Talking from 9 to 5

About This Book

You say something at a meeting, it is ignored, then someone else says the same thing and everyone embraces it as a marvelous idea. You devote yourself to a project, but don't get credit for the results. You work around the clock to avoid a crisis, but your efforts are not recognized because no one notices a crisis that never occurs. You give what you think are clear instructions, but the job is not done, or is done wrong. Sometimes it seems you are not getting heard, not getting credit for your efforts, not getting ahead as fast as you should. Many of us spend more of our lives at work than we do at home, yet while we choose our life-partners and friends, at work we are thrown together with people we did not choose, some of whom we don't understand and may not even like. In Talking from 9 to 5, Deborah Tannen brings to the workplace the same compelling voice, keen eye, and deep insight that made That's Not What I Meant! and You Just Don't Understand best-selling classics. Here, she offers powerful new ways of understanding what happens in the workplace, ranging from the simplest exchanges to the complex contemporary issues of the glass ceiling and sexual harassment. Work is a special world because as we talk to get our jobs done, we are also being evaluated. How we get others to do what we want, and how we accept or avoid responsibility for mistakes, display or challenge authority, reveal or conceal what we don't know - all affect how we are regarded and rewarded. Individuals in positions of authority are judged by how they enact that authority. This poses a particular challenge for women, since the ways that women are expected to talk are at odds with our usual images of authority. Women at work often have ways of creating authority that can be misinterpreted as a lack of confidence or even competence. Tannen maintains that no one style of speaking is superior. She does not tell women to speak like men or men to speak like women. Instead, she explains a variety of styles with real-life examples and urges everyone to be aware of and to learn from other conversational styles and to develop flexibility. Talking from 9 to 5 will have a dramatic impact on those who are struggling with co-workers, jobs, and companies - and will help individuals as well as companies thrive in a working world made up of increasingly diverse work forces and ever more competitive markets.