Transcript Male + Female Communication PPT

Male/Female
Communication
Common communication stereotypes?
Sh*t We Say
 Sh*t Guys Say
 Sh*t Girls Say
Childhood study
BOYS
Group-oriented
• Teamwork = strong group of
friends
GIRLS
Individual oriented
• One-on-one talking (one or two
best friends)
Gesture and Movement
 As early as preschool, girls and boys exhibit
body movements and gestures of their
biological sex
 Greater display of dominant gestures from
males and a greater display of acquiescing
gestures by females
Non-verbal communication
MEN
• Avoid direct eye-contact
• Are still listening, although they
may not look directly at you
• Misinterpret direct eye-contact
as confrontational or flirtatious
WOMEN
• Direct, face-to-face gaze
• Used to focus on connection
• Misinterpret no eye-contact as
a sign of not listening
Preening Behavior
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Stroking one’s hair
Fixing makeup
Fixing clothes
Looking in a mirror
Leaving buttons open on shirts or blouses
Adjusting suit coats
Pulling up socks
Adjusting a tie
Actions of Appeal or Invitation
 Cues such as rolling the pelvis, casting
flirtatious glances, holding another’s gaze,
crossing a leg to expose one’s thigh,
showing one’s wrist or palm, and flexing
muscles
Communication styles
MEN
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Power relations
Hierarchical
Power based
Direct
Expressing concepts
More frequent
interruptions
WOMEN
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Solidarity
Consensus-based
Inclusion, sharing
Indirect
Expressive feelings
Active listening
REPORT TALK
 Men communicate to
establish social
hierarchies
RAPPORT TALK
 Women communicate to
establish support circles
Conversation Rituals
OPPOSITION
 boys “play fight”
 playing Devil’s Advocate
• used NOT to challenge but
rather to explore possibilities
Women misinterpret
oppostion as:
 indication of bad idea or
mistake
 personal attack
APOLOGY
 “I’m not sorry I’m sorry”
• means I’m sorry that happened
 NOT a personal apology
 used as a transition in
conversation
Men misinterpret apology as:
 disorganization
 incompetence
Conversation Rituals
MEN
 use playful insults
and teasing
 related to the status
dimension
WOMEN
 use compliments
 related to the
connection
dimension
How does this play out in life?
Masterminds & Wingmen
Aggression
 Men: Physical
 Women: Verbal
 Mixed results
 Men exceed women in physical aggression
expressed toward same-sex peers and are
slightly more verbally aggressive than women.
How does this play out @ the office?
 Leadership assumptions
Evolutionary Psychology
 Leadership is inherent in the male psyche
 Has nature endowed men (more than
women) with aggressive, competitive,
controlling and status-seeking qualities?
Plausibility?
 Lacking evidence of patriarchy in “simpler”
societies calls many evolutionary psychology
claims into question.
Big 5
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Openness to experience
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Predictors of EFFECTIVE leadership
 Conscientiousness
 Extraversion
• Male leaders could gain from more emphasis on the
feminine aspects: warmth
• Female leaders could gain from more emphasis on
the masculine aspects: assertiveness
The “Double Bind” for Women
 Expectations for how an authority figure
should speak is based upon men in authority.
 If a woman is direct (masculine) she appears
pushy or bossy.
 If woman is indirect (feminine) she appears
incompetent.
Queen Bee Syndrome
Study from 1974
 Women who achieved success in maledominated environments were at times likely
to oppose the rise of other women.
Today
 Far from nurturing the growth of younger female
talent, they push aside possible competitors by
chipping away at their self-confidence or undermining
their professional standing.
 It is a trend thick with irony: The very women who
have complained for decades about unequal
treatment now perpetuate many of the same
problems by turning on their own.
Catty Trap
 “We are hard-pressed to think of a term
comparable to ‘catfight’ that is regularly
used to label conflict and competition
between two men” (Sheppard & Aquino,
2013)
 This perception may have actual impact on
hiring/promotion of women
Quick tips
MEN
 Give compliments more
freely
 Use praise to temper
criticism
 Asks for another‘s
opinion to make them feel
included
WOMEN
 Be more dominant when
giving orders
Giving Orders
DIRECT
 dictate orders
 not bossy or offensive
Women misinterpret direct
orders as:
 impoliteness
 overbearing
INDIRECT
 use strategies not to
appear bossy
• “could we do this…”
• “do you think it’s
possible…”
• “I would do it this way…”
Men misinterpret indirect
approach as:
 not being managerial
 easier to say “NO”
 “There are two traits now that in the
corporate world are the kiss of death:
Intellectual arrogance and bullying” (Eagly &
Carli, p. 39)
 How do we foster the proper balance of
gender traits in communication @ work?
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