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Running head: NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal Communication differences between Genders
Liv Kiser
University of Kentucky
Running head: NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
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Introduction
According to a commonly statistic, 93% of communication men and women use is
nonverbal. (Blake) Nonverbal communication is one of the most important and necessary ways
of communicating a message. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of nonverbal
communication is the “Aspects of communication such as gestures and facial expression, that do
not involve verbal communication but which may include nonverbal aspects of speech itself…”
(Dictionary ¶ 1) How one dresses, react to issues, sends signals, and carry themselves are all
examples of nonverbal communication. There are differences in how men and women
communicate nonverbally, especially with regard to body language, emotions, voice, and
appearance. In fact, women use nonverbal communication more effectively than men (Goman,
2009). This is because, “Women may have been involved to be more sensitive to nonverbal cues
than men because of advantages in terms of the survival of their offspring”( Bognár 2012, slide
34) Nonverbal communication differences between men and women are very noticeable on an
everyday basis. The way people read one’s body is very crucial while trying to communicate a
message.
Body Language
Body language in the workplace entails
both using one’s body to communicate messages
as well as being able to read other people’s body
language. Some examples of body language
include posture, facial expressions, arm and hand
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positioning, eye contact and the distance between the speaker and listener. “The ability to read
body language, pick up nonverbal cues is the top strength with women” (Goman, 2009) Because
of this, women are capable of making quicker decisions and responses than men. Facial
expressions are more highly expressed more as well. Women are more active and responsive
when engaged in a conversation. Even simple eye contact is drastically different between men
and women. For example, women are more engaged and use eye contact more while men have a
tendency to look away while communicating with a client or other people within the workplace.
(Goman 2009) Women will always show strengths in body language, because they are always
fully engaged and ready to give responses while communicating with other people.
In comparison, men are better at showing body language then actually encoding and
decoding messages. (Goman, 2009) When men use body language, it usually expresses
characteristics such as power and strength. Men also express high power and dominance,
because it shows that they can take control. (Goman 2009) Accentuated posture, and raised chin
are commonly shown within men. In one article, it said that men have more of more open
postures then women. An example of this would be casually having their hands behind their
hands and their legs in a relaxed position. (First Lady) Even though men are strong within these
areas of body language, they have major problems translating body language other people as
well as sending the wrong signals to people in the workplace. To sum up main points, women are
considered experts when it comes to reading and understanding body language while men lack
translating messages well.
Emotions
While body language is important, emotions within men and women differentiate in the
workplace. Before even talking about women in the workplace, we link women with
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characteristics such as being caring and emotional. The most common complaint with women is
that they always want to share their emotions and feelings whenever the opportunity is given.
(First Lady 2013) This could often be an issue because emotions can alter the effectiveness of
work production and dealing with clients correctly. To strengthen this point, women are taught to
be nurturing and caring which could contribute to their gender roles. (Duggin, 2013) In another
article, it summarized that women are naturally more mature then men, which allows them to
accurately pick up on nonverbal communication. (First Lady 2013) Goman also says, “A
woman’s tendency to show her feelings more outwardly in gestures and facial expressions is
perceived as a weakness.” (Goman 2009, ¶15)We also find that when one lets emotions get in the
way of our everyday lives, one can’t get anything done successfully. Even one woman can
alternate emotions of several other women within the workplace. This could hurt the
professionalism within a workplace.
In contrast, men are known to be the complete opposite while in the workplace. When
men show emotions, it is very little to none at all. This is why you see men mostly in higher up
positions within the workplace. In an article I read it says, “Most men just don’t want to share
their feelings verbally because they were never really taught to.” (First Lady 2013, ¶10) This is
very accurate because most men were raised to be tough even when something was bothering
them. To add to this, we as a society expect men to not cry or show weakness, because it would
disturb how we expect men to act. To conclude on the second point, women have a high
tendency to want and express their emotions, which can interfere with workplace communication
while men who rather keep to their thoughts to themselves. To sum up the second major point,
emotions between men and women vary tremendously. Men and women not only show
differences in emotion within the workplace, but also on an everyday basis.
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Voice
People often think how one uses their voices is considered as a type of verbal
communication. In an article by Zmoreski, “38 percent of our message through our voice which
includes tone and pitch with as little as 7 percent through the words we actually say” (Zmoreski
2013 ¶3)The use of one’s voice has several characteristics that can create different meanings
when men and women are communicating in the workplace. The characteristics can translate
emotions, attitude, and feelings. When comparing tone and pitch between men and women,
women were found to be pleasant to talk to and enthusiastic. According to Schmitz, women
usually speak softer, breathy tones in order to accentuate their pitch differences. (Schmitz 2012)
These two qualities are highly important because it helps customers or other people in the
workplace to feel more comfortable. (Bognár 2012, slide 15) A woman’s tone of voice also is
found to sound more emotional, hesitant and anxious. Putting emphasis on their words can help
understand how they are feeling about a particular issue. In fact, women were found to use 5
different types of tones at once. An interesting fact that I found was that a woman’s tone sounds
higher when they are stressed. (Goman 2013, ¶13)
On the other, hand men have many differences in pitch and tone while
communicating with clients and co-workers within the workplace. Men talk naturally louder and
have a lower-pitched voice. To add to this, men also have many speech disturbances such as
repetition, stutters, and sentence incompletions. (Bognár 2012, slide 15) This can disturb the
effectiveness and professionalism when working for a company or working with a client. In
regard, men have weaknesses in listening skills or giving responses to a message. Men often
communicate with direct and to the point interactions. (Goman 2013) This is one of the many
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strengths that men share within the workplace. In some cases though, being too direct can affect
the professionalism because men can become overconfident. Between men and women, the use
of voice within the workplace can have a large emphasis while encoding or decoding a message.
While using tone and pitch can be easily to decode a nonverbal message, appearance can have an
impact on our thoughts and feelings about both genders.
Appearance
While voice is highly different when comparing men and women, appearance can
influence one’s first impression within the workplace. The way one dresses can reflect the
professionalism and attitude of the company as well as oneself. Men and women are similar in a
way because both genders care about being
presentable while in the workplace. (Bongár
2012) Dress attire can reveal a sense of
commitment and respect to the job. (Duggan
2013) Men and women are found to dress to
impress clients and other people within the
office. The way one dresses can also boost
confidence when engaged with other people. According to Anna Bongár, women’s appearance
was easier to remember then the appearance of men. (Bongár, 2012, slide 17) This is because
women tend to pay attention to detail and clothing in comparison to men. Women choose to
dress that might accentuate their figures and curves. Women usually tend to dress in accordance
with the latest fashion. Women are also are expected to be presentable not only with their
clothes, but their hair and makeup choices. While women dress to impress clients and other
people within the workplace, men dress to convey messages of themselves.
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It is important to men that they highlight confidence in not only how they express body
language, emotions and voice, but also especially how they dress. Even though women overly
express professionalism with the way they dress, men dress accordingly professional while in the
workplace. Men concentrate on clothing that will accentuate confidence. For example, if men
are required to wear a suit, they often look for extra padding the shoulders to make them look
broader and emphasize their body size. (Schmitz 2012) Men also grow beards to highlight their
attention to their masculinity. Men dress to emphasize these areas because it is a reflection of
one’s self-esteem and how one carries themselves. To summarize this main topic, women tend to
remember how one presents themselves more than men. Both genders dress to impress while
accentuating different features.
Conclusion
In conclusion, nonverbal communication is an extremely crucial role within the work
place. Men and women differ variously when comparing nonverbal communication aspects such
as body language, emotions, voice and appearance. Even though stereotypes are usually
incorrect, men and women’s nonverbal behavior has shown to be definitely correct. (Bongár
2012) Both genders can send off nonverbal communication even when they aren’t trying to.
Women are successful at good communication skills, reading body language and showing
empathy for other people within in workplace. In comparison, men are highly successful at
having strong body language signals, physical presence and good listeners. (Goman 2009)
Nonverbal communication can reveal more messages in comparison to verbal communication.
Men and women differ tremendously in the way they express body, language, emotion, voice,
and appearance.
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References
Blake, How Much of Communication is really Nonverbal? Retrieved on November 23, 2014
http://www.nonverbalgroup.com/2011/08/how-much-of-communication-is-reallynonverbal/
Bognár, A. (2012). Women and Men’s Nonverbal Communication [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved
from
https://prezi.com/zwpbatmhdwhr/womens-and-mens-nonverbal-communication/
Carpenter, Barbie. (2014). The Importance of Nonverbals in the Workplace. Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com
Dictionary (n.d.) Retrieved November 21st, 2014 from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nonverbal+communication
Duggin, Tara. (2012) Nonverbal Cues by Men and Women. Retrieved from:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/nonverbal-cues-men-women-workplace-11424.html
Firstlady. (2013, January 16) Nonverbal Communication Differences in Men and
Women. Wordpress. Retrieved from:
http://thewordsofkim.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/nonverbal-communication-differencesin-men-and-women/
Goman, Carol K. (2009). Venus, Mars, and Workplace Communication. Retrieved from:
http://www.nonverbaladvantage.com/blog/?p=46
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Schmitz, Andy. (2012).A Primer on Communication Studies. Retrieved from
http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s04nonverbal-communication.html
Zmorenski, Debbie. Keys to Better Workplace Communication. Retrieved on November 21, 2014
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29184/better-workplace-communication