Women and men have varied socialized rituals. Across cultures, women grew up learning socialized rituals to reduce their presence; these unconscious habits can hamper women’s performance in the professional setting. On the International Women’s Day March 8th, the Career Development Office invited Delee Fromm of Delee Fromm Consulting Inc. to present on “Women in Law: Persuasive Presence”. The interactive presentation covers a wide range of topics including gender rituals, nonverbal communication such as sitting posture, voice, language and energy. The presentation provides various tips to help women enhance their presence in the interviews and boardroom setting.
Delee, who is both a lawyer and a psychologist, has taught and coached lawyers, corporate professionals, and government personnel for over 25 years. Her programs and services largely involve women’s advancement. Delee is an expert at the Negotiation Institute in New York and is a coach with the Law Society of Upper Canada’s career coaching program for women lawyers. She is also a faculty member of the LL.M. program in Alternative Dispute Resolution at Osgoode’s Professional Development Program. In addition, she has coached and lectured in the Internationally Trained Lawyers Program at the University of Toronto.
In many cultures, including Canada, most women are taught to minimize their presence. Although such gendered habits may be normal way of daily communication, these behaviours can be misinterpreted as a lack of confidence in the workplace. For instance, Delee observes in the boardroom that some women would sit crouched and arms-folded while some men tend to sit with arms expanded, occupying more than one chair. Space reflects power. Delee suggests that when seated, women or men should be aware of how their posture may be perceived by others. She asked the audience to experiment with different sitting postures. Being open and relaxed with hands on the table and without taking too much space is one good way to sit in a boardroom meeting. It allows the person to appear engaged and confident without looking arrogant or intimidating. For another instance, many women think they are shouting though they are just speaking. In the workplace, it is important to be heard and to come across as confident. In a boardroom setting, Delee recommends to walk in with a trusted friend to make sure the voice volume is right.
The interactive session helps the participants understand how others view them who are not the same gender and thus are raised in a different way. Delee says that women do not have to change a thing because not all women are alike and not all men are alike. However, people are not always aware of how their emotions communicate to others. Therefore, she recommends that women should pay attention to how they are perceived when they are with someone who can influence their career. Delee advises the audience to be aware of how their socialized habits may mislead others and be conscious of the image projected by nonverbal and verbal communication.
