First of all Mad (cheshire cat) Girl - well done!
On the subject of males vs females, it might be politically incorrect to say so, but since my middle name is Attila, I must say that I found that there were differences when I used to teach people to fix computers.
Women have more connections between the left and right halves of their brains. Since men do not, they tend to compartmentalise, that is to say, they are more able to leave home affairs behind when they go to work, and vice versa. In other words, once in a compartment of their lives, they can better remain there to the exclusion of anything else. Thus with men you are better off teaching one thing at a time.
Women, on the other hand, see things more holistically, or globally - they connect things up more. They can see underlying detail and relationships more clearly, but may not be able to visualise objectives or goals properly.
Thus, if an issue is not resolved in the cockpit, a male pilot may go home, leaving things on hold while he opens the “home” compartment, and could even have forgotten about it next time he gets back in the cockpit. A female pilot, however, might continue thinking about the issue until some closure is achieved. With women, you can cover several things at once.
Whilst we're on the subject....
Women have a speaking style that is more historical, presented in a narrative-type fashion. Thus, there is more detail in what they say, and they may ask questions in general conversation that men would actually find intrusive or demeaning, or even threatening. The end of the story comes at the end. For women, the purpose behind a conversation is to build rapport and provide help, while for men, it’s to report facts, and the end might come at the beginning of a conversation, and without much detail at all, hence the frustration when a man asks a question of a woman, expecting the answer straight away, but actually getting it over the next five minutes. On the other side of the coin, a long email that gets a 4-word reply can be just as frustrating for a woman.
If you are a woman, and you see a man’s eyes glaze over while you are speaking to them, it’s not because they don’t care about what you are saying - they are tuning out the irrelevant bits until you get to the bottom line. Speaking louder and slower will not change things, and adding more detail will only get an interruption! Try giving the bottom line first, then asking if more detail is required.
Don’t use hints, either. The question “Would you like a coffee?” from a female to a male colleague really means “I would like a coffee.” Similarly, saying something like “Would you amend this publication, if you’ve got time?” leaves many options open, and will likely mean it doesn’t get done at all (never leave anyone an option to say No - sales 101). Being more direct would get more results - men are not mind readers, although they should, of course, learn to listen more attentively, and between the lines!
Phil