The Kansas State Fair (KSF) Nostalgic Car Show provides an environment where both male and female observers can showcase their communication style. The focus of this research was designed to address the research question: “What are the gender differences or similarities in communication among observers at the Nostalgic Car Show?” Grounded theory [2] and Boyatzis’ method of thematic analysis [3] were used to yield insights into the similarities or differences in communication among male and female observers at the car show. Findings indicated that male initiated communication is more technical and female initiated communication is more aesthetically based. The data implies that context is not an important factor in influencing gender and communication style. However, females and males at the KSF Nostalgic Car Show communicated in stereotypical manners consistent with research on general biological sex differences in communication.

Paper presented to the 6th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) held at the Hughes Metropolitan Complex, Wichita State University, April 23, 2010.Research completed at the Elliott School of Communication, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences