What is the main difference between the way men and women talk?
Men tend to use conversation as a means to assert their opinion and negotiate — and maintain status. Conversation is a medium for giving advice, directions and information. They tend to use short sentences and be very direct. For men, conversation is often perceived as a game of one-upmanship … shoot, score, win. For women, communication tends to be a more collaborative, give-and-take exchange. They use conversation to establish rapport and connection, the subject of the conversation often being secondary to building the relationship. Women tend to use language to communicate feelings, as well as convey information. Q: You state in your book that women tend to use more qualifiers in their speech, i.e., “I might be wrong about this, but …” or “I think.” Explain the problems with this type of talk in the workplace. A: In the female culture, women often try to avoid coming across as too direct or boastful. Consequently, they tend to use qualifiers that play down their authority or st
