Pegasus brochure and web site say:
Gender differences in communication style can have broad effects on
the culture of the workplace--often influencing which ideas are heard
and acted upon, and who gets the credit for them.The increasing
recognition that conversations play a crucial role in the success of
knowledge-based organizations requires that we develop greater
awareness and appreciation of different communication styles and the
ways in which they affect our workplaces. By building capability for
dialogue, organizations are better able to leverage the talents and
collective intelligence of all their workers. Using video-tapes of
real interactions, Deborah Tannen examines the seeds of style
differences in boys' and girls' play, shows how differences manifest
in the workplace, and suggests how people can become more flexible in
their own styles.
Deborah Tannen is a University Professor at Georgetown University,
where she is on the faculty of the Linguistics department. She is the
author of the bestsellers You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in
Conversation and Talking from 9 to 5: Women and Men in the Workplace.
Her ideas on workplace communication are also presented in a training
video, Talking 9 to 5. Her current book, The Argument Culture: Moving
from Debate to Dialogue, examines the ways we communicate in
public--in the media, in politics, in courtrooms, and classrooms--once
again explaining forces that powerfully influence our lives.
--- end of Pegasus quote ---
I thought Deborah Tannen's book _You Just Don't Understand_ was terrific.
Her typical male-femaile conversations hit very close to home for me...
One of her examples is when driving in a strange area, women want to stop
to ask for directions, men just want to keep driving, "I'll find it!"
Bingo! Right on the mark, for me anyway.
Reading the book made me more sensitive to gender differences in
communications... But, I think it's more than just talking, it's
differences in how we approach life. I fear that gender lines in the
workplace are slowing us down, and Tannen's book helped me be a more
effective member of mixed gender groups.
I'm interested in going beyond gender differences to other kinds of
differences... Style or type (as in Myers-Briggs or Human Dynamics). Where
are the tools that will help us be effective in truly diverse workplaces?
-- Rick
--
Richard Karash ("Rick") | <http://world.std.com/~rkarash>
Speaker, Facilitator, Trainer | email: rkarash@karash.com
"Towards learning organizations" | Host for Learning-Org Mailing List
(617)227-0106, fax (617)523-3839 | <http://www.learning-org.com>
PEGASUS Extended Virtual Conference http://www.learning-org.com/Pegasus98
1998 Conventional Conference, San Francisco, Sept 16-18, contact
Pegasus Communications 781-398-9700 or conf fax 781-894-7079
http://www.pegasuscom.com or mailto:query@pegasuscom.com
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com>
Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>