Download Alternate PowerPoint Chapter 6 (PowerPoint Presentation)

“Closing the Gender Gap”
Trisha Svehla, President
MANAGING THE MOSAIC™
www.managingthemosaic.com
Presentation Objectives
Acknowledge differences between men’s
and women’s communication styles that can
cause conflict.
Presentation Objectives
Acknowledge differences between men’s
and women’s communication styles that can
cause conflict.
Understand the gender-specific motivations
behind communications.
Presentation Objectives
Acknowledge differences between men’s
and women’s communication styles that can
cause conflict.
Understand the gender-specific motivations
behind communications.
Adapt your own communication style, when
necessary, to create successful relationships.
Presentation Objectives
Acknowledge differences between men’s
and women’s communication styles that can
cause conflict.
Understand the gender-specific motivations
behind communications.
Adapt your own communication style, when
necessary, to create successful relationships.
Reduce gender-related conflicts.
Presentation Objectives
Acknowledge differences between men’s and
women’s communication styles that can cause
conflict.
Understand the gender-specific motivations
behind communications.
Adapt your own communication style, when
necessary, to create successful relationships
Reduce gender-related conflicts.
Improve working relationships.
Group Discussion Question
What is the one change
that men could make to
facilitate communication
with women?
Group Discussion Question
What is the one change
that men could make to
facilitate communication
with women?
What is the one change
that women could make
to facilitate
communication with
men?
One Change
Women:
– Get to the point !!
Men:
– Listen !!
Brain Lateralization Studies
• Harvard
Preschool
• Boston
Children’s
Hospital
• Yale Study
Brain Lateralization Studies
MRI’s show women use both sides of the brain for
processing information. Men tend to use only the
left side.
Women have a larger corpus callosum, connecting
nerves to the brain, which may enable women to
move rapidly from right to left brain functions.
During the 18th to 26th weeks of pregnancy, a
chemical wash of testosterone occurs with baby
boys, causing the right side of the brain to recede
and destroying some of the connecting nerve
fibers.
Six Major Gender
Communication Differences
1. Empathy vs. Solutions
2. Questions: How they
are used.
3. Details vs. Big Picture
4. Cooperation vs.
Competition
5. Asking for Help vs. Not
asking for Help
6. Rapport vs. Invasion
Empathy Vs. Solutions
Women tend to seek
an empathetic
response; men tend to
offer solutions.
Questions – How They Are Used
 Women often ask
questions simply to show
interest and build
rapport.
 Men usually make direct
statements about what
they want and take
other’s comments at face
value without attention
to hidden meanings.
Details vs. Big Picture
Women want complete
details to understand
and verify a situation.
Men want only the big
picture and find
pushing for details
irritating.
Cooperation vs. Competition
Women tend to avoid
confrontation and
focus on areas of
agreement.
Men do not shy away
from confrontation
and tend to express
disagreements openly.
Asking for Help vs. Not Asking
for Help
• Women generally ask
for help if they need it.
• Men consider asking
for help or information
as a sign of weakness.
Rapport vs. Invasion
Women tend to be
participative and
indirect.
Men tend to be
authoritative and
direct.
In our culture, girls learn:
 How to play one on one
 How to get along
 How to be fair to
everyone
 How to engage in play as
a process
 How to negotiate
differences
 How to keep the power
dead even
In our culture, boys learn:
 Competition is the name
of the game
 Always do what the
coach says
 How to be a good team
player
 How to be a leader
 How to be aggressive or
to posture aggressiveness
In Our Culture Boys Learn:
How to take criticism
and praise
How to stay focused
on the the goal
Winning is all that
matters
How to have a game
plan
Summary
 Understanding communication differences is critical to
effective personal and business relationships.
 We must acknowledge that there is not one right way to
communicate in today’s diverse workplace.
 Management is basically a left brain, logical approach
toward controlling things; leadership is a right brain,
intuitive-visionary approach toward building relationships.
 In today’s business environment, the ability to rapidly
move from left brain to right brain is a female advantage.
 The ability to handle conflict is a male advantage.