Influencing Up! Communication Tips for Men & Women

Erica Jong, author of the revolutionary book The Fear of Flying, once said, "Men and women, women and men. It will never work." Well, I have more faith, and more experience in the business world than Ms Jong. I know we can make it work, at work - and at home, too. One of the top five challenges facing women's advancement involves communication differences between women and men in charge. But communication is also a challenge for many men - whether they are in charge or not.

I want to emphasise that both men and women would be well served to use each other's communication style - in moderation. By no means should women use a masculine style exclusively, or vice versa. One of the most damaging types of behaviour many women adopt is that of trying to become "one of the guys" in order to fit into the traditionally man's world of business. Doing so suppresses their authenticity and, in the long run, does much more harm than good.

For those who may bridle at the suggestion to ever use a style other than their own, I suggest you just simply reframe your perception. Isn't this just a twist to the Golden Rule - treating others as you would like to be treated? By this I mean that if you would like to be communicated with in your style, assume that others would also prefer you communicate with them in their style.

The following are communication and behavioural tips for both men and women that will help improve their productivity, working relationships, and chances for advancement.

Tips for women communicating with men (or feminine style with masculine style):

• Be succinct, to the point, but not abrupt.
  
  
• Hold details for back-up.
  
  
• Avoid tag questions, apologies, or disclaimers ("This is a good report, don't you think?", or "Well, this is just my opinion, but...").
  
  
• Take credit for your accomplishments (or someone else might!).
  
  
• Give updates whether asked for or not. You are not bragging! If you don't communicate your successes to the powers-that-be, no one else will do it for you and your skills may be underestimated.
  
  
• Reduce personal disclosure and problems. Men don't bond and process the same way women do. This behaviour makes them uncomfortable and they may view it as weak and unstable.
  
  
• Handle conflict directly, politely, with empathy. Be clear, to the point, but not rude or abrupt. If you are nervous about an upcoming confrontation, write out your thoughts to clarify and focus them.
  
  
• Make some decisions independently, rather than consistently asking others for their opinion for consensus' sake. Men see this as indecision and lack of confidence.
  
  
• Avoid strong displays of emotions. Men see this as weakness - "too" emotional and not managerial.
  
  
• Avoid saying "I'm sorry" (it communicates that you were wrong and is often perceived as weakness and powerless behaviour).
  
  
• When interrupted, be direct and courteous, not sharp, but take back the floor ("Hang on a second please, thanks." Put your hand up to signal "stop" if you have to).
  
  
• Remember you don't have to like someone to get the job done.
  
  
• Don't get mired in details; delegate, delegate, delegate. Evaluate if the detail is truly necessary. If you get stuck with a big project then form a team to help you.
  
  
• Communicate your vision for the company/department to the people-in-charge, and your ideas for achieving this vision. If you don't have a vision, get one!
  
  
• Be flexible and keep a positive attitude about differences (different is not right, wrong, bad, or good - just different!).
  
  

Tips for men communicating with women (or masculine style with feminine style):

• Don't assume that women's softer style means they are less competent. It's (possibly) just different to your style!
  
  
• Be personable and insert a little personal disclosure. Research regarding employees' preferences for a masculine or feminine style of management consistently shows the latter is more effective and preferred by both men and women.
  
  
• Maintain direct but not constant eye contact. Women perceive lack of eye contact as intentional avoidance and disinterest in listening.
  
  
• Say "please" and "thank you" more; use demands less.
  
  
• Avoid interrupting; use active listening skills. (Demonstrate that you are indeed hearing what she is saying.)
  
  
• Offer more details, more often.
  
  
• Ask women for their input and opinions. When you don't, women think you don't value their thoughts and contributions.
  
  
• Watch nonverbal language for confusion or upset. Women - and men - often don't want to ask questions.
  
  
• Recognise that her intentions may be different than your perception of her words or behaviour.
  
  
• Say "I'm sorry" more often, including for small blunders or omissions.
  
  
• Be empathetic, but not afraid of women's tears. (It's just a different way of expressing emotion. She's been told her entire life that it's acceptable and even good to cry.)
  
  
• Don't underestimate a woman's capability just because she doesn't talk about her accomplishments.
  
  
• Be flexible and keep a positive attitude about differences! Different is not right, wrong, bad, or good - just different!
  
  

With these tips, I think we can continue to disprove Erica Jong's assumption that men and women together can never work. It takes commitment, consistency and practice by both genders, but we can all eventually do it, because many are already working hard at this - and succeeding!