“How to Give Orders Like a Man” by Deborah Tannen

In her essay “How to Give Orders Like a Man”, Deborah Tannen analyzes the effectiveness of direct or indirect communication. She understands that there are several aspects affecting how each individual communicates with others, such as sex, culture, class and grade. In addition, Tannen points out that sometimes when you express your ideas or necessities in an indirect way, it can be misunderstood or disregarded. However, she thinks that talking in an indirect way does not mean lack of self-confidence, power, or another weakness of the speaker. She uses as an example the Japanese's culture because they believe that it is not necessary to say literally what you want in order for others to understand you. Definitely, culture is very important in our way to communicate, but I prefer the direct one because it is more efficacious, clear and exact than the indirect form.