Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Disclaimer
Observations are by no means applicable to ALL men or women in ALL business environments.
Men motivated by power or status Women motivated by connection
Deborah Tannen
Verbal Feeling
Women
Men
In decision making
Women more likely to downplay their
certainty
Leading style
Women tend to lead by making suggestions
Men tend to lead by giving orders
unsure or manipulative
Criticism
Women tend to temper criticism with
positive buffers
Am I right or wrong?
Women feel that men are not direct enough
A Bluff or an Ultimatum?
Women misunderstand mens ultimatums as serious threats rather than one more negotiation strategy.
This is nonnegotiable.
Fine, then. Have it your way.
great deal of apprehension about negotiating Women will pay as much as $1,353 more to avoid negotiating car price Men are 4 times more likely to negotiate their first salary (not doing this costs you over $500,000 by the time you retire)
Research shows
__________ managers tend to have more of a desire to build than a desire to win and are more likely to compromise.
Im sorry? Why?
Women tend to apologize even when they have done nothing wrong. Men tend to avoid apologies as a sign of weakness or concession.
Report: Men mix business talk with banter about sports, politics, or jokes.
Interruptions
Men tend to interrupt women much more than women interrupt men.
Idea Generation
Men tend to usurp ideas stated by women and claim them as their own. Women tend to allow this process to take place without protest.
Tag Questions
Women appear to seek permission or validation by the addition of tag questions to their assertions. Lets hold the meeting in my office, OK?
Discussion
Which communication patterns do you observe in yourself that agree with the list of items we just covered? Which communication patterns do you disagree with?