Bridge the Gender Communication Gap
Ava has had a hard day as Director of Nursing in a busy hospital. She changes hats from taking charge in the high paced world of healthcare to being the caretaker of her six and seven year old. She drives from the baby sitter to the train, prepares dinner, helps the kids with homework and showers, and gets them to bed.Finally, the kids are nicely tucked away in bed, snug and warm. Ava awaits her beloved husband and "knight in shining armor," Ethan, who will be home soon to take her into his arms, understand her frustrations, listen to her -- not just her words but to her very being -- and to literally "walk a mile in her moccasins."Ethan, a financial advisor, has had a stressful day having seen ten clients with no break, not even stopping for dinner. He has been looking forward to relaxing when he gets home. He missed the kids and knows they are asleep, but his wife will be there to greet him, and he can finally eat and kick back in front of the tube with a nice non-alcoholic beer and low cholesterol turkey burger.Ethan pulls into the driveway, grabs his two heavy briefcases, which remind him of the weight he has felt throughout the day, and opens the door. Ava greets him, follows him to the table, and immediately begins to recount the day's problems. Ethan thinks, "Oh no! Is this going to be my eleventh client? Let me listen and maybe it will end soon."Ava thinks, "Once I tell Ethan all that has happened today, and he understands what I've been through, I will feel so much better." When Ethan walks in, Ava lays out a panorama of events that paint a picture of much frustration supported by a myriad of specific problems.Ethan's eyes open wide. He is unable to keep track of the onslaught and quickly begins to think of solutions, so that he can get to his dinner. Though he tries mightily to keep up and figure it all out, he realizes that Ava is not tiring; in fact, she is growing in enthusiasm as she recounts the day. He realizes this could take a while and wonders when will she get to the point. As he tries to listen, solutions are popping into his head. He thinks, "Let me share them and relieve her of her consternation so that she can move on from the abyss into the light of resolution; let me be the 'mighty warrior' to come to her aid and let me get to my non-alcoholic beer and turkey burger."Although he feels a bit frustrated by the number of problems facing him, Ethan starts to take them on one at a time. If he is efficient, he will be able to get through these in short order, make some sense out of them and, if he takes the initiative, maybe she will listen and stop talking.Ethan offers his logical solutions and expects to be appreciated for helping Ava through the confusion. But, alas, to Ethan's surprise, Ava does not welcome the solutions. In fact, she begins to reject them and appears more tense and anxious. He wonders, "Is there something wrong with what I am offering? Or is there just something wrong with my wife? After all, I solve problems all day, and now I am being made to feel so helpless. Maybe she is just too negative and emotional." Ava is thinking, "Why isn't he listening? I just need to talk and unload. Maybe he just doesn’t care."As the curtain drops Ethan is feeling frustrated, incompetent and powerless, and wonders why he made his wife so unhappy when all he's tried to do is help her. Ava feels she has not been heard and that Ethan isn't interested and doesn't care about her feelings.What's happened here is common among couples. Ava has a need to vent and express her feelings, not to make a point, but just to be heard. Being listened to is a way of knowing her husband cares for her, understands and respects her feelings. Ethan, like most men, immediately tries to solve the problems put before him since the reason to talk is to get his advice.Deborah Tannen, Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University, and one of the foremost researchers on how language affects relationships, says women talk to establish rapport, share feelings and create intimacy. Men talk to report, solve problems, negotiate status and preserve independence.In Couple to Couple® Coaching with us, Ava and Ethan explored what they needed from each other regarding communication and both came away with a greater understanding. Ava needed to vent and share to feel intimate. Ethan talked when he wanted her thoughts and advice. Ava and Ethan agreed that from there forward they would tell each other what they needed from their communication rather than make assumptions. This helped them bridge the gender communication gap.To your relationship,Lori and Bob Hollander
Lori Hollander, LCSW-C, BCD, and Bob Hollander, LCSW-C, JD, are licensed counselors and co-founders of Relationships Work, an innovative therapy practice and online resource center that gives couples 360 degrees of support for extraordinary partnerships. Sign up for Radical Relationships, a monthly eZine from Relationships Work, and receive Why Take the Journey to Extraordinary? absolutely free.