Class and Gender - My little learning

I was really scared. Had to do a SEC C Men's group for alcohol. I was sure they wouldn't open up to a woman about this. But it went off brilliantly. And I kept wondering why. The SEC A or B groups didn't go that well. I realised with the SEC C group, it was the class card that worked. They were really eager to please me and so co-operated and opened up to impress me. With the SEC A/B men there was no class card that worked. So gender played its role. I was acutely aware of being a woman. Wonder what I should do to get them talking too?