????本期嘉賓博主：Mary Civiello

????如果你是一名準備募集資金的女性創業者，你向男性尋求投資的幾率很高。美國風投人士中的女性不到10%，而且性別歧視盛行。學術和非學術證據都表明：

????- 即便你的講稿與某位男同胞的一模一樣，風投人士也不認為你和他一樣有說服力。

????- 風投人士會為難女性創始人 ，尤其是當她創建的公司與時尚或食品不相關的時候。

????- 風險投資人士，無論男性還是女性，都傾向于男性創始人。據最近哈佛/麻省理工/沃頓（Harvard/MIT/Wharton）的研究顯示，投資者發現，男性更有說服力、邏輯性，也更實事求是，即便他們讀的講稿與女性相同的講稿。同一研究還發現，具有“吸引力”對男性的幫助超過對女性的幫助。

????因此，女性創業者該怎么辦？

????即便是明星女性創業者也曾遭受過質疑。Hearsay Social創始人兼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，因為我們知道這樣一個殘酷的事實，假若條件都一樣，最后被選中還是他們，就因為他們是男的?！?/p>

????聰明的女性創業者都做的一件事：挑選適當的財務后盾。Neu Venture Capital的杰里?紐曼是風投界努力避免這種傳統偏見的一個人。他說：“我努力自省，確保我無理的偏見不至于影響我的商業判斷?！?/p>

????但在我過去十年對企業高管進行培訓的過程中，我也學到了一些交流的技巧。我將此歸納為以下三點：

????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。為什么？因為女性傾向于做“讓別人開心滿意的人”。女性在多任務處理方面表現出色，但這可能在尋求風投過程中成為一個弱點。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務。不要讓他們認為你不了解。”

????2.聽覺。女性緊張的時候聲音會變得很古怪。這是因為，女性擁有更高的音域，緊張的時候，聲帶拉緊，導致音調更高。研究顯示，低沉的聲音聽起來更自信，也更有權威。而且，要記住，自古以來，男性就執掌著大部分權力，因此，男性的品質特色就是標準。處方:使用那些你自然音域中較低的一部分。練習，錄下自己的聲音，再次練習，從而使自己的聲音和外在形象都更符合你最職業的一面。

????3.語感。女性更為細膩，比普通男性使用更多的文字。而且在遭受攻擊時，女性通常會產生抵觸心理，或者情緒化。處方:務求精確。被人質疑的時候，不要想都不想就脫口而出。停下來。請質疑你的人詳細說清楚。(“這個問題，請您更詳細講一講...）。冷靜處理。

????信心是關鍵。目前，美國風投支持的公司中僅有7%是由女性領導。但正如Facebook的謝麗爾?桑德伯格所講的那樣，女性創始人積極進取，相信自己，最終就能改變這個比例。（財富中文網）

????本文作者瑪麗?希維蘿是一位高管溝通培訓師。她的合作對象包括黑石、摩根士丹利、默克、美國運通， 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).