Summary of "Sex, Lies and Conversation"

The main points that Tannen discusses are: how contact is made between two people during communication or a conversation, support and advice that is given or not given during a conversation, and how men and women have grown up with different types of communication with the same and opposite sexes. The first main point, how contact is made during communication or conversation, is basically saying how men and women have different ways of listening and communicating. Men have one way that women can take the wrong way, not listening, and women have one way that men can take the wrong way, interruption of a conversation. The second main point, support and advice that is given or not given, talks about how the opposite sexes respond to one another during conversations. Women are more sympathetic and try to solve the problems or at least relate to the problem so the one with the problem doesn’t feel so alone, while men tend to show more tough love and shrug it off. The third main point, how men and women have grown up with different types of communication with the same and opposite sex, is saying that men and women have different ways of communicating with each other based on how they are used to communicating. We all grow up and find our friend within the same sex, its what we’re comfortable with at first. But when it comes to talking to the opposite sex its difficult because its out of our comfort zone. In the end Tannen is basically saying that better conversation habits will benefit both sexes.