business people speak a certain type of language, which men tend to speak better than women”
Hmm. I’ve been training business people to make presentations, speak up in meetings or in public for 15 years now and I honestly believe that (successful) women are not behind in the speaking department. They may not always speak in the same way as men, but different doesn’t equal worse. In my experience, women are often better at anecdotal speaking, but I tend to think that such speaking often goes down better with audiences than the kind of power speak some men use!
I think the main things to bear in mind when you’re speaking is ‘What do I want my audience to feel (and therefore do) as a result of listening to me?’
Hey Hilary,
I totally agree with your observation that women speak a language that has cultural differences from men’s and (because the business world is male dominated) from the business world.
I have done a bit of reading around this cultural linguistics and it is valuable reading for everyone – not just women. Scottish people also present themselves very differently (in linguisitic terms) from Americans… and so on (important if you are thinking of an American market).
I’d recommend reading “The Power of Talk, Who gets heard and why” by Deborah Tannen – its from the Harvard Business Review 1995, and is easy to find for free online.
It has a specific cultural context which can’t be ignored – but it will make you think about what you say very carefully in future!!
Thanks for all the comments, and especially the book recommendation.
Cordelia—I think you’re absolutely correct that differences between male and female presentation styles doesn’t make one style better than the other.
I also think Morna’s point is valid: the upper echelons of business are full of men. If you want to be a successful business woman, you’ve got to be able to speak to men—both stylistically, and in terms of what you say.
One of the more interesting points from the womens’ event on Friday was that women are routinely held to be less “visionary” than men, when evaluated by male colleagues. This is an essential quality if you want to be CEO of a big company.
As a result, articulating your vision in a way that your male colleagues recognise and understand may require adopting a more “masculine” communication approach.
Just to add to this discussion. The Next Women has published a blog post about this event: http://thenextwomen.com/2010/06/21/female_entrepreneurs_scotland_informatic_venture/