As a society we have often associated those with more gravitas with the notion of a male news reader – someone able to hold their ground and convey a believable message with seriousness, credibility and authority.

Interestingly, many roles at a leadership level hire for gravitas – which has become code for stereotypically, tall, white, serious and male with a deeper voice. In some industries they even write the word in the job advert and/or position description, yet it is such a subjective term.

Unfortunately this leaves many of us out – especially when you have a tendency to be smiley, warm, short and/or with a different sounding voice.

This doesn’t mean that women can’t have gravitas or that you have to turn yourself inside out in order to fit in. In fact, quite the opposite. One of my favourite role models for a someone with phenomenal gravitas is former SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin with her wicked sense of humour and outrageous sense of fashion that broke all the rules.

“Wish people would stop calling me their Queen. The monarchy is outdated, ‘Supreme Leader’ or ‘Holy One’ would work much better.” ~ Lee Lin Chin

And you can be taken seriously too. When we want to make a difference, or even to get a seat at the table, we need demonstrate that we have the credentials, know how and clout in order to be worthy of being listened to.

In recent weeks I hosted a discussion with She-Suite® Club members on how we can crack the gravitas code, to truly own your seat at the table and for your voice to be heard at the highest levels. Here are three of the ideas we discussed on how to ‘hack’ gravitas in meetings –

1. Be mindful of your tone and pace of voice – many women I know have been told they are too passionate in meetings when they speak fast and use an impassioned voice (‘code’ for wild and out of control which undermines their gravitas). It’s my personal opinion that maybe we need a bit more passion in meetings! Why wouldn’t you want to be enthusiastic about your work? However in the absence of being able to express that passion in a way that doesn’t alarm others, learning how to communicate effectively and use all the different aspects of your voice is just smart craftspersonship. Switch on your three feminine leadership super powers of active listening, emotional intelligence and clear communication including how you use your voice, and you’ll find that you’re taken far more seriously more easily.
   
   
2. Another quick fix is to lean back until it’s time to make the killer point – leaning in, speaking over others, gesticulating energetically and being overly enthusiastic – might get you a reputation as an energiser bunny at best and a doer at worst, but won’t help you build credibility and authority. Highly successful executives have often learned to lean back and listen deeply, until it’s time to summarise and make the killer point.
   
   
3. Don’t fiddle with your face/clothing or play with your hair – physical habits or tics are a dead giveaway that you’re not fully present, or not feeling confident – both of which undermine your gravitas and ability to persuade. To find out if you have any of these tics, watch a meeting video replay and observe yourself when you’re in action. You might find you touch your clothing, scratch yourself nervously, shift and shuffle in your chair, hunch your shoulders etc etc and all unintentionally.  Just like we choose our words with care in a meeting, becoming more aware and being far more intentional with your actions will definitely help you boost your gravitas.
   
   

Remember The ‘gold standard’ of executive branded (or Rockstar self promotion)  is proactive, intentional, future focused and strategic. By being more intentional with your voice and body language you can come across with far more gravitas, which in turn will help you truly own your seat at the table and to be heard at the highest levels.

Embody the brand you want to become!