Gender Differences in Communication
The Wall Street Journal’s How to Become A Better Communicator (subscription required) addresses gender differences in communication:
There is a danger in being simplistic when discussing how men and women communicate in the workplace. Speech habits and body language vary from person to person regardless of gender. Some use styles that seem more characteristic of the opposite sex. But whether the result of early socialization or the chemistry in our brains, the differences are worth paying attention to in the workplace, career-development experts say.
Some examples from Lois P. Frankel, author of Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office:
She says women sometimes use too many words to deliver serious messages, tend to downplay their contributions and sometimes undermine themselves by using qualifiers and other vague language. Other common pitfalls: phrasing statements as questions and using an upward inflection at the end of statements, which indicates doubt.On the other hand, by using few words some men can appear to close off conversations too quickly, while others tend to overemphasize their individual performance when, in fact, a team is responsible for results. Many men and women need to do a better job of being direct in their communication while “adding inclusive behavior at the end of their conversations,” says Ms. Frankel.
