Teaching women to talk - who would've thought it?

"A&O teaches female associates to communicate"; when I saw this headline glaring at me from The Lawyer website this morning I felt my feminist blood boiling. Are they suggesting women need extra special hand-holding to help them communicate in the big, bad business world?

But I quickly calmed down (the incentive behind this is to retain female talent after all). And then I had to smile. How ironic is it that after years of being stereotyped as gossips and natterers women in business are being told they are lacking in communication proficiency?

It also got me thinking about networking – that essential marketing skill that can be so feared and avoided. Walking into a room of strangers, armed with nothing more than a wodge of business cards and a name badge for comfort is daunting. Even the most experienced of communicators still feel the jitters from time to time. But is this more common in females? Is it harder to command a professional presence in business networking situation as a woman?

Maybe it is. After all these events can be wine-fuelled, male dominated ... and sometimes end up in a lap dancing lounge. Which makes it even more important to approach these events …

Prepared - do your research. Find out who the delegates are, look up their businesses and come up with a hit list of people you want to meet. A planned approach (or a mission) will prevent that feeling of being lost and unsure where to go and start. It also enhances your professional image, business and market awareness and creates a good first impression.

With confidence - a few deep breaths to calm the nerves is preferable to too many glasses of wine! And preparation will help of course. Have your introduction line practised, your business cards ready and arrive early to show you mean business.

Stick to your plan – it can be easy to get drawn into a conversation that takes a personal twist. But you don’t want to spend the whole event talking to one person. It’s important to remember your mission, set yourself objectives of how many people you want to meet and keep to it.

Whether this advice is more needed by women or whether it is men in fact who need to be re-educated in 21st century business communication etiquette is a matter for debate.