女人如何赢得风投

    本期嘉宾博主：Mary Civiello

    如果你是一名准备募集资金的女性创业者，你向男性寻求投资的几率很高。美国风投人士中的女性不到10%，而且性别歧视盛行。学术和非学术证据都表明：

    - 即便你的讲稿与某位男同胞的一模一样，风投人士也不认为你和他一样有说服力。

    - 风投人士会为难女性创始人 ，尤其是当她创建的公司与时尚或食品不相关的时候。

    - 风险投资人士，无论男性还是女性，都倾向于男性创始人。据最近哈佛/麻省理工/沃顿（Harvard/MIT/Wharton）的研究显示，投资者发现，男性更有说服力、逻辑性，也更实事求是，即便他们读的讲稿与女性相同的讲稿。同一研究还发现，具有“吸引力”对男性的帮助超过对女性的帮助。

    因此，女性创业者该怎么办？

    即便是明星女性创业者也曾遭受过质疑。Hearsay Social创始人兼CEO、星巴克（Starbucks）董事史宗玮最近在在《今日美国》（USA Today）科技界女性圆桌会谈上说：“我们很多人都感受过男人们面临的压力，而且还有过之而无不及，因为我们知道这样一个残酷的事实，假若条件都一样，最后被选中还是他们，就因为他们是男的。”

    聪明的女性创业者都做的一件事：挑选适当的财务后盾。Neu Venture Capital的杰里•纽曼是风投界努力避免这种传统偏见的一个人。他说：“我努力自省，确保我无理的偏见不至于影响我的商业判断。”

    但在我过去十年对企业高管进行培训的过程中，我也学到了一些交流的技巧。我将此归纳为以下三点：

    1.视觉。如果观众中有个人看起来似乎不买账，女性通常会被这个人误导。为什么？因为女性倾向于做“让别人开心满意的人”。女性在多任务处理方面表现出色，但这可能在寻求风投过程中成为一个弱点。处方:采纳VC Keegan Forte of Bowery Capital的建议：“一门心思做自己想的事情，不要被其他事情所困扰，”她说。“你了解自己的业务。不要让他们认为你不了解。”

    2.听觉。女性紧张的时候声音会变得很古怪。这是因为，女性拥有更高的音域，紧张的时候，声带拉紧，导致音调更高。研究显示，低沉的声音听起来更自信，也更有权威。而且，要记住，自古以来，男性就执掌着大部分权力，因此，男性的品质特色就是标准。处方:使用那些你自然音域中较低的一部分。练习，录下自己的声音，再次练习，从而使自己的声音和外在形象都更符合你最职业的一面。

    3.语感。女性更为细腻，比普通男性使用更多的文字。而且在遭受攻击时，女性通常会产生抵触心理，或者情绪化。处方:务求精确。被人质疑的时候，不要想都不想就脱口而出。停下来。请质疑你的人详细说清楚。(“这个问题，请您更详细讲一讲...）。冷静处理。

    信心是关键。目前，美国风投支持的公司中仅有7%是由女性领导。但正如Facebook的谢丽尔•桑德伯格所讲的那样，女性创始人积极进取，相信自己，最终就能改变这个比例。（财富中文网）

    本文作者玛丽•希维萝是一位高管沟通培训师。她的合作对象包括黑石、摩根士丹利、默克、美国运通， AIG和大都会等公司的高管。

    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).