In "Sex, Lies, and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to each Other," an article that appeared in the Washington Post, Deborah Tannen analyzes the different conversational style men and women have and how these differences often lead to misunderstandings when men and women talk to each other. (Coad 1999)The differences he discusses include childhood interactions, body language, conversational topic, audience noises, and public versus private conversation. The beginning of men and women speak different styles can be traced back to various childhood interactions with peers. Little girls to develop friendships through conversation, especially through the sharing of secrets. Instead of developing friendship through conversations, boys create a friendship by doing things together. Men and women also have different ways they communicated in private vs. public. Women are less speaks in public for fear of offending others or acting like a show off. However, at home they feel more at ease and open conversation. Men are more in touch with the public because in relation to the world in which they live in. At home, men need a shelter execute his position, so the husband talks more and he talks less, but in public the men (husband) is more talkative.
Tannen believes, communication misunderstandings based on differences of sex is a major cause of problems in marriage. In an observational study, Tannen also found that the tenth grade boys sat down on the angles from each other and looked elsewhere in the room, glancing at each other from time to time. Women, on the other hand, face each other and make eye contact when having a conversation. Tannen notes that males displayed the body language can frustrate women because it gives them the idea that people are not listening to them. Another ...