Communication – Differences Between Men and Women

Communication – Differences Between Men and Women According to Fiona Sheridan, “The consequences of differences in linguistic activity between men and women in the workplace are enormous (2007). ” Women create feelings of closeness by conversing with their friends or loved ones. They have a tendency to communicate by consensus. This means, they use the information gathered by other women and make a decision based on the wishes of the group. “Men, on the other hand, seek to establish and maintain status and dominance (Tannen, 1990). ”

When communication is not effective, it can have severe consequences on an organization. Each gender must decide what it is that they are looking for, decide how they want to receive it, what order they want to receive it, and decide how they want to process it. We must realize that each communication style has certain strengths. “To have successful working relationships with members of the opposite sex, you also have to know why those differences matter and what to do about them. ” (Kelley, 2010, p13) Both men and women can contribute and offer a lot.

Margery Weinstein said it best when she said that, “Each gender is a culture unto itself, one that comes with certain norms and standards that can be misunderstood by those of the opposite sex (Weinstein, 2006, p8). ” Below are some differences in the way women and men communicate: Ways Women communicate: 1)Women more likely talk to other women about problems. 2)Women are more relationship oriented. 3)Woman share experiences and ask questions. Ways Men communicate: 1)Men keep problems to themselves. )Status and dominance are important to men. 3)Men give information rather than ask questions. There is definitely an impact in the workplace when there is a difference in communication between men and women. The difference in the communication styles can lead to confusion between the two parties. This can create unnecessary tension between the two genders.

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The key is to realize that either gender can effectively communicate as long as they are equally valid in getting the message relayed to its intended target. Discussion The main topic was whether there was a difference in how men & women communicate and whether it has an impact in the workplace. “Beyond gender-related communication differences, awareness of gender-related communication barriers may play a key role in the effectiveness of communication (Schneider, 2007). ” It would prove beneficial for companies to teach their employees how to have effective communication when gender may be involved.

The bulk of my research was done by utilizing information gathered from the internet and ProQuest. Valuable insight was collected on this topic. Many people do believe there are differences in how the two genders communicate. “If we consider both communication styles and associated values in practice, we will increase chances of all people representing either style to join the communication process, regardless of their gender (Rawluszko, 2009, p54). ” ?

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