“I have decided that rather than changing myself to be taken more seriously, I would rather just stay who I am and make people take people like me more seriously.”

— Jessie Char

“Our true selves don’t show when we’re in more anxiety ridden situations...Why do we think we should be born an amazing communicator? We’re not.”

— Ita Olsen

The way women communicate is getting a lot of scrutiny these days - from upspeak and vocal fry to indirect emails and over-apologizing, we're being urged to change our ways.

In this show we look at whether the way women use language is our problem, or society's. Jessie Char is fed up of being criticized for her voice and the feminine way she dresses. She says the critique comes down to simple sexism. Teo Cristea has taken voice classes to help her come across better in a professional context. And communication coach Ita Olsen says communication is meant to get us what we want out of life - so why wouldn't we want to improve our skills?

This episode of the show is sponsored by Write/Speak/Code. If you're in tech check out the upcoming conference and tell your company about it too - they're looking for sponsors. (Hear more about Write/Speak/Code in episode 24, Women in Tech Speak Up.)

You can also read a transcript of the show.

Further reading: Can we just, like, get over the way women talk? from New York Magazine.

Telling women to apologize less isn't about empowerment, it's about shame from the Washington Post.

Speaking While Female from the New York Times.