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If you’re thinking
of dying your gray hair, don’t do it if you’re a man, says
the famously gray-headed CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.
“In the TV news business, gray equals gravitas,” writes Cooper in a
funny column posted to the CNN.com website. “In fact, in just about
any line of work being prematurely gray is an advantage. On a guy,
gray hair says, "I'm mature, stable. I can be relied on."
Note the
qualification, “On a guy.” Cooper admits that there is a huge
double standard here.
“Women don't get a
free pass,” Cooper writes, admitting that our sexist society doesn’t
favor gray-haired women in the same way it favors men.
Speechworks doesn’t
take a position on whether you should color your hair or not. Plenty
of men with gray hair are terrible speakers. And plenty of women
with gray hair are wonderful speakers.
But people do judge
us based on superficial things. An accounting firm partner told us how they
had lost a pitch for a new piece of business. When they asked the
decision-maker why they weren’t selected, they were told, “Your
expert didn’t have enough gray hair.”
Frankly, hair color
is pretty low on the list of priorities for improving your speaking
skills. We say, “Be yourself and do what makes you comfortable.”
If you really want
to improve your skills, focus first on improving your voice energy.
Speak with passion. Engage your listeners with more intense
facial expressions. If you’ve do those things, no one will care
about your hair.
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
