Download Gender Communication

Differences in the
Ways Men and Women
Communicate
• May stem in part from traditional differences
in power within organizations
• May be tied to genetic differences
• May result in advantages and disadvantages
to both men and women as well as their
companies
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Characteristics of
Gender Communication
Patterns
• Men dislike asking for directions
• Women prefer discussion and negotiation
• Women misunderstand men’s ultimatums
• Women downplay certainty, men downplay doubt
• Women lead by suggestion, men lead by orders
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Characteristics of Gender
Communication Patterns
(continued)
• Women apologize needlessly, men avoid apology
• Women accept blame, men ignore blame or place it
elsewhere
• Women use positive buffers, men give criticism
directly
• Women say "thank you" too often, men too seldom
• Women invite consensus, men seek dominance
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Characteristics of
Gender Communication
Patterns (continued)
• Women discuss personal lives, men don't
• Women want to know what they're doing right; men
want to know what they're doing wrong
• Women complain to arouse sympathy, men complain to
find solutions
• Women use self-mocking humor, men use humor to
mock others
• Women give indirect directions, men want clear direction
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Characteristics of
Gender Communication
Patterns (continued)
• In groups, women tend to adapt to men; men tend to
ignore or minimize women
• Women dislike dealing with conflict, men are more
accepting of conflict
• Women are referred to by first names, men by last
names
• Men are less comfortable with female peers than
female peers are with male peers
• Women describe disappointment in personal terms,
men in terms of fair play or blame
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Characteristics of
Gender Communication
Patterns (continued)
• Men interrupt women more than women interrupt men
• Men steal women's ideas, women tend not to protest
such theft
• Men hate losing to a woman more than a woman
hates losing to a man
• Women converse for relationship, men converse for
information
• Women use tag questions for permission-seeking more
than do men
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