Track 25

Unit 4b.

Business.

Managing international meetings.

Page 72.

Extend the topic part a.

Dr. Elizabeth Cameron, welcome to our show.

It’s great to be here.

I think the question that many people want to know is do men and women communicate differently?

Well in Western cultures, the short answer is, yes.

Really? In what ways?

Well some people who study communication say that men and women talk like they come from different planets, you know like men are from Mars and women are from Venus.

Yes, we’ve all heard that expression.

But other people like me think that they’re not so different. Maybe more like men and women come from different regions say Northern California and Southern California.

Could you explain that more?

Sure my studies show that women like to form relationships with people as they talk to them. Women try to make a connection with the other person, usually by sharing their feelings and experiences. They want the other person, or other people listening to feel like joining in the conversation.

And we men don’t do this huh?

Well sometimes, but most often men clearly say just what they’re thinking they usually just want to give information to show that there knowledgeable. They also often see a conversation as a chance to show their power. They may say something like you think you’re busy. Well let me tell you just how busy I am.

And what might a woman say in this situation?

Oh, she might say something like, oh, you sound like I feel, really tired. Did you have a super busy week too?

Interesting. So, are there other differences in how men and women communicate? For example, do they express opinions differently?

Well that’s an interesting question.