The Eloquent Woman's weekly speaker toolkit

I read a lot about women and public speaking, and post my finds first on The Eloquent Woman on Facebook. But I always collect them here for you on Mondays as well. Here's what I've been reading lately:

• Nice work: Linguist Robin Lakoff talks about Are women bound by a culture of niceness? Following that article, readers responded and Lakoff addressed their further questions here. A sample from Lakoff: "...women are supposed to be “nice” and obedient, and if they stray from that expectation, they can expect criticism (they are no longer good women). Men have to go way beyond what’s permissible before they get criticized (they are just being “strong” and “assertive”), and in any case neither men nor women are apt to publicly criticize a man’s behavior (or dress, or looks), when it’s OK to berate a woman on any of these." An important discussion.
• Did you miss? This week, the blog looked at When "improve presentation skills" comes up in your performance review, and Famous Speech Friday shared a speech by fired Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates on finding your moral compass.
• About the quote: Wisdom from the eloquent Virginia Woolf.

Get involved in more conversations on public speaking with The Eloquent Woman. Follow our Facebook page, read great quotes from eloquent woman on Pinterest, or follow me as @dontgetcaught on Twitter. Learn how to be a better panel moderator with The Eloquent Woman's Guide to Moderating Panels.