‘Lead With Your Strengths’: Advice for Students on Powerful Public Speaking

When it comes to public speaking, societal expectations often “put women in a bind,” says Laura Greenfield, founder and director of Women’s Voices Worldwide.

Women who speak too boldly risk being seen as arrogant or aggressive, Greenfield says. But those who hold back risk being ignored or discounted.

Greenfield, whose Northampton-based nonprofit educates women and girls to be powerful public speakers, was on campus earlier this month leading a workshop for students. Her talk, hosted by Business Women of Smith College, offered strategies for how to make strong impressions in interviews or presentations—while avoiding public-speaking pitfalls unique to women.

Greenfield’s advice to the nearly 20 Smithies gathered at the Campus Center for the workshop was often surprising.

“There is no one-size-fits-all formula for this,” she said. “And I’m not here to give you a list of dos and don’ts.”

Instead, Greenfield—an author and expert public speaker—focused on how women can strengthen their presentation skills through use of their bodies, voices and the words they choose to describe their ideas and experiences.

Of the three, Greenfield emphasized that body language—including posture, eye contact and hand gestures—is key to making a first impression.

“People who study communications say 58 percent of the message comes from what people see,” Greenfield said. “Another 35 percent comes from the sound—your tone of voice, volume, pitch and pacing. Only 7 percent is the content, the actual words you are saying.”

At Greenfield’s urging, students rose from their seats to practice confident body language.

“Strike your power pose,” Greenfield called out, as participants strode past her with heads held high, cell phones out of sight.

“What do you do with your hands during an interview?” one student wanted to know.

“It doesn’t matter as long as it’s purposeful,” Greenfield replied. “So it could be holding your hands in your lap or up on a table. Just strike that pose with conviction.”

(An added tip: If you’re seated around a table with a client or potential employer, holding your hands in your lap could make you appear withdrawn, Greenfield said. In that case, “break the rules” and put your elbows on the table.)

Students also practiced using their voices to communicate self-assurance.

“The most important place to make sure you’re doing that is when you say your name,” Greenfield said. “It’s who you are and how people can remember you. Articulate all of the sounds of your name—especially if it’s not a common one.”

The room quickly filled with the sound of those introductions.

When it comes to the actual content of public presentations, women need to learn to “lead with their strengths rather than their insecurities,” said Greenfield, who is founding director of the Transformative Speaking Program at Hampshire College.

She urged students to be wary of apologizing or “hedging” after voicing an idea or opinion—a pattern she said many women tend to fall into.

“When you say, ‘This may sound dumb, but here’s my idea,’ it leaves your listeners doubting the value of what you’re saying,” Greenfield said.

That message resonated with Nina Jarrell ’16, who said she was drawn to the workshop because “as a junior, I’m starting to think about life after Smith and am hoping to set up some internships and interviews.”

Jarrell admitted she has sometimes hedged after presenting an idea.

“Now I’m going to be more aware of not doing that,” she added.

Rather than ticking off a “laundry list” of skills in an interview, Greenfield urged students to tell the story of how their career interests have unfolded.

“This should be a narrative of your passions,” she said. “Give us the big picture and tell us how you’ve evolved.”

Even women who are just launching careers can make a strong impression if their narrative is well crafted, Greenfield noted.

“Name your role, even if you’re the lowest person on the totem pole,” she added. “Say it with confidence. Tell us how you got here and where you want to get to in the future.”

Final tips: Don’t memorize a script for an interview; think instead about an overall framework. Come up with strategies you can use if your mind goes blank. “Pause and smile” is a good one, Greenfield said.

Anna Brissie ’15, president of Business Women for Smith, said she was pleased with the substance of the workshop.

“Dr. Greenfield offered some great advice,” Brissie said. “Something I don’t think a lot of women realize is the way we tend to unconsciously put our own opinions and ideas down.”

Brissie noted that Women’s Voices Worldwide is hosting its third annual speech competition for International Women’s Day in March. The deadline to apply is January 6. For details, go to http://www.womensvoicesworldwide.org/Celebration_of_Speech_3.html.