The above example also sheds some light on how the two genders engage in listening behaviour. In Gender and Communication, Judy Pearson suggests that although no clear evidence suggests that one gender is a more superior listener than the other, men are not as capable of spontaneously perceiving emotional situations as women. (Pearson, 1985, p. 162) Simply, women are better able to recognize what type of emotional approach is needed in a specific situation. If a woman encounters an individual who is upset, but is trying to hide his anger, she is more likely to pick up on his emotional state than a man is. This ties in rather nicely with the next point, which is that gender differences in communication are greatly pronounced in the case of nonverbal communication (even more strongly than they are in the case of language use or listening). (Hodnett, 1994) Women, when listening, are inclined to nod, smile and make humming sounds. Men, conversely, only tend to show neutral facial expressions. These differences can lead to miscommunication. Men sometimes misinterpret female nods and smiles as indicative of agreement. Women, conversely, take the lack of facial expression among males to mean that they are not in fact listening. Another important point is the manner in which men and women make eye contact, which tends to serve as a multi-functional factor in communication. (Pearson, 1985, p.247) Women tend to make eye contact more often then men, and are likely to value it more. One possible explanation, as suggested in Gender and Communication, is that women seek a more interpersonal relationship and require greater approval than men do. (Pearson, 1985, p.247)

gender differences in communication, as well as possible solutions.

Men should try to adopt some female communication traits in order to acknowledge communication differences between the two sexes and also to improve their own communication techniques.

These differences in how men and women communicate may potentially cause some problems in the workplace. Western society has long held gender stereotypes that state that men should be leaders and providers and women should assume caretaker roles. (Allen, 2001, p. 214) These attitudes have spilled over into the workplace and consequently men still dominate the business world. This has an effect on communication within organizations. Professional communication “equates to masculine modes such as assertion, independence, competitiveness, and confidence, whereas feminine styles such as deference, inclusivity, collaboration, and cooperation are linked to subordinate roles.” (Allen, 2001, p. 215) Gender-based stereotypes can hinder or help the advancement in an organization. If women’s styles of communication are seen as subordinate to male styles, the result may be that less capable males are seen as being more appropriate candidates for advancement than more capable females - these stereotypes, then, help the advancement of males, but hinder the advancement of females. This is a problem in the sense that the organization may underutilize valuable assets. Also, problems may arise when men and women are judged according to how they communicate. Since men and women are often expected to communicate according to certain stereotypes, “men and women may be judged differently for enacting the same communication.” (Allen, 2001, p. 215) An example may be that a woman asserting her independence in the workplace is looked upon unfavourably, even if such behaviour is perfectly acceptable for males. With respect to leadership, a study was done which looked at group tasks. In groups, if a woman is to be perceived as a leader, she must do considerable amounts of work (essentially all of the work), whereas a man can do significantly less and still be perceived as a leader. (Winter, Neal, and Waner, 2001) This might discourage women from pursuing leadership roles, even if they would in fact make very good leaders wh

Some topics in this essay:
Lillian Glass, Robbins Langton, Pearson Davilla, Smythe Meyer, Asia Asian, Judy Pearson, Neal Waner, Galinsky Thompson, Stuhlmacher Walters, North American, gender differences, differences communication, gender differences communication, boys girls, pearson 1985, women communicate, davilla 2001, women tend, pearson davilla, communication differences, pearson davilla 2001, approach negotiation, robbins langton 2001, inclined nod smile, pearson 1985 p247,