Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up!

We’ve heard a lot recently about making your voice heard by voting in this week’s elections. I hope you do! But now let’s talk literally about speaking up to your peers, your community, and in front of your business colleagues.

A recent article on NPR’s Facebook page caught my attention with the headline “All-Male Panels Are Still the Norm.” Men, the article says, outnumbered women 2 to 1 as event speakers over the last five years. Women were more likely to speak at fundraisers or social gatherings but were rarely invited to speak at conventions or conferences.

A survey by the event software company Bizzabo found that of the 60,000 speakers the company analyzed in 23 countries, 69 percent were men. And despite the talk about gender equity and harassment in the workplace, the number of women speakers has increased by only two percent in the last two years.

The survey found that the U.S. ranked third in gender diversity out of the 23 countries.

As independent businesswomen, our Consultants are more than qualified to be speakers in their own business communities. And I encourage all of you to take advantage of opportunities in your area to be on panels, to present to business organizations, and to tell your story. Not only do you get to represent Pure Romance as a great opportunity for women in business, you position yourself as a successful small business owner. And let’s see if we can increase that percentage of women speakers more than two percent over the next two years!

Want to read more? Check it out here.

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