Negotiate without fear, but be prepared when you do it. This was the gist of the advice on compensation negotiation given to Georgia Tech alumnae by a panel of businesswomen at the Alumni/Faculty House on Oct. 27.

The panel was part of Women On Wednesdays, a network for Georgia Tech alumnae to connect with fellow female graduates for career and personal growth opportunities.

More than 100 women got the lowdown on how to get what they deserve without feeling unsure about what they are worth in the workplace.

"In my experience it is true that men are more inclined to ask for salary increases or promotions or things they think they have earned," said panelist Helen Berg, chief information officer for Internet Security Systems. "One reason women avoid that is because they think ahead to, 'What will my boss think of me?' or 'Am I too pushy?' or 'Am I putting myself out there and what if I fail? What if I don’t get what I want? What do I do then?'

"In terms of being successful, women need to realize they are negotiating on the issue. It is not personal. If you stick to the issues, you can take emotion out of the equation and talk about just the issue. The way to do that is to come prepared with the right information," she said.

Other panelists included Mel Coker, EE 87, executive director of BellSouth’s corporate strategy and planning organization; Wonya Lucas, IE 83, executive vice president of marketing at The Weather Channel; Ellen Heath, MS CP 82, vice president and principal of the design firm EDAW; and Deborah Seltzer, an executive recruiter with the search firm A.T. Kearney.

Being well informed does not mean knowing what others within your organization make, but knowing where a company is on the scale of compensation, size of department and department or industry standards, Berg said.

"If you take the personal discussion out of it you can have a good conversation with the boss and you will not feel like you are putting yourself at risk," she said.

Women often underestimate their value and worth regardless of industry, according to Lucas.

"Part of negotiating is truly understanding, from a mental and a practical standpoint, what your value and your worth is and not being humbled in doing so," Lucas said. "Be bold. There is everything to be gained by being bold, asking for what you want and being very clear about what you want."

Coker shared a lesson she learned early in her career about making sure your boss knows what you are doing for a company.

"Your boss doesn’t always know what you are doing and what you are accomplishing. You have to find ways throughout the year and throughout the process to let them know what you are bringing to the table, what you are doing today, what you did yesterday and keeping them aware of what your value is," Coker said.

Heath added, "Don’t think that just by sitting back and doing your job someone is going to recognize you are doing a good job. You have to ask for what you want."