Ladies Who Launch

Stella Grizont is the Director of Marketing at Ladies Who Launch. In addition to her full time gig with Ladies Who Launch, she also serves as an Incubator Leader in New York City and New Jersey and has led nearly 500 women through the Ladies Who Launch Incubator program. She’s excited to share her launching insights, learnings, and ponderings with you.

…………………………………………………

My salsa teacher would often say, “Stella stop sticking out your butt and listen to the music.” Somehow I manage to be a pretty good dancer with pretty bad rhythm. But even though I might step too fast or sometimes end up leading my partner (a no- no in salsa), I’ve gotten confirmation from other pro’s that I look brilliant on the dance floor (for a Russian).

The reason I’m going into this whole story is because there is something that turns me on about salsa that evokes a confidence in my posture (and it’s not about sticking my butt out) and a confidence in my spirit. There is something so delicious about dancing salsa that every pore of my body feels like it can do just about anything – even if I don’t know the steps. I truly feel like myself.

I know you have these juicy moments, too. There is something that flips your switch and BOOM – you are in your magnificent glory, all “I AM WOMAN.” It’s the kind of moment where your whole body just says, “don’t mess with me, I know what I’m talking about,” or, “I am so passionate you have to buy my product,” or, “I’m so hot, just agree with me or just do what I command.” Or something like that. I call this groove “The Power Voice.”

Some women have mastered living in the Power Voice. The Power Voice is really just self confidence – but I like to call it a “voice” because it comes out not only through your choice of words but your intonation and body language.

Here’s a quick quiz on whether you’re in your Power Voice:

1. When you introduce yourself or your idea – does it sound like a question or a statement? Even though you might not be asking a question, does the inflection of your voice sound like you’re waiting for an answer?

2. Before introducing your work, do you make an excuse like “Oh, it’s a little sloppy” or “I didn’t have a chance to do x,y,z?”

3. When someone gives you a compliment, do you find a very creative way of making that person take it back? For example, someone tells you your hair looks stunning. You tell them, “Really? I didn’t wash it.”

If you answered “YES” to any of the above, you might need a little practice drawing up your Power Voice. In my opinion, you should always have your Power Voice on.

Here are some pointers for turning on the Power Voice in you

1. When you introduce yourself or your idea – make sure you remember to pause with a period and not a question mark. Make it a statement. If someone asks you “What is one plus one?” I bet you answer “two,” assertively. Answer questions or state your opinion with the confidence you would answer by say, “Two.” Even if you don’t know the answer to something, you can confidently answer, “I don’t have that answer right now, but I’ll get back to you.”

2. When introducing your work, just do it. If you really, really want to acknowledge parts that are not finished or not perfected (because I know you’re all perfectionistas), at least try introducing the strengths of your own work first before acknowledging the weaknesses. It’s standard etiquette to acknowledge the positives points first when giving feedback to someone else– so why not apply that to your own work?

3. When someone gives you a compliment, say “THANK YOU.” Period. No need to do more than that.

So here’s some homework for you (I can’t help it, it’s the Incubator Leader in me): practice one of the above for one week. See if anything changes and write to me about it. stella@ladieswholaunch.com . Or, better yet, comment to this blog and tell everyone about it in you Power Voice.

Lastly, be acutely aware of your voice. Investigate why your Power Voice is on and off. I personally found that my Power Voice is off when I’m doing something I don’t want to do, something I’m not passionate about. Or, I find my Power Voice usually goes down when my gut is trying to tell me not to do something. So use your Power Voice as an instrument to guide you to all the fun, juicy, delicious moments and life that turn you on….even if that means you end up dancing to your own rhythm.

Best,

Stella