Genderflexing, and hating it
So I'm taking notes for my Final in Organizational Behavior and I come across the following list on "Communication Differences between Women and Men". I'm not disagreeing with the text book, but I find the list very disturbing. I find the role reversed in almost all catagories for Skyprincess and myself, and I'm not feeling all that masculine right now.
The next section talks about Judith Tingley's suggestion that women and men should learn to genderflex. Genderflex entails the temporary use of communication behaviors typical of the other gender in order to increase the potential for influence. Perhaps almost exclusively hanging with chicks most of my life has broken my Genderflex switch in the wrong direction?
Communication Differences between Women and Men
Men are less likely to ask for information or directions in a public situation that would reveal their lack of knowledge
In decision making, women are more likely to downplay their certainty; men are more likely to downplay their doubts
Women tend to apologize even when they have done nothing wrong, men tend to avoid apologies as signs of weakness or concession
Women tend to accept blame as a way of smoothing awkward situations, men tend to ignore blame and place it elsewhere
Women tend to temper criticism with positive buffers. Men tend to give criticism directly
Women tend to insert unnecessary and unwarranted thank-you’s in conversations. Men may avoid thanks altogether as sign of weakness
Women tend to ask “What do you think?” to build concensus. Men often perceive that question to be a sign of incompetence and lack of confidence
Women tend to give directions in indirect ways, a technique that may be perceived as confusing, less confident, or manipulative by men
Men tend to usurp [take] ideas stated by women and claim them as their own. Women tend to allow this process to take place without protest
Women use softer voice volume to encourage persuasion and approval. Men use louder voice volume to attract attention and maintain control
The next section talks about Judith Tingley's suggestion that women and men should learn to genderflex. Genderflex entails the temporary use of communication behaviors typical of the other gender in order to increase the potential for influence. Perhaps almost exclusively hanging with chicks most of my life has broken my Genderflex switch in the wrong direction?
Communication Differences between Women and Men
Men are less likely to ask for information or directions in a public situation that would reveal their lack of knowledge
In decision making, women are more likely to downplay their certainty; men are more likely to downplay their doubts
Women tend to apologize even when they have done nothing wrong, men tend to avoid apologies as signs of weakness or concession
Women tend to accept blame as a way of smoothing awkward situations, men tend to ignore blame and place it elsewhere
Women tend to temper criticism with positive buffers. Men tend to give criticism directly
Women tend to insert unnecessary and unwarranted thank-you’s in conversations. Men may avoid thanks altogether as sign of weakness
Women tend to ask “What do you think?” to build concensus. Men often perceive that question to be a sign of incompetence and lack of confidence
Women tend to give directions in indirect ways, a technique that may be perceived as confusing, less confident, or manipulative by men
Men tend to usurp [take] ideas stated by women and claim them as their own. Women tend to allow this process to take place without protest
Women use softer voice volume to encourage persuasion and approval. Men use louder voice volume to attract attention and maintain control
posted by Mizike at 12:24 PM
2 Comments:
Just curious, but was this written by a woman?
Ding ding ding ding! You won the prize! You are absolutely right. It was taken from Judith Tingley's book "Genderflex". She quickly followed that up with "GenderSell : How to Sell to the Opposite Sex"
Ugh... I hate this description of Gendersell.
"Want to add some sex appeal to your sales approach? Try reading GenderSell by Judith Tingley and Lee Robert. The authors believe that business leaders and sales professionals can dramatically improve results if they understand some general differences in the ways men and women behave and think. The heart of the authors' advice: Be open and adaptive when selling to the opposite sex. Take on the qualities and characteristics of the customer, they write. "When selling to a male, sell more like a man," write Tingley, a psychologist and consultant on gender in the workplace, and Robert, a sales executive. "When selling to a woman, sell more like a woman." That means men can often benefit from a feminine touch. For example, men should bear in mind that women like to talk about people and feelings. You can boost sales to women by showing how the product can be used and enjoyed, instead of rattling off facts and figures. And women should remember that men are impatient for the bottom line. When selling to men, women should build rapport through product knowledge and then quickly get to the point without any disclaimers. Some people may feel stereotyped by the book. However, the authors contend that their findings are based on a vast amount of research, including an original survey of 600 consumers and their preferences for dealing with sales pros. GenderSell is easy to understand and read. It's full of anecdotes about how to close a deal by first closing the gender gap."
Post a Comment
<< Home