Talking From 9 to 5: How Women's & Men's Conversational Styles Affect Who Gets Heard, Who Gets Credit, and What Gets Done at Work, by Deborah Tannen

This book provided a really interesting look at the different communication styles used by men and women, though Tannen freely admits that not ALL men or ALL women have the same style of communicating. Through myriad real-life examples throughout the book, she shows the reader, for example, how mis-communications occur in the workplace due to different ways of expressing oneself, or how one person may come up with an idea and someone else gets the credit for it.

Because she used so many examples, it kept my interest. I found myself paying attention to the way people at my office spoke, both in meetings and in casual conversation. I think it will definitely change how I communicate at work, and how I perceive what others mean to say.

Tannen ultimately concludes that "no one style of speaking is superior. She does not tell women to speak like men or men to speak like women." Instead, through presenting and analyzing her examples, she urges everyone to "learn from other conversational styles and to develop flexibility."