key: cord-0784816-aqntizt3 authors: Wang, Sherry S.; Roubidoux, Marilyn A. title: Covid-19, Videoconferencing, and Gender date: 2020-05-25 journal: J Am Coll Radiol DOI: 10.1016/j.jacr.2020.05.019 sha: 69b307ad0729c034bb1fc9bccb55d80f8d77d96d doc_id: 784816 cord_uid: aqntizt3 nan There are several communication differences between genders which can further exacerbate the gender gap with the use of videoconferencing. The differences in communication between men and women: 1. Unequal talking time. Men tend to speak for longer periods of time, in fact, women speak approximately twothird the length of men during meetings (3) . The communication style of women tend to be more succinct because they feel they should not take up too much of people's time (2) . The length of time of speaking has been found to translate into who has the most influence and credit-the man who has the longest floor time (3) . When women are outnumbered in a group, they speak two-third as much as a man, and a lone female speaks the least. In contrast, outnumbered men in a group do not have these characteristics. McKinsey & Company with LeanIn.org released a report in 2019 regarding women in the workplace which included 329 companies and surveyed more than 68,000 employees, this report found that 50% of surveyed women had experienced being interrupted or spoken over, and 30% had others take credit for their ideas (4) . Negative interruptions are those which aims to decrease the authority of the speaker, and men commit these the most (3) , examples of these are-being cut off whilst speaking, "I don't think so" and "That is not right". 70% of the interruptions women receive from men are negative interruptions which are critical in nature and argumentative (3) . Having experienced interruptions may be a reason for which women speak less in male dominated groups. Interruptions will decrease talking time by a woman, and talking time predicts those in a group who are most influential. In the setting of overlapped speech due to video and/or audio lag, males tend to be more eager in joining in during a meeting with a level of confidence that he is influential (3) , and thus will naturally take over, which leaves the female no longer speaking. Nonverbal cues are just not part of men's communication arsenal. Have you ever asked a man "do you notice anything different about me?" and what was their answer? Men in general find difficulty at both decoding and encoding nonverbal cues (5), thus they do not use them frequently in their communication. However, women are the opposite. They rely more heavily than men on nonverbal cues to determine when to speak, and to interpret how she is perceived when she speaks. Examples of these nonverbal cues include nodding in agreement, smiling, using facial expressions and gesturing. The lack of visual cues can be a problem for women as they cannot gauge others' expressions about whether an idea is appreciated, and inhibiting her from speaking more. Men tend to communicate with a power dynamic in mind-"one up" mentality. Women tend to communicate with a rapport dynamic wherein they act to save face for others and to buffer comments that can interpreted as putting others down. Men tend to speak in a manner that elevates their authority i.e., lengthy, direct and augmentative. Trend Report of 2019 demonstrated 91% of those surveyed use emojis to show support to the person they are talking to. 61% use emojis in a work setting and 78% found that using emojis positively affect the likability of the person who is sending the emoji, and 74% found emojis make positive news or feedback more sincere, not only that, 94% like the fact emojis can help communicate beyond language barriers and can instantly share ideas and thoughts. However, there is a generational gap in the frequency of using emojis (6) . We are often discouraged to use emojis as they may cause the sender to seem more unprofessional and feminine (7) . This perception in itself is interesting and perhaps rather than emojis being unprofessional per se, its association with a female voice makes it unprofessional, which is an unconscious bias that should be eliminated. Although emojis may be imperfect, it may be the best tool when nonverbal communication is minimal. 3. Turn your video on. This option is a double edge sword and does not mitigate the issues associated with video lag. The pros include the ability to send and receive nonverbal communication, being present and seen are also important for representation. It is important to take into account that more women than men worry about their appearances and how they will be judged on videoconferencing. There are steps to alleviate this concern, including positioning of the videocamera, lighting, and clothing color/patterns (8) . Fortunately, on the Zoom platform, there is a function which can add a filter to help "touch up my appearance". 4 . Encourage more women to be in the videoconferences, avoid interruptions when they speak, and be supportive. The more women present, the more likely their opinions will be given a voice. There are additional factors which makes speaking up difficult, such as racism, and/or other forms of discrimination. Organizations should make clear a zero-tolerance policy in the marginalization of others, even in meeting, misconducts when observed should be reported through appropriate channels without retaliation. Regardless of the format of the meeting, those in the meting should be ready to speak out against such behavior to help improve the overall work culture of inclusion and diversity. 5. Encourage input from women and those who are less vocal. This can be done by everyone at the meeting, but especially important for the videoconference leader or a group moderator to be cognizant of and implement. In order for those in the meeting to not feel targeted, it may be good as the group moderator to say this at the beginning to the group, "since I value each and one of your opinions, and I understand the challenges of virtual meetings, I will periodically ask someone specifically for their views and opinions so they voices are not lost". Observe these issues in videoconferences and consider actions to mitigate the "gender gap: in telecommunications. Pandemic leads to surge in video conferencing app downloads The Power of Talk: Who gets Heard and Why Gender Inequality in Deliberation: Unpacking the Black Box of Interaction Women in the Workplace The Nonverbal Communication Gender Gap /1?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioslogin& stream=top. Accessed How Emoticons Affect Leader-member Exchange 5 videoconferencing fears (and how to overcome them)