The Communication Styles Inventory (CSI): a six-dimensional behavioral model of communication styles and its relation with personality

In this study, a six-dimensional model of communication styles is proposed and operationalized using the Communication Styles Inventory (CSI). The CSI distinguishes between six domain-level communicative behavior scales, Expressiveness, Preciseness, Verbal Aggressiveness, Questioningness, Emotionality, and Impression Manipulativeness, each consisting of four facet-level scales. Based on factor and item analyses, the CSI is shown to be an adequate instrument, with all reliabilities of the domain-level scales surpassing the .80 level. Consistent with the behavioral view espoused in this study, the CSI scales showed medium to high levels of convergent validity with lexical communication marker scales and behavior-oriented communication scales and discriminant validity with nonbehavioral intrapersonal cognitions and feelings vis-à-vis communication. In addition, personality, as operationalized using the HEXACO Personality Inventory—Revised (HEXACO-PI-R) and Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R), was found to have medium to strong associations with communication styles, supporting the integration of the trait and communication styles perspectives.