Masculine Talk

Feminine talk

FEMININE AND MASCULINE COMMUNICATION CULTURES

Beginning in the 1970s scholars noticed that some groups of people share communication practices not common to outsiders. This led to the realization that there are distinctive speech communities, or com­munication cultures. William Labov (1972, p. 121) defined a communication culture as existing when a set of norms regarding how to communicate is shared by a group of people. Within a communication cul­ture, members embrace similar understandings of how to use talk and what purposes it serves.

Once scholars realized distinctive communica­tion cultures exist, they identified many. Members in each of these groups share perspectives that outsiders don't have, and their distinctive val­ues, viewpoints, and experiences influence how each culture uses language. This holds true for gen­der cultures since women and men in general have different perspectives on why, when, and how to communicate.

In combination, psychodynamic theories and social science research offer a coherent picture of how gender cultures are produced and what they entail. Feminine socialization emphasizes relation­ships and sensitivity to people and the process of interaction, while masculine socialization stresses independence, power, and attention to outcomes. Table 1 summarizes how these differences in gender cultures affect communication.

1. Use talk to build and sustain rapport with others.

2. Share yourself and learn about others through disclosing.

3. Use talk to create symmetry or equality between people.

4. Matching experiences with others shows understand­ing and empathy ("I know how you feel.")

5. To support others, express understanding of their feelings.

6. Include others in conversation by asking their opin­ions and encouraging them to elaborate. Wait your turn to speak so others can participate.

7. Keep the conversation going by asking questions and showing interest in others' ideas.

8. Be responsive. Let others know you hear and care about what they say.

9. Be tentative so that others feel free to add their ideas.

10. Talking is a human relationship in which details and interesting side comments enhance depth of connection.

1. Use talk to assert yourself and your ideas.

2. Personal disclosures can make you vulnerable.

3. Use talk to establish your status and power.

4. Matching experiences is a competitive strategy to command attention. ("I can top that.")

5. To support others, do something helpful—give advice or solve a problem for them.

6. Don't share the talk stage with others; wrest it from them with communication. Interrupt others to make your own points.

7. Each person is on her or his own; it's not your job to help others join in.

8. Use responses to make your own points and to out­shine others.

9. Be assertive so others perceive you as confident and in command.

10. Talking is a linear sequence that should convey infor­mation and accomplish goals. Extraneous details get in the way and achieve nothing.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-11