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Greetings!
Welcome to the March edition of GenderSmart® Tips. This month's issue contains three elements I think you will find interesting and valuable:
- 10 Tips for More Effective Facilitation (meetings, feedback sessions, planning retreats, team-building events, best practices sessions, etc.) This is a service I offer, and I greatly enjoy doing this work.
- An article citing many of the biological differences between men and women. These relate directly to, and actually cause, many of our communication style differences!
- A GenderSmart Tip about the feminine inclusive style.
Enjoy! Please let me know if you have any questions or would like further information.
Warm Regards,
Jane Sanders | |
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10 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL FACILITATION! |
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GO FOR RESULTS!
...by Jane Sanders
As 2008 speeds toward its second quarter, executives' minds are whirling with ongoing and newly hatched problems and opportunities. In many cases, their minds are spinning and groaning simultaneously.
Groans be gone! Skilled managers of any size company, department or team can facilitate a productive and effective meeting, walking out with specific goals and action plans addressed and achieved. Here are 10 tips to help managers facilitate more successfully.
To further ensure success, use a professional facilitator for your problem solving, brainstorming, team-building and strategic planning meetings/retreats. This strategy ensures objective and expert work, sends a message to the group that the meeting is of considerable importance, significantly diffuses any potential conflict and contentious tone, and helps both plan and achieve desired goals and objectives. A professional facilitator can also help set realistic expectations for the group relevant to process, tone, purpose, and behavior.
10 Tips for More Effective Facilitation
1. Identify clear objectives. What specifically do you want to leave the meeting with? An action plan for achieving fiscal year 2008 goals? An employee recognition program? More productive work processes? Cost-saving ideas? Customer service ideas? Solutions to a specific problem? Guided feedback on selected issues? Organized sharing of Best Practices? Be very specific and clear about exactly what you want to accomplish in the meeting.
2. Plan the agenda. Determine activities to accomplish your objectives, and the time required for each. Include time for opening comments, instructions, breaks, lunch, etc. Don't schedule too tightly, as meeting segments and activities often take longer than estimated, especially debriefing and discussion of small group activities.
3. Establish and post ground rules. Effective ground rules communicate a professional tone, and set appropriate expectations for the session. Ground rules can include timeliness (begin and end at the announced times, including breaks, regardless of late arrivals), participation (encourage participants to contribute and ask questions), respect for others, commitment to the meeting's objectives, open-mindedness, no rejection of ideas, no side-talking, confidentiality, trust, a volunteer spirit, taking notes, no cell phones or pagers, etc.
4. Use effective facilitation skills.
Click Here to Continue Facilitation Tips Article
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Most Gender Communication Differences Are Based in BIOLOGY! |
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Not Just Stereotypes or Social Differences
...by Jane Sanders
Yes, a controversial statement to make! But important to understand and accept in order to approach these differences with an open mind and positive attitude. Associated stereotypes stem from these biological differences, so in fact most are generalities, not falsehoods. Stereotypes themselves are not the problem - it's when we use them to negatively judge and make incorrect assumptions about someone's competence or advancement potential that causes problems. Of course, there are variations amoung men and women.
However, there is now sufficient scientific data from reputable sources (I have omitted most of these differences from this article to save space and time but they can be found in my book GenderSmart: Solving the Communication Puzzle between Men and Women) that erase the notion that they stem primarily from social conditioning.
When you think about it, doesn't it make sense that if we are built differently, inside and outside, physically and genetically, that we would communicate differently as well? Business reports are published practically daily now, underscoring the importance of focusing on the needs of specific demographic and gender groups as they are essential to fundamental business growth. Communication differences are one critical and pervasive aspect of these gender needs!
The scientific and medical communities have discovered that every physiological system in the human body varies between men and women. Every single organ system of their bodies is different, including the brain, heart, gut - even the skin! Also studies show that diseases will manifest differently in men and women and the same treatment for them will yield different results.
An intriguing study identified the genetic difference between men and women at about 1 percent. Comparatively, the genetic makeup of chimpanzees and humans differs by only 1.5 percent. So, women and men differ genetically almost as much as humans differ from chimpanzees!
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GenderSmart Tip |
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Women's inclusive communication and management style can sometimes be misinterpreted as weaker and indecisive. Not true! Women ask for opinions often to help others feel valued and an important part of the team. Those asking for the opinions, in most cases, already know what they want to do, they just want others to feel like they are contributing. But people with a more masculine style, those who act more independently, hear women ask, "What would you do in this situation?" or, "What do you think about this issue?" and view them as less knowledgeable or managerial.
To avoid these misperceptions, women (or men with this feminine style) - be aware of how you may be coming across, and reduce the number of times you ask others for opinions. Participative management is still preferred by both men and women, so don't stop asking completely. Power-up your requests, like so: "I have a solution in mind but I'd like your thoughts as well," or, "Here's my idea, what do you think?" Also, women can power-up (not make more aggressive) other elements of their communication to help offset any misperceptions of their inclusive style.
Men, and women with a masculine style who may jump to incorrect assumptions about this inclusive style - simply be aware that this is merely a style difference, not an indication of competence or managerial ability. Consider increasing the number of times you ask for your team's opinions to help them feel valuable to you! |
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You are welcome to reprint any part of this newsletter as long as
you include "By Jane Sanders, GenderSmart® Solutions, 877-343-2150, http://www.janesanders.com."
Contact Information
Toll-Free: 877-343-2150
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