• Hysterical 2 Read the text and see if the writer's ideas are the same as yours. Men and women do things differently. There are of course, exceptions to every generalization, including this one. Cristina Stuart is a managing director of Speakeasy Training, a consultancy that runs courses for men and women working together. Here she describes a few key differences between the sexes in the workplace. Working together The male approach to business is competitive, direct and confrontational. The end justifies the means. * Personal status and a focus on the individual are important. The female method is collaborative. Collective actions and responsibility are more important than personal achievement. Lateral thinking*, as well as goodwill and the well-being of the individual, are also of the great importance. Tackling problems The male approach is to go to the heart of the problem, without taking into account secondary considerations. The female preference is to look at various options. Body language Male body language tends to be challenging. Female body language tends towards self-protection. A stereotypical female pose is sitting cross-legged; the male sits with legs apart to give an impression that he is in control. Male behavior can include forceful gestures for example banging a fist on the desk for effect. The female style does not usually include aggressive gestures. Language The male way of speaking does not encourage discussion. Women tend to welcome others' opinions and contributions more. Conversation Men like to talk about their personal experiences and achievements or discuss 'masculine' topics such as cars and sport. Women tend to talk about staff problems and personal matters. Meetings 27