The more serious problems in gender relations come up when people use virtually the same phrases or sentences to try to accomplish different things. If a woman asks a question for the purpose of inviting all members to contribute ideas and reach a consensus and a man treats the question as a competitive request for information, the process of consensus building may be thwarted. The woman's feelings may be hurt because she expected that he would, in turn, ask her whether she wanted to stop for a break and that they could then reach a decision together. You can't always know what the other person's scenario is, but if you are sensitive to puzzled expressions, looks of surprise, hurt, or other emotional reversal, you can keep the process in focus and simply ask whether the other person expected something else to occur. For the group to develop a full range of options and the most appropriate consensus, members must give one another feedback.
Feedback helps members acknowledge differences and avoid bad decisions.
Process feedback describes what the speaker has seen and comments on how the process could be improved. I see that most of this information is from the 1990 census. Early in the group's work, process feedback will be more helpful than ranking. Commend Observe objectively Ask for rationales or reasons Consider egos Help with specific suggestions. As you gain more experience in group work, keep a set of notes about what works best and put your insights to work in new projects, modifying your understanding over time.