Code Switching: How to Talk So Men Will Listen

Mars and Venus head to work...

Day-to-day, face-to-face workplace communication between men and women is often dysfunctional because each gender employs different speech pat­terns. When careers and paychecks are on the line, clear communication is crucial-from the mailroom to the boardroom. Code Switching explains what to say, how to say it, how to be taken seriously, and how to act while speaking with the opposite sex for maximum effectiveness in the workplace. Included are:

•How men and women manage conversation, and the value of "chitchat" prior to a meeting.

•How men use language to impart information and women use language to build or indicate rela­tionship.

•How men use e-mail to emphasize control while women use it to share and build rapport.

•How women can use language to build their credibility.

•How humor is used as a power play, to build ter­ritory, or to exclude others.

•How gender talk creates and shapes work rela­tionships.

Claire Damken Brown, Ph.D., founder and president of Damken Brown, is a speaker, consultant, author, and senior manager who works on gender issues in the workplace, mentoring, and harassment. Audrey Nelson, Ph.D. is a communication consultant, author, head of a corporate communication company, and former professor.