It's no secret that men and women see and hear things differently, but a recent survey of 1,000 Americans done by telecommunications provider TollFreeForwarding.com found a couple of common phrases where the men and women's interpretation is almost opposite.
"With all due respect"
- Women - 51% say it's negative. It comes off as "you may have more experience than me, but I think you're wrong".
- Men - 68% say it's positive. 26% of them think it's very positive.
"Bless your heart"
- Women - 44% think it's a passive-aggressive way of saying "you're dumb!"
- Men - 77% think it's a way of saying "you're sweet".
"A few amends"
- Women - 74% think it means that there are just a few typos.
- Men - 44% think it's a thinly veiled way of saying what you've done is terrible and needs to be redone.
See the complete survey, UK vs US: Understanding Communication Differences at Work.