Communication Barriers

Among others... Gender Differences.

Deborah Tannen's research shows that men tend to use talk to emphasize status, whereas women tend to use it to create connections... She has found that women speak and hear a language of connection and intimacy; men speak and hear a language of status, power and independence. So, for many men, conversations are primarily a means to preserve independence and maintain status in a hierarchical social order. For many women, conversations are negociations for closeness in wich people try to seek and give confirmation and support.

For example, men frequently complain that women talk on and on about their problems. Women criticize men for not listening. What's happening is that when men hear a problem, they frequently assert their desire for independec¡nce and control by offering solutions. Many women, on the other hand, view telling a problem as a means to promote closeness. The women present the problem to gain support and connection, not to get advice. Mutual understanding is symmetrical. But giving advise is asymmetrical--It set ups the advice giver as more knowledgeable, more reasonable, and more in control. This contributes to distancing men and women in their efforts to communicate.

From: Organizational Behaviour, Robins and Judge. Pearson International Edition. 13th Edition.