Differences in the men’s and women’s conversation styles have been the focus of many researches and books. Differences in the way men and women interpret the exact same words often lead to misunderstandings and while the differences themselves may be subtle, the impact they can have can be quite significant. Deborah Tannen is a reputed linguistics professor and scholar, and her book, “You Just Don’t Understand: Men and Women in Conversation” contains research-based accounts of differences in gender communication. According to Tannen (1991), men and women use different ways in expressing themselves, and their reasons for communication differ: for men, the purpose of communication is to maintain independence while for women communication serves the purpose of maintaining intimacy. Men have a need to establish their status and consciously or consciously, their communication is meant to do this for them. Women on the other hand, communicate as their words give them a chance to connect emotionally with the other person, and to build rapport. Tannen (1991) quotes a conversation which goes like this: “A married couple was in a car when the wife turned to her husband and asked, “Would you like to stop for a coffee?” “No, thanks,” he answered truthfully. So they didn’t stop.” The result of this short conversation was that the wife ended up irritated because she had actually wanted to stop and she felt that her inclination had not been given priority by her husband. The flip side of the picture was that the husband senses his wife’s annoyance and became frustrated, as he wondered why didn’t she just express her preference to stop in clearer terms? This is a very common difference in communication styles which afflicts many interactions between men and women. While the wife was not seeking an instant decision, simply trying to start a negotiation, the husband had not given the final decision, but simply expressed the fact that he did not feel like stopping for coffee. However, both parties interpreted each other’s signals differently and ended up feeling angry at the other’s supposed stubbornness and selfishness. In her book, Tannen (1991) asserted that men and women simply ‘play by different conversational rules’. Another sample from her book is as follows: “When Josh’s old high-school friend called him at work to say he’d be in town, Josh invited him to stay for the weekend. That evening he told Linda they were having a house guest. Linda was upset. How could Josh make these plans without discussing them with her beforehand? She would never do that to him. “Why don’t you tell your friend you have to check with your wife?” she asked. Josh replied, “I can’t tell my friend, ‘I have to ask my wife for permission’!”” For men, maintaining their independence is a top priority while women tend to focus more on maintaining a supportive and close relationship. Josh felt that checking with his wife first would be a sign that he did not have the autonomy to make his own decisions. For Linda however, telling someone, “I have to check with Josh” actually makes her feel good as it gives her a feeling of intimacy with her husband and she liked the fact that her life is closely connected to her husband’s. Another common conflict which arises is when men treats complaints as an opportunity to provide a solution when women are sim