Communication
Deborah Tannen, in her video Nine to Five, presents the difference in conversational style between men and women in the workplace. According to the video, "The way people interact with each other during the workday has a huge effect on who is heard, who gets credit for work and ideas, and what gets done." Watching Tannen's work made me aware of how these differences exist in my everyday interactions with my peers, professors, and employer. Furthermore, by shedding light upon these differences, I find importance in changing the way I speak to certain audiences, especially as I train for a career in business. Personally, I feel that the conclusions Tannen draws about the differences in conversational style are generally valid, especially in the areas of giving orders, eye contact, and conversation rituals. Giving orders and making requests is essential in the workplace in order to get tasks done. The way in which an employer does so effects what their co-workers think of them. According to Tannen, when men give orders, they do so in a direct, but not impolite way. Some women may see this as overbearing because the men may not say "please" or make the request in a gentle manner. Women, on the other hand, give orders in a
Men, conversely, tend not to look eye to eye with whomever they are speaking. The female ritual is being apologetic. After doing research with children, she confirmed her findings by observing workplace behavior. Tannen posits that women make a connection with their audience through a direct gaze. Although this goes against the idea presented by Tannen, it does parallel what she mentions about the double bind that women are placed in currently. The females tend to look up and utilize the direct gaze when they speak. By making requests in this way, find it easier to say "No" to the order, which leaves these women in a lower position than their co-workers. This teacher took the role of "devil's advocate" more than any other teacher I have had. I have noticed these tendencies in my personal experiences. My personal experiences parallel the examples she used in her video, Nine to Five. Finally, certain conversational rituals exist that men and women partake while interacting in the workplace. In my experience working at a catering hall with both a female and a male boss, I found my female boss's demeanor more authoritative and firm in terms of giving orders compared to the male boss. If a woman speaks like a woman, softly with rising intonations, she appears to have no authority. In accordance with the idea presented in the video, most of the males in my class do not make eye contact when speaking to the professor or other students.
Common topics in this essay:
According Tannen,
Core Humanities,
Watching Tannen's,
Nine Five,
eye contact,
Deborah Tannen,
eye contact speaking,
video nine five,
giving eye contact,
contact conversation rituals,
eye contact conversation,
contact speaking,
male boss,
contact conversation,
i'm sorry,
everyday interactions,
conversation rituals,
giving eye,
women workplace,
watching tannen's,
|
Acceptance Essays
