Body Language and Gender Communication in the Workplace Ella Sue Duty Everest University MAR 2305-Week 4 Professor Walker Body Language and Gender Communication in the Workplace Body Language Facial expressions, head movements, body posture and actions, clothing, mannerisms and personality behaviors are signs of body language. Positive body language in the workplace helps others to perceive you as honest and open to ideas. Usually in the first 30 seconds, most people have already formed an opinion of you. Gestures or movements of the head, hands, arms and legs can be used to specify certain messages that have linguistics translation.
If you wave your hand rather than saying “hello,” or nod your head in agreement, which means “yes” or “okay? ” You must use the necessary caution dealing with body language. Suppose a person has their “arms crossed over the chest”. This is a sign of closed or defiant posture, But it does not mean that everyone taking this posture is expressing that message. You have to be able to recognize, understand and react appropriately to the body language of others, as well as using positive body language yourself.
According to Hoffmann, 55% of the total impact of personal communication is determined by body language, another 38% by the tone of our voice. And only 7% by the words we use (Hoffmann, 2010). Researchers have also found that some acts of body language have specific meanings. Head movements, facial expressions and gestures show the type of emotion being expressed. Body position and tension reveal the intensity of the feelings. The background, culture, physical conditions, communication abilities and other factors influence whether and how well people use body cues.
In dealing with customers, you need to learn to read the cues they are giving to avoid a lack of communications. And to make sure your body language is the correct behavior. Gender Communications The subject of gender differences has been around since the beginning of time. We know that men and women think and act differently, at home and in the workplace. To overcome the communication and behavioral challenges that plague the workplace, (Kelly, 2010)says we need to go back and look at human evolution. Communities consisted of hunters (men) and gatherers (women).
The hunters went out to hunt for food and the women stayed home to tend the family and make preparations for the food he would bring home. So scientists say, they had different roles and as a result their brains developed in different ways. It is said that, due to sitting in a tree all day waiting on the prey, he had to be quite and disengaged. So his brain goes in and out of a rest state all day. And women on the other hand, had to be on high alert all day protecting her family. So her brain evolved to be always active.
This is not saying that one gender is better than the other; it is merely an illustration of how the brains evolved. The reality is that we interact with each other in different ways on a daily basis (Lieberman, n. d. ). Men and women both have different strengths and styles in the workplace. Here are some common ways the genders differ: Women tend to be relationship oriented and accomplish tasks by building relationships firsts, men are task oriented and go straight to the task. When women have to make a decision they will often process and look at options out loud, men tend to process internally until they reach a decision.
Women express more emotion in problem solving, make eye contact and use expressive facial movements. Men are analytical in problem solving and find a way to fix it, show little variation in expression, and glance away frequently. We need to deal with the complexity and diversity in situations in today’s world personally and professionally. References Hoffmann, D. D. (2010). Body Language in Nonverbal Communication. Retrieved August 11, 2011, from EzineArticles: Http://www. ezinearticles. com/? Body-Language-in-Nonverbal-communication&am