Review of Same Words Different Language: How Men and Women Misunderstand Each Other at Work, and What to do About it, by Barbara Annis

Same Words Different Language by gender specialist Barbara Annis is an excellent research based, practical guide on gender communications. The book is suitable for anyone who lives and works with the opposite sex, and who is interested in improving communication with them.
The book talks about how men and women differ in the way they think, communicate, and assimilate information, which in turn leads to misunderstandings in the workplace. The author explains that no one gender is at fault for the misunderstanding, both men and women play an equal role in the misunderstandings.

The book explains the four levels of gender awareness – denial, recognition/awareness, confusion/frustration and partnership/congruence. As you might expect, these stages look very different in men and women. The book includes two questionnaires, one tailored for men and the other for women to help readers identify and understand which stage of awareness they are in.

Same Words Different Language also identifies the five top challenges that men and women experience with the opposite sex; explains blind spots and the different types of behaviour that men and women exhibit; provides many examples on how the same words have different meanings for men and women; and provides strategies and techniques to turn communication breakdowns in the workplace into win-win relationships. The book discusses how misunderstandings help to create conflict and harassment in the workplace.

I recommend this book because it's practical, research based, written clearly and provides solutions that are doable.