女人如何贏得風(fēng)投
????本期嘉賓博主:Mary Civiello ????如果你是一名準(zhǔn)備募集資金的女性創(chuàng)業(yè)者,你向男性尋求投資的幾率很高。美國風(fēng)投人士中的女性不到10%,而且性別歧視盛行。學(xué)術(shù)和非學(xué)術(shù)證據(jù)都表明: ????- 即便你的講稿與某位男同胞的一模一樣,風(fēng)投人士也不認(rèn)為你和他一樣有說服力。 ????- 風(fēng)投人士會為難女性創(chuàng)始人 ,尤其是當(dāng)她創(chuàng)建的公司與時尚或食品不相關(guān)的時候。 ????- 風(fēng)險投資人士,無論男性還是女性,都傾向于男性創(chuàng)始人。據(jù)最近哈佛/麻省理工/沃頓(Harvard/MIT/Wharton)的研究顯示,投資者發(fā)現(xiàn),男性更有說服力、邏輯性,也更實(shí)事求是,即便他們讀的講稿與女性相同的講稿。同一研究還發(fā)現(xiàn),具有“吸引力”對男性的幫助超過對女性的幫助。 ????因此,女性創(chuàng)業(yè)者該怎么辦? ????即便是明星女性創(chuàng)業(yè)者也曾遭受過質(zhì)疑。Hearsay Social創(chuàng)始人兼CEO、星巴克(Starbucks)董事史宗瑋最近在在《今日美國》(USA Today)科技界女性圓桌會談上說:“我們很多人都感受過男人們面臨的壓力,而且還有過之而無不及,因?yàn)槲覀冎肋@樣一個殘酷的事實(shí),假若條件都一樣,最后被選中還是他們,就因?yàn)樗麄兪悄械??!?/p> ????聰明的女性創(chuàng)業(yè)者都做的一件事:挑選適當(dāng)?shù)呢攧?wù)后盾。Neu Venture Capital的杰里?紐曼是風(fēng)投界努力避免這種傳統(tǒng)偏見的一個人。他說:“我努力自省,確保我無理的偏見不至于影響我的商業(yè)判斷?!?/p> ????但在我過去十年對企業(yè)高管進(jìn)行培訓(xùn)的過程中,我也學(xué)到了一些交流的技巧。我將此歸納為以下三點(diǎn): ????1.視覺。如果觀眾中有個人看起來似乎不買賬,女性通常會被這個人誤導(dǎo)。為什么?因?yàn)榕詢A向于做“讓別人開心滿意的人”。女性在多任務(wù)處理方面表現(xiàn)出色,但這可能在尋求風(fēng)投過程中成為一個弱點(diǎn)。處方:采納VC Keegan Forte of Bowery Capital的建議:“一門心思做自己想的事情,不要被其他事情所困擾,”她說?!澳懔私庾约旱臉I(yè)務(wù)。不要讓他們認(rèn)為你不了解。” ????2.聽覺。女性緊張的時候聲音會變得很古怪。這是因?yàn)?,女性擁有更高的音域,緊張的時候,聲帶拉緊,導(dǎo)致音調(diào)更高。研究顯示,低沉的聲音聽起來更自信,也更有權(quán)威。而且,要記住,自古以來,男性就執(zhí)掌著大部分權(quán)力,因此,男性的品質(zhì)特色就是標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。處方:使用那些你自然音域中較低的一部分。練習(xí),錄下自己的聲音,再次練習(xí),從而使自己的聲音和外在形象都更符合你最職業(yè)的一面。 ????3.語感。女性更為細(xì)膩,比普通男性使用更多的文字。而且在遭受攻擊時,女性通常會產(chǎn)生抵觸心理,或者情緒化。處方:務(wù)求精確。被人質(zhì)疑的時候,不要想都不想就脫口而出。停下來。請質(zhì)疑你的人詳細(xì)說清楚。(“這個問題,請您更詳細(xì)講一講...)。冷靜處理。 ????信心是關(guān)鍵。目前,美國風(fēng)投支持的公司中僅有7%是由女性領(lǐng)導(dǎo)。但正如Facebook的謝麗爾?桑德伯格所講的那樣,女性創(chuàng)始人積極進(jìn)取,相信自己,最終就能改變這個比例。(財富中文網(wǎng)) ????本文作者瑪麗?希維蘿是一位高管溝通培訓(xùn)師。她的合作對象包括黑石、摩根士丹利、默克、美國運(yùn)通, AIG和大都會等公司的高管。 |
????Guest Post by Mary Civiello ????If you're a woman entrepreneur looking to raise money, chances are high that you're pitching to men. Fewer than 10% of venture capitalists in the U.S. are female, and gender biases prevail. Academic and anecdotal evidence indicates: ????- VCs won't think your pitch is as persuasive as a man's even if he reads the same script as you do. ????- VCs will give a woman founder a tougher time, especially if her startup involves something other than fashion or food. ????- VCs, regardless of gender, prefer male founders. According to a recent Harvard/MIT/Wharton study, investors found men to be more persuasive, logical and factual even when they're reading a woman's script. The same study found that being "attractive" helps men more than it helps women. ????So, what is a woman entrepreneur to do? ????Even star female founders feel challenged. Hearsay Social founder and CEO Clara Shih, who is also on the board of Starbucks (SBUX), said at a recent USA Today (GCI) roundtable of women in tech: "A lot of us have felt pressure to be everything the guys are and more because we know the sad truth that all things equal, they'll get selected because they're guys." ????One thing that smart female founders do: choose the right financial backer. Jerry Neumann of Neu Venture Capital is one guy in the VC world who strives to avoid the classic gender bias. "I try to be self-aware so that my irrational prejudices don't affect my business judgment," he says. ????But there are also communications tips that I've come to learn from coaching C-suite executives, male and female, over the past decade. I call them the 3 Vs of Style: ????1. VISUAL.Women often get thrown off by the one person in the audience who looks like he isn't buying what you're selling. Why? Because women tend to be "pleasers." Women also tend to excel at multitasking, which can be a handicap during a pitch. Rx: Take the advice of VC Keegan Forte of Bowery Capital: "Stay inside your head. Leave others out," she says. "You know your business. Don't let them think you don't." ????2. VOCAL.Women can get squeaky when nervous. That's because women have greater vocal range, and vocal chords constrict when stressed, resulting in a higher pitch. Lower voices, studies show, sound more confident and authoritative. And remember, since time began, men have held most of the positions of authority, so male qualities are the standard. Rx: Use the lower vocal range of what's natural for you. Practice and record your voice and practice again so that you sound, as well as look, like your best professional self. ????3. VERBAL.Women tend to elaborate, using more words than the typical guy. And when under attack, women often get defensive or emotional. Rx: Be concise. When challenged, don't say the first thing that comes to mind. Pause. Invite your challenger to elaborate. ("Tell me more about…") Play it cool. ????Confidence is key. Ultimately, women entrepreneurs leaning in, as Facebook's (FB) Sheryl Sandberg would say, and believing in themselves will help change the ratio – the reality that only 7% of VC-backed U.S. companies are women-led. ????Mary Civiello is an executive communications coach. She works with leaders at companies including Blackstone (BX), Morgan Stanley (MS), Merck (MRK), American Express (AXP), AIG (AIG) and MetLife (MET). |