I'm talking with a female CEO who wants to raise capital to grow her firm. I hear hesitation in her voice as she describes her experiences at gatherings of venture capitalists. "95% male," she says, and "they all have a way to talking that excludes me even when I'm physically standing or sitting in the middle of the conversation."
What is it about women, men and asking for money? Do women sub-consciously revert back to earlier times in their lives when they were asking for an allowance from their fathers, or maybe they were struggling over allocation of funds with a new husband or live-in partner? Is this part of the ongoing debate about the role of women in business--yes, women seemingly have no limits to what they can aim for, but what about the debate over work, family, free time, career tracks and other challenges that men generally don't have to face?
Women must be equally knowledgeable about finance, yet it goes beyond that. Men should be conscious of their language--word choice, tone of voice and inflection, plus eye contact make a huge if less obvious impact. And women should be conscious of the same personal characteristics.
What's been your experience with women, men and asking for money? Share your frustrations and successes through the comment link.
Remember, words matter. Be conscious of what you've always done and make your language thoughtful and effective.
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