Same Words, Different Language : Why Men and Women Don't Understand Each Other - And What to Do About It

by Barbara Annis

Men and women are supposed to be equal. They now do the same work as each other, but somehow, somewhere, communications have broken down. Women still think men doubt their abilities, and men still feel that women are blaming them for their problems. What has gone wrong? Barbara Annis, the world's leading gender specialist, offers a fascinating and practical guide to how gender differences lead to misunderstandings - and reveals what you can do about them. Targeted at everyone who lives and works with the opposite sex, employers and bosses* Offers advice to companies who can't hold on to talented women on their staff* Reveals the five top 'challenges' men and women experience with the opposite sex* Explains the blind spots and different 'styles' of behaviour men and women follow* Shows how the same words have different meanings and how to recognise these* Provides insights and strategies for improving communication* Uses real-life scenarios and practical techniques to turn communication breakdown into win-win relationships* Covers issues such as conflict resolution, harassment and the workplace*

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2003

Reviews

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼]

This book was an Advance Review Copy

Men are from Mars... Women from Venus -- for Business

If you're up on your business reading/watching you no doubt know that corporations with women on their Board of Directors are more profitable than those whose boards have only men. Why? you ask. Because of diversity. Regardless of all the progress women have made in our society, the fact is that women have not become clones of men and they tend to approach problems differently. This diversity is money in the bank.

Or it would be money in the bank if women didn't decide so often to walk out the door in frustration. Sometimes to go to work for other firms, but often times to open shop and become competition to the very companies they left.

It's this dissatisfaction that Annis and her firm study; and which they think they have a solution to. And in this book the author introduces the topic of gender diversity -- ie., how men and women are different in the workplace -- and shows you the research that proves this exists, and her own firm's experience with fixing broken work environments.

WHAT I LIKE about the book is that it's short. That might not sound like a compliment but it is. Annis does not waste your time. She masterfully introduces the topic and helps people to finally see how others may be interpreting the situation. And this works both ways. Men and women have their own prejudices.

I'm not sure how useful this book will be for the average reader. As she points out herself some people are so stuck on themselves and their favorite explanations for things, that it's hard to break down the walls. I'm guessing though that if you picked up this book that you might not be one of the thick-headed sort and that you might get some good ideas on how to move forward.

[Joanne Kamens · Rating 3 out of 5]

If it had been an article it might have been a 4. This was hard to stretch to a book but had some great ways of looking and gendered communication issues in the work place.

[Silea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great and useful insights, but incredibly dated. An awkward read for anyone uncomfortable with genders being treated as binary and cohesive (women always say this, men never do that, etc).