Communication and Gender in Business
1 According to popular American linguist , Deborah Tannen , communication habits
vary depending on individual personality , culture , and among other factors , gender. Sincemale ways of communicating are standard in business , women. s ways oftalking are oftenignored or misunderstood in the workplace. Tannen emphasizes that female and male stylesare both valid. Here are some of Tannen. s main points.
2 Conversational styles in boys and girls show up early. Even 5-year-old boys care abouttheir rank in the group , while 5-year-old girls care more about being in or out of thegroup. Therefore , men. s conversational styles often use competition , while women try tokeep the appearance of equality.
3 Women tend to apologize more than men , as an attempt to restore the powerbalancein conversation. When men simply accept the apology rather than part of the responsibility ,women feel unjustly blamed.
4 Western women favor indirect ways of speaking , which s interpreted by Western
men as showing insecurity and lack of confidence. However, this gender difference is also acultural difference: Japanese business culture demands indirectness , and the direct approachused by Western businessmen is often seen as rude by the Japanese.
5 In business , women are often blamed if they "talking like a woman" (soft , indirect ,
cautious) , but are also blamed if they "talk like a man" (bossy, aggressive).
6 We have strong negative images of women in authority: Wicked Witch and Mother ,80 women bossyare judged not as bosses but as women.
7 Gender differences show most strongly not in individuals but in group settings. In a
group of men and women, women tend to become silent bystanders, while men are activeparticipants.
8 Males and females in Western culture speak different body languages. Men often
spread out their limbs, taking up a lot of space, gesture widely , speak in loud tones , andengage in direct eye contact. These behaviors communicate power and high status. Womenhold in their limbs, take up little space, make small gestures , speak in soft voices , andlower their eyes frequently. These behaviors give away power and announce low status.
9 Males interrupt females much more than they interrupt other males , and more often
than females interrupt either mates or females.10 Research has shown that there is nothing "natural" about male or female language ,but that these gender habits simply show the stereotyped role in which society puts men andwomen.
who tend to apologize more than men in conversation___(单选题)
.women
.youngsters
.men
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