Some say glass ceiling is just a figment of imagination while others are sure it is a real blockade created to prevent women from reaching corporate success. So, is your glass (ceiling) half empty or half full? In other words, are you going to be kept down by something you can’t even see or are you willing to do what it takes to crack through and shatter this issue?

If you’ve decided that as a woman it will be impossible for you to reach corporate business success, then you are right. That thought process will get you nowhere but where you are right now. On other hand, if you are part of growing group of women who want to break through to their own successes and remove glass altogether, then keep reading.

To move forward, you must analyze your own communication skills and be brutally honest with yourself about your skill level. Weak and ineffective business communication skills are often primary reason women feel held back in their careers and in their lives.

Review this list to help determine where your skills stand. 1. Do you ask for raises? 2. Have you ever asked for a promotion or an improved job title? 3. Do you negotiate effectively for yourself? 4. Are you able to specifically explain value you bring to your company or clients? 5. Are you an effective presenter or public speaker? 6. Do you apologize for things that aren’t your fault or are out of your control? 7. Review your email or other writing. Do you start sentences with word “I”? 8. Do you see negotiating as a barrier to getting what you want? 9. Do you have difficulty saying “no,” even when you really want to? 10. Are you overwhelmed or consumed by stress? 11. Do you have difficulty explaining things or getting people to understand what you are trying to say?

If you answered “no” to any or all of first five questions, then your assertive skills need an overhaul. If you answered “yes” to any or all of questions six through 11, then your communication skills are ineffective in helping you advance in your career. Essentially, you could be creating your own glass ceiling and holding yourself back.

Often, we are our own worst enemies.

To help put yourself back on right track and stop constructing transparent blockades to your own success, review three following PowHERful skills that will help put you on top. 1. Ask for it If you want something, then ask for it. Make it clear what you want and you are more likely to get it.

A university study of 40 employees found that men are more likely to ask for things when they want them – AND they are more likely to get what they ask for. Of 20 women, only one asked for a raise when first offered a job. She was granted hike in salary. Of 20 men, 18 of them asked for a raise and all 18 were given it.

Challenges with delegation, meeting locations, and completion of tasks usually indicate a communication problem. There are two areas that cause a breakdown in communication: being specific and quantifying. If you learn to how to be effective in these areas, you will dramatically reduce your communication problems.

Be Specific and Get What You Want

Unclear or ambiguous communication can lead to very ugly problems. Terms or phrases such as “a few” or “some” or “later” or “soon” can lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication.

You probably have your own “filler” or vague words you use to stay non-specific. These words are great in situations where being specific isn’t necessary, such as when you tell a co-worker that you’re just finishing a project and will meet her in lunch room, “in a minute.” Of course everyone knows that doesn’t mean exactly 60 seconds. It means soon. But what is “soon”? For some people that may mean 15 minutes. To others “soon” may mean only three minutes. Vague words often mean different things to different people because word is relative to listener’s personal paradigms.

If you tell an experienced speaker to expect “a lot of people” in her audience, she may expect to see two thousand people sitting in an auditorium. An inexperienced speaker may only picture 35 people in audience when told same thing.

Tell a group of people to arrive “around five o’clock” and you will have people showing up anywhere from 4:30 to 7:30. (I have family members that believe they’re on time if they arrive on right day!)

A deadline is set to have a project finished “by end of week.” Does that mean project should be completed by 9 am on Friday morning or 5 pm Friday evening?

Be specific with what you want and what you are talking about and you will be more successful with your communications.

Quantify and Create Tangible Understanding