Gender, language and the workplace

This article by Fiona Sheridan was aimed at conveying the outcome of a study she conducted which examined “the role that gendered talk plays in the workplace in both task and non-task related interactions” .Ms. Sheridan’s research found that men and women communicate differently in workplace situations based on their gender and that “the consequences of differences in linguistic activity between men and women in the workplace are enormous” (2007, p. 320).  For example, the study found that men and women are different in the way they give orders, manage people and the communication they use for both.  According to her research, men tend to be more direct when giving orders while women have a tendency to be more indirect, “soften their demands and statements” and “use tagged phrases like ‘don’t you think’ following the presentation of an idea, ‘if you don’t mind’ following a demand or ‘this may be a silly idea, but’ preceding a suggestion”.
Unfortunately, perception is often reality, and while women may not mean to come across as being tentative, our style of communication may actually hinder us at work because we may be perceived in a way we did not intend.  Ms. Sheridan stated, “Although it is certain that some women lack confidence at work, it can be concluded from this research that women are often judged to be less confident than they really are because of their automatic ways of speaking” .However, the study also demonstrated that women’s communication styles are actually highly “compatible with leadership activity for today’s organization. Women’s speech has been shown to embrace a personal, concrete style, which involves supportive listening, sensitivity to other’s needs and mutual sharing of emotions and personal knowledge” .

Salman Hamid