More and more women are moving into leadership roles in organizations all over the world. We strive for equality for pay and working conditions. Sometimes that lends itself to the idea that we should treat everyone the same including the way we communicate in business.

It is important to remember that many of the standards in business communication were created by men. Asking women to change their style of communication to become "one of the guys" is unfair and inappropriate.

One of the keys to remember is that there is a difference in the way men and women communicate. We know that in our personal life, but we often have different expectations in the business world.

Men often use sports metaphors and women and men who do not understand sports are at a disadvantage.

Women tend to be more collaborative, which can seem less powerful in a leader ship role. It is not uncommon for many men to say I in situations where many women say We….Women talk in ways to camouflage their achievements, to avoid sounding arrogant, and lessening the chances they would be recognized.

Here are some other observations:

“Girls’ brains are stronger in the left hemisphere, which is where language is processed, while boys’ are more oriented to the right hemisphere, the spatial and physical center.” Courtesy of The Washington Post, “Little Boys Blue.” 26 March 1998. Page 1, author, Megan Rosenfield.

“Women are four times more likely than men to modify their statements with weakening phrases such as ‘I think and I believe, or shouldn’t we all or isn’t this the right thing to do?’ The first two signal uncertainty; the latter are calls for debate. Men seek consensus through direction. Women seek consensus by question.” Courtesy of John Molloy’s Live for Success, pages 160-61.

Men communicate for status and dominance, and women to build consensus and to become intimate. “For males, conversation is the way you negotiate your status in the group and keep people from pushing you around. You use talk to preserve your independence. Females use conversation to negotiate closeness and intimacy. Talk is the essence of intimacy, so being best friends means sitting and talking. Courtesy of Dr. Deborah Tannen, “You Just Don’t Understand.” Reviewed by author Laura Bryannan.