Much of our understanding of the opposite sex comes from relationships within our family, community, and culture. For example, when people communicate, they begin to internally respond based on observations and past experiences. This internal response often leads to a low level of active listening followed by mixed signals and misunderstandings. Our perceptions and sometimes misperceptions eventually become so deeply rooted that they begin to manifest in areas like the workplace. Today’s translator to the masses, the media, is a platform to address these issues but instead has amplified select stereotypes and created deficiencies within relationships. To call a truce, many coworkers opt to use the phrase, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.”
He Said, She Said: The Debatable Conversation, explores how media affects interpersonal communication between men and women in the workplace. We examine how these vehicles (print, broadcast, social media, music, and film) assist in the breakdown of communication and how the workplace can be a vehicle for decoding messages and strengthening relationships. Using media clips, scenarios, role plays and a battle between the planets, we will observe the strength of taking a proactive approach to minimizing communication breakdowns. By the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:
--Understand how images and language affect our perception of the opposite gender,
--Evaluate how external relationships affect workplace behavior and
--Examine how the workplace is a communication station for understanding.
