Gender differences among men and women are commonly classified by gender stereotypes and gender roles. While there could be instances certain behaviors exhibit more commonly across a specific gender type, certain settings and actions among communication may be related to gender differences. It is often opiniated that women in the workplace tend be better communicators and demonstrate an increased sense of empathy compared to men. Hall et al. (2000) addressed gender differences in the nonverbal communication of emotion. Expressiveness and expression accuracy, as well as nonverbal judgement accuracy was examined. Results revealed women smile more than men and show higher levels of both expression accuracy and nonverbal judgement accuracy than men. Women tend to be more inclusive in communication whereas men demonstrate more individualistic behaviors (Schneider, 2007). Strategies to improve commutation would be to understand the factors that exist among gender differences and be open minded in discuss with different gender groups. For example, in my organization, management often seek ways to positively influence teamwork and increase productivity. Diversity training should be provided to help employees understand gender communication barriers, behavior patterns, and considerable suggestion from other team members on ways to improve communication. This will not only improve communication but help others understand the influence both men and women have on verbal and non-verbal communication.
Hall, J. A., Carter, J. D., & Horgan, T. G. (2000). Gender differences in nonverbal communication of emotion.
Schneider, J. D. (2007). Effect of gender-related communication differences and awareness of gender-related communication barriers on communication effectiveness (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).
