Communication Strategies - Coursework Example

These differences in a workplace may cause many problems as attitudes and perceptions shape they way even formal communication takes place. A male boss may be very blunt and direct in his speech which may at a certain point offend a female subordinate than it would a male in the same place. Males also tend to be more interruptive and biases like these may lead for them to pay more attention to the point being made by a male subordinate as opposed to a female. Also the level of trust and intimacy in terms of work relation would be stronger with a male than with a female.

On the other hand if a female were to be the boss a male subordinate would most likely question her superiority by throwing questions at her to test her skills. A female boss that is more aggressive in speech is almost always thought to be displaying an otherwise male characteristic and hence given names by subordinates and used as code language among the peers to refer to the boss. A male boss being aggressive and even cursing subordinates on the other hand would be thought of as normal. Females may also not be taken as seriously as their male counterparts and thought to be emotional and weak in certain cases.

In such cases it becomes difficult for a task to be completed as the authority of a female boss might be questioned. Similarly in an interview situation or a group meeting male to female communication can display similar conflicts due to gender perceptions. An idea by a male might be given more importance than a female. These differences can not just lead to problems in being more expressive among males and females in a work place but may also cause serious delays in work or miscommunication of messages. 2) I agree that language has an effect on gender perceptions and hence elimination of sexist language may have a slow but positive effect on the attitudes and behaviors of people.

The terms we use in everyday language has an effect on how we perceive the roles attached to us. These changes are slowly but steadily being incorporated into everyday language because it plays a key role in shaping people’s thoughts and ideas. Gender neutral terms in language are essential to overcome the bias that exists in society’s perception of males and females. I find racism and sexism to be similar biases. Hence, if the elimination of racism is emphasized on in all societies, it is fair to propagate the elimination of sexist terms from language that automatically deems inferior the status of one gender or excludes one from its representation.

As an example, we can look at a manual for a workplace that keeps referring to the reader as a man or using “his” instead of using “them” for reference to the workforce. This automatically excludes a female worker and hence suggests that there are no women in the organization, whereas in reality, half the workforce might comprise of women and the manual maybe referring to them as much as it is referring to the male worker. Thus, replacing sexist terminology is important to get rid of gender biases in society and can have a positive effect on the attitudes of people who come across it.

It will not just lead for women to be represented equally and give them confidence and credit but will also not automatically assign characteristics to one gender that can be