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COMMUNICATION STYLES
AND GENDER
Amber E. Kinser, Ph.D. Dept of Communication, ETSU
Communication Worldviews
Agentic
 Hierarchy

Competitive

Maintaining Status

Compliance

Self-promotion

Conversational
Command
Communal
 Web

Cooperative

Equalizing Status

Collaboration

Shared Credit

Conversational
Maintenance
Communication Foci
Agentic
 Instrumental
Communal

Expressive

Problem-solving first

Understanding first

Linear, Chronological;
Get to the point

Contextualizing; Less
structured

Task-Focused

Relationship-focused

Troubles Talk:
Understand it; Talk as a
relationship glue

Troubles Talk:
Solve it
Conversational Rituals
Agentic
Communal

Speak more often, longer

Speak briefly

Speak first, interrupt

Wait turns

More verbal errors

More verbal precision


Minimal verbal response
cues and emotional cues;
less skilled at interpreting
cues

Responsive verbal and
emotional cues; more
skilled at interpreting cues
Declamatory
Invitational; sometimes
tentative (we/let’s, qualifiers,
(I, declaratives, directives)
tag questions, suggestive, “thanks”)
