In my book Afro in the Boardroom chapter 2, I write about speaking up in the boardroom isn’t just about raising your voice it’s about claiming your space. It’s about saying what needs to be said without shrinking to make other people comfortable. For many Black women, this is a delicate dance. We walk into boardrooms where our tone, our facial expressions, even the way we take a breath is read through layers of bias.
Assertiveness can be labelled “aggressive.” Confidence can be called “intimidating.” Our silence can be mistaken for weakness. Our words can be twisted. And so, many of us learn to measure every syllable, every gesture, every glance. But there comes a time when you have to stop performing and start owning your presence.
The Unspoken Rules of the Room
Every boardroom has unspoken rules. There are hierarchies, alliances, and invisible power dynamics at play. Some people walk in entitled to speak, their voices are expected, welcomed, trusted. Others
especially women, Black women, walk in and immediately have to prove why their voice should matter. I’ve been in boardrooms where I could feel the resistance before I said a single word. I could
see it in the way eyes glanced at each other when I began to speak. But I also learned something important, I can’t control how they receive me. I can only control how I show up.
The Fear of Being Misread
One of the biggest barriers to speaking up confidently is the fear of being misread. That fear is real. I’ve lived it.
It’s the hesitation before challenging a point, because you know they’ll call you “defensive.”
It’s softening your tone so your passion isn’t mistaken for anger.
It’s over-preparing, just to make sure they can’t find a crack to exploit.
But here’s what I’ve learned, shrinking doesn’t protect you from bias. It only makes it easier for others to ignore your voice. Speaking small doesn’t make you safer; it makes you invisible.
Speaking Up Is a Power Move
When you speak up with clarity and conviction, something shifts in the room. Even if people don’t want to hear it, they have to reckon with it.
Your voice interrupts the narrative. Your presence
disrupts the expectation. And in doing so, you open the door wider, not just for yourself, but for the
next woman walking in behind you. This isn’t about shouting louder. It’s about speaking from your centre. Your power doesn’t have to be aggressive to be felt.
Sisterhood as a Power Base
I can’t stress enough how essential sisterhood has been in my own journey of learning to speak without shrinking. I’ve left meetings frustrated, my voice caught in my throat, and it was a sister, a mentor, a friend who looked me in the eye and said, “Say it next time. You have every right to be
heard.” Sisterhood is not just emotional support; it’s strategy. It’s knowing you have people who see you, even when the room tries to make you invisible. It’s a safe space to sharpen your voice, to unpack the weight, to prepare your response for the next battle. When you know you’re not alone, it becomes easier to stand firm.
Practical Strategies for Speaking Without Shrinking
1. Ground Yourself Before You Enter the Room
Remind yourself of your worth and what you bring to the table. Walk in anchored, not
reactive.
2. Name the Bias Silently, But Don’t Carry It
When you sense the microaggressions, the coded language, the dismissive tones, name it internally. Don’t let it shake your centre.
3. Be Clear, Not Just Heard
Power isn’t in volume, it’s in clarity. Speak with intention. Structure your points. Own your language.
4. Use the Power of the Pause
Silence can be powerful. When they interrupt, pause. Let the silence make them uncomfortable, not you.
5. Reclaim the Floor
If someone speaks over you, calmly bring it back. “I wasn’t finished.” “Let me complete my
point.” Simple. Direct. Controlled.
6. Anchor Yourself in Facts and Vision
Bias thrives on perception. When you lead with evidence and purpose, it’s harder to dismiss your contribution.
7. Debrief With Your Circle
Sisterhood allows you to process what happened in the room and strategies for the next time. Don’t carry it alone.
Reframing the Narrative
One of the most liberating shifts for me was realising that I don’t have to manage other people’s insecurities. Their discomfort with my voice is not my responsibility. Speaking up is not me being “too much.” It’s me being enough, fully, unapologetically. And I’ve learned to stop shrinking to make space for people who were never trying to make space for me. When I speak now, I speak as if my
words belong in the air. Because they do.
Speaking as a Form of Leadership
Leadership isn’t just about making decisions. It’s about setting the tone for how power moves in the boardroom.
When you speak without shrinking, you model courage.
You create space for others to
do the same. I’ve seen women watch me speak up and then later tell me, “When you spoke, it gave me permission to find my voice too.” That’s the ripple effect. That’s how we change boardrooms, not by waiting for permission, but by owning the moment.
Final Reflection
Bias may always exist in some form. But so does power. So does courage. So does the strength to speak even when the room wasn’t built for your voice.
“Speaking up is not arrogance. It’s ownership.”
You have a right to take up space. A right to be heard. A right to speak without apology.
So the next time the boardroom makes you want to shrink, straighten your back. Take a breath. And speak
anyway, because your voice is not just for you. It’s for every woman watching, and for every
boadroom that still needs to shift.
English