According to the reading by Talbot and the one by Tannen, I think those that get heard are the ones with power. It doesn’t have to be power in the sense of someone in a high position such as CEO. It can be a manager or a pilot. In other words, those that get heard are the ones with more authority. They get heard because of the way they talk. They tend to use a certain tone and language when talking to others and are confident in their speech. For example, in Tannen’s reading, she talks about a pilot and copilot and their conservation. Though the pilot had little experience flying in that certain weather, he was controlling the whole thing and was more calm and confident whereas the copilot, the one with a little more experience, was panicking and was being indirect. Those with power or authority tend to be direct and prefer directness. Overall, those that get heard are the ones who have power but are not necessarily in a high position. As mentioned before, it can be either a CEO or a manager. Their words have more meaning to those “below” them.
]]>