“Closing the Gender Gap” Trisha Svehla, President MANAGING THE MOSAIC™

Presentation Objectives  Acknowledge differences between men’s and women’s communication styles that can cause conflict.

Presentation Objectives  Acknowledge differences between men’s and women’s communication styles that can cause conflict.  Understand the gender-specific motivations behind communications.

Presentation Objectives  Acknowledge differences between men’s and women’s communication styles that can cause conflict.  Understand the gender-specific motivations behind communications.  Adapt your own communication style, when necessary, to create successful relationships.

Presentation Objectives  Acknowledge differences between men’s and women’s communication styles that can cause conflict.  Understand the gender-specific motivations behind communications.  Adapt your own communication style, when necessary, to create successful relationships.  Reduce gender-related conflicts.

Presentation Objectives  Acknowledge differences between men’s and women’s communication styles that can cause conflict.  Understand the gender-specific motivations behind communications.  Adapt your own communication style, when necessary, to create successful relationships  Reduce gender-related conflicts.  Improve working relationships.

Group Discussion Question  What is the one change that men could make to facilitate communication with women?

Group Discussion Question  What is the one change that men could make to facilitate communication with women?  What is the one change that women could make to facilitate communication with men?

One Change  Women: –Get to the point !!  Men: –Listen !!

Brain Lateralization Studies Harvard Preschool Boston Children’s Hospital Yale Study

Brain Lateralization Studies  MRI’s show women use both sides of the brain for processing information. Men tend to use only the left side.  Women have a larger corpus callosum, connecting nerves to the brain, which may enable women to move rapidly from right to left brain functions.  During the 18 th to 26 th weeks of pregnancy, a chemical wash of testosterone occurs with baby boys, causing the right side of the brain to recede and destroying some of the connecting nerve fibers.

Six Major Gender Communication Differences 1.Empathy vs. Solutions 2.Questions: How they are used. 3.Details vs. Big Picture 4.Cooperation vs. Competition 5.Asking for Help vs. Not asking for Help 6.Rapport vs. Invasion

Empathy Vs. Solutions  Women tend to seek an empathetic response; men tend to offer solutions.

Questions – How They Are Used  Women often ask questions simply to show interest and build rapport.  Men usually make direct statements about what they want and take other’s comments at face value without attention to hidden meanings.

Details vs. Big Picture  Women want complete details to understand and verify a situation.  Men want only the big picture and find pushing for details irritating.

Cooperation vs. Competition  Women tend to avoid confrontation and focus on areas of agreement.  Men do not shy away from confrontation and tend to express disagreements openly.

Asking for Help vs. Not Asking for Help Women generally ask for help if they need it. Men consider asking for help or information as a sign of weakness.

Rapport vs. Invasion  Women tend to be participative and indirect.  Men tend to be authoritative and direct.

In our culture, girls learn:  How to play one on one  How to get along  How to be fair to everyone  How to engage in play as a process  How to negotiate differences  How to keep the power dead even

In our culture, boys learn:  Competition is the name of the game  Always do what the coach says  How to be a good team player  How to be a leader  How to be aggressive or to posture aggressiveness

In Our Culture Boys Learn:  How to take criticism and praise  How to stay focused on the the goal  Winning is all that matters  How to have a game plan

Summary  Understanding communication differences is critical to effective personal and business relationships.  We must acknowledge that there is not one right way to communicate in today’s diverse workplace.  Management is basically a left brain, logical approach toward controlling things; leadership is a right brain, intuitive-visionary approach toward building relationships.  In today’s business environment, the ability to rapidly move from left brain to right brain is a female advantage.  The ability to handle conflict is a male advantage.