Nonverbal Communication Typical of the Female Community

Word Bank:

Tag Questions: / Can repeat the main verb of the sentence in the negative (e.g. it will rain, won’t it?)
…, you know?
…, isn’t it?
…, don’t you (think)?
End sentences with “but” or “so” (e.g. “I was asked to do it, so”)
Lexical Hedges: / Well...
You see...
Sort of
Kind of
I’m not an expert but…
All I know is…
By the way…
(Empty) Adjectives: / Cool
Awesome
Charming
Sweet
Wonderful
Fabulous
Qualifiers: / Well it seems like...
I think…
I feel…
It just seemed…
Probably
Would you mind if…
Intensifiers: / Really
So
Very
Absolutely (e.g. you are absolutely right)
Such (e.g. Such a good job)
Verbal Listening Behaviors: / “Sympathetic” noises/words to show you are listening (e.g. mmhmm, hmmm, yeah, I understand, me too, I know how you feel, head nods); keep it polite
Others: / Frequent incorporation of feelings (e.g. I know how you feel); relating to the other (e.g. me too, we, us); ask a lot of questions; connect sentences with “and”, justify with “because”

Nonverbal Communication Typical of the Female Community

Hands: / Tend to be placed in the lap.
More often play with hair or clothing.
Gesture more with their hands, but with their arms still near the body.
Face: / Use more eye contact.
Use more facial expression (eyebrows, mouth, etc.)
Smile more and smile back more often.
Body: / Stand closer together during conversation and lean in.
Take up less space. The legs are more together and the arms are closer to the body.
Tend to cross legs at the knees or ankles.

Women use language to:

·  Relate to others

·  establish equality between people

·  support others

·  sustain conversation

·  show interest and responsiveness

·  cultivate feelings of closeness

·  keep conversation open and inclusive