WC 2021 May Too Assertive or Not Assertive Enough? Overcoming the Gendered Double-Bind

Description

Have you ever been told you need to speak more assertively? Have you ever had feedback in your performance appraisal indicating that you are aggressive or abrasive? The thing is, when women act or speak assertively, they are often accused of being aggressive. Men on the other hand? The same behavior would be seen as acting/speaking like a leader or manager. Yet if women do not speak up, their voices get drowned out by a chorus of more "assertive" men.

As a young adult, I was once told "it is not what you say, it's how you say it" in an attempt to shut me up. I considered the feedback, and determined that I would do what I could to act with confidence but not obnoxiously - as far as that goes.

Reality of course is that whether women are assertive or not is partly a matter of perception. As a Black woman, this gets even messier, as assertiveness is not only seen as aggression, but also punished more severely with negative performance evaluations and accusations of being an angry black woman.

At this session, my goal, along with sharing my own stories and soliciting your stories of assertiveness (or the lack thereof), is to share strategies for mitigating the double-bind associated with assertiveness in women at work. I will share how to become more assertive, how to deal with the potential negative backlash of said assertiveness, and how to engage in confident, competent workplace communication that gets results.
 

This month's speaker:

Dr. Faith W. Ngunjiri
Director, Lorentzsen Center for Faith and Work; Associate Professor of Ethics
Concordia College
 

REGISTRATIONS
Livestream
Chamber members $20 | Non-members $40

In person at the Avalon Event Center (includes dessert)
Chamber members $27 in advance | Non-members $47 in advance
Chamber members $37 at the door | Non-members $57 at the door
 

Presenting Sponsors

Supporting Sponsors
Bell Bank | Choice Bank | Eventide Senior Living Communities | First Western Bank & Trust
Gate City Bank | Microsoft | Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Office Sign Company | Otter Tail Corporation | Rasmussen College | Sanford Health
Vogel Law Firm | WDAY | Wells Fargo Bank | Western State Bank

Event Production Sponsor

Dessert Sponsor

Venue Sponsor