Not only do you have to figure out what to say and how to say it, you must also worry about the way you sound saying it. If you speak in a decisive manner using a lower pitch and downward inflection, both of which are considered more characteristically masculine, you're perceived as aggressive. But here's the rub. Women who talk in a more conventionally feminine manner, using a higher pitch, softer volume, and upward inflection, are perceived as less competent.
The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women by Valerie Young
















