How to Get Sh*t Done as a Woman

Do you say sorry more than you care to admit? If you said yes, would you happen to be a woman? Societal standards for communication have different expectations for women and men. I've been in positions where I second guess if I should reword something to make it sound less harsh. I've also learned that sometimes you can't worry that someone's feelings will be hurt about what you have to communicate to them.

What if I told you I had some tricks for your next girl boss email. Incorporate the following to help you communicate and get things done.

1. Forget the pillow around your bad news.

Sometimes things happen, and you're going to have to tell someone something bad happened. Instead of dragging a correspondence out for a whole page just to say you lost the biggest client, just say "We lost our largest client today due to competitor's pricing we aren't able to compete with." Stop being so worried you are going to hurt someone's feelings. When you say what has actually happened, you don't leave your reader confused or unclear as to what they just read. This allows you to be clear and concise in your communicating. Losing the unnecessary wordage makes the communication more effective.

"If you plant daisies around a pile of poo, it still stinks."

2. Be aware of female communication stereotypes

Women are trained to be cautious of people's feelings. So much so that oftentimes we become fearful to communicate a certain way. If we are honest or curt, women can be seen as b*tchy or bossy. Being aware of the fear we as women have about being perceived through text can help us navigate around being afraid to speak up. Don't be so caught up with being overly friendly in an email opener or closer. Be professional, but you don't need to dance around hurting someone's feelings when something upsetting needs to be communicated. In business, communication is crucial, and in order to be able to do that effectively, you need to be able to tell your piece without being afraid of what the person on the other end is going to think.

"...under-confidence and arrogance are disproportionately observed in women and men respectively..."

3. Format Format Format

Being purposeful with how you format your communication can not only help get your point across but help your audience retain that information. Make your written work concise and to the point, and utilize formatting features like bullet points and bolding to help guide the reader's eyes. Here are a couple points to add to your next email or report's composition.

• Proofread so you sound professional

• Hook the audience from the beginning with something to keep them reading

• Marie Kondo your text so it is as organized as the container store

• Utilize visuals like graphics, bullet points, or tables to break up paragraphs

• Control-Alt-Delete filler words like "just," "actually," and "sorry"

Women, if you want to get your point across so you can get sh*t done, be bold in your communication. Be different than the norm society has taught us. Communicate effectively and efficiently with these simple tactics, and you can be just as straightforward as your male counterpart. Using these methods will save you and your readers time. In the end, we all communicate just to tell one story at a time. Why spend so much unnecessary time formulating a work letter for someone who is going to skim and not even understand the point?

Stop adding cushion to your communication and GET SH*T DONE.

#communicate #effectivecommunication #girlboss #fearlessfemale

*Post written for Strategic Message Design Course*