Women! Learn to ask for more

The gender gap in compensation and the lack of women in leadership are issues that all women face. AIGA’s Women’s Leadership Initiative celebrates and fosters women’s achievements in design. As part of their commitment to empowering women designers they have sponsored a series of webcasts on the topic of negotiation.Graphic designers are visual communicators and problem-solvers. Negotiation is a communication discipline—it’s not a battle—just a conversation. Negotiation has roots in improvisation and all improvisation adds information. It’s about bringing information to the conversation in order to problem-solve your way to agreement. Yet despite this fundamental relationship between problem-solving and negotiation, women in design often struggle with negotiation. Many have the opposite experience—they cringe at the prospect. Fears of being thought of as being too bossy, too emotional, or not being taken seriously, hold many women back. As shown above, women are four times less likely to negotiate then men. 20% of women refuse to negotiate at all and women ask for 3-32% less when they do negotiate.In the first webcast, AIGA Women’s Leadership Initiative, that aired last November, Lisa Gates, co-founder of She Negotiates, talks about how women need to understand their natural way of operating, and change the conversation to match their style, not feel the need to match someone else’s style. Women need to add communication and negotiation skills to their toolbox, use them in their own way, and practice every day. Gates talks about assessing your market value and takes us through the steps to find out how. The webcast has been archived and is available for viewing through AIGA’s site.The second webcast which aired in January, Blueprint for Everyday Workplace Negotiation, is also available for viewing.The third, Set and Get Your True Market Value, takes place on March 19, 2015. As you celebrate this month’s Women’s History Month, tune in to learn more—it will be well worth your time.Sources:http://www.aiga.org/webcast-advancing-leadership-negotiation/http://www.aiga.org/womens-leadership/http://www.shenegotiates.com/