What are the defining characteristics of gender in communication? Relate your answer to conflicts and resolution of conflicts
both in the workplace and outside of the workplace. You might comment on man to man, woman to woman, man to woman dyads or
groups.
Communication is the means by which ideas and information are spread from person to person. People use communication to
express feelings, emotions, opinions and values, to learn and teach, and to improve their status. Communication is therefore
vital to human interaction whether between parents and children, bosses and employees or even husband and wife. The diversity
and characteristics of those involved in any interaction can thus affect communication. Taking account of any diversity in
interaction rather than assuming uniformity is important to achieving effective communication.
Good communication is difficult to master and can be a major source of strife in any situation or business. Gaps in
communication arise when the intended message is not transmitted or the message is misunderstood.
For effective communication either one or both parties should be able to understand and communicate in the language of the
other. Good and effective communication can therefore be affected by many things including the situation, time, culture, and
gender. The assertion that gender affects communication in different ways has been accepted by a large part of the population
today. Gender differences in communication may pose problems in interpersonal interactions leading to intolerance,
resentment, stress and decreased productivity.
This is extremely critical in business organizations but even more so in your everyday world and therefore an examination of
these differences in the first step to understanding the issues involved and moving towards better communication. Generally,
the communication style of women has been described as being more emotional than men. Women focus on feelings and building
relationships while men focus on power, and status. This is also shown in problem solving, where men take a straightforward
approach compared with women who tend to establish intimacy, show concern and empathy.
Additionally women are also seen to foster cooperation rather than competition men display a higher percentage of task
behaviors providing information, direction, or answers, and direct disagreement than women do (Eckes, 2000). They use problem
solving as an opportunity to demonstrate competence, ability to solve problems and their commitment to the relationship. When
thinking about the problem, they expect solutions, exerting power to accomplish the problem solving task. On the other hand,
use problem solving as a way to strengthen relationships, focusing on sharing and discussing the problem rather than the end
result.
Verbal differences include the use of vulgar words, aggressiveness and a tendency to attack the speaker, dominate and
interrupt the conversation by men (Eunson, 2005). On the other hand, women are considered as being polite and less
aggressive. However, while there are differences in the speech patterns, everyone shows varying degrees of what is considered
to be masculine and feminine speech characteristics. This raises the issue of stereotyping and bias, and the effect of other
factors that can influence speech patterns. With the interaction of external and internal factors other than gender on
communication and the controversy surrounding the two language styles, it is difficult to demonstrate differences in verbal
communication based on gender only.
As a result, nonverbal communication is seen as the area where gender differences in communication exist. Women are
considered to be more nonverbally warmer than men with a tendency to smile and lean toward others during conversation. Women
also use a pleasant warm voice in conversation that is not characteristic of conversations between men (Eckes, 2000).
Differences have also been noted with respect to the gestures used while speaking. Men are observed to use straight and sharp
movements, while women tend to have more fluid movement. In terms of posture, women tend to keep arms next to their bodies
and cross their legs while men often have an open wider posture — arms away from the body and legs apart.
