Unsurprisingly and despite growing awareness and proposals for incentives, statistics confirm what we already know: women are too little and poorly represented in France. This observation is confirmed for the profiles of experts and the divide is exacerbated by the crisis. According to the latest report commissioned by the government and published last September, men occupy 83.4% of speeches on the cover and sign 74.4% of the columns in the news media.
The first drag usually comes from the women themselves. The world that is given to them to see leaves them only a small part and does not allow them to project themselves easily. So they do not measure themselves relevant, do not dare, are not identified. So they do not help change the world that is presented to them …
To break this vicious circle, it is critical to raise awareness of the benefits: women, protagonists, the media, communicators. Here are some tips to help you get started:
1. Have confidence in yourself : you are sufficiently qualified: Women often feel that their intervention will not shed more light on the debate, that there is always a better and more relevant interlocutor to express themselves on a subject which they nevertheless master perfectly.
Do not mystify the expectations of the journalist: your intervention will allow him to explain a current or technical subject for readers or listeners. You are not being asked to be smarter than you already are. If the opportunity is presented to you, then you are qualified.
2. Prepare yourselves : Would you go to a job or business interview without preparing in advance? The exercise is more or less the same here: it is important to learn about the media (editorial line, political color), the journalist (tone of the interviews, subjects dealt with previously), the guests (as part of a TV set). / radio, knowing who will participate in the debate, their opinions, potential detractors), the audience (who reads or listens), or even to ask to have upstream the list of potential questions that will be asked. Being supported by an agency, or your internal communication department can help you.
3. Master your messages: Most of the time, you don’t go for an interview just to answer questions but also to share a message. Identify the one you want to communicate (limit yourself to 3 messages at most), ask yourself about the rationale for this message, (what concrete proof can you provide?). Is your speech fluid? To be heard, you have to be convinced and impactful.
4. Treat your intervention: take care of your appearance and posture, work on your voice and tone. Whether for a man or a woman, appearance is important and can reflect our values, our image. But the judgment is more corrosive towards women: they are unfortunately looked at before being listened to. Anticipate it to suffer it less. Favor short, clear and precise interventions to keep the audience’s interest captive.
5. Practice to excel : All spokespersons improve by practicing and getting honest feedback. Multiply the interviews, refine your messages and surround yourself with people you trust.
Journalists are often in search of the expert who will provide both a concise analysis and who will be able to give (leads) to solutions. The issue of the place of women in the media is a reality but it is also directly linked to the fact that women, for many reasons, lack self-confidence and do not expose themselves as they should. However, expertise and competence are desirable qualities which are not the prerogative of men.
Things are gradually evolving since according to his last annual report on the representation of women on television and radio, the Superior Audiovisual Council notes that more and more women are called upon to express themselves with an increase of 11% since 2016.
It should be noted that their presence is stable at 41% of women on the air, but their speaking time drops to 35% in interviews: on set, they are given less time to express themselves, unlike their male counterparts. They are indeed less quick to go and take this word, even to cut it even when they deem it necessary.
Dear experts, rest assured, very rare are the spokespersons who launch without support. But take action because your discretion confirms an erroneous vision of the world and of your profession.
(The published columns are the responsibility of their authors and do not bind CB News).
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