Review Of Tony Kornheiser's No Detail Is Too Small For Women

There has always been a debate about the differences in communication between males and females. In his essay, “No Detail Is Too Small for Girls Answering a Simple Question,” Tony Kornheiser believes that girls tend to give out more details and specificity about a subject (feminine style), whereas boys tend to be more straightforward and to the point (masculine style). The author uses examples of his daughter and son to compare the way they speak and the amount of facts they would give. By using them, the author shows the different styles of communication and their effects on listeners. Based on my experiences in a Model United Nations conference and Boy Scouts of America, I feel that the feminine style is more effective in communication.

Kornheiser mentions that women “…gather information and dispense it without discrimination…they are fascinated by the multiplicity of choices that they see” (Kornheiser 279). This feminine style of communication is very important in formal settings such as the Model United Nations Conference that I attended. In the conference, I observed people who give vast amounts of details and those who did not. Those who give specifics about their solutions tend to attract more delegates. They are also usually the leaders of the conference. This is because many of the delegates put trust onto those who appear to demonstrate more knowledge and understanding of their ideas. Delegates that give details gain attention and dominance. In the delegates’ eyes, people who are able to talk more have more potential. Communication is effective in this sense because the delegates are more persuaded and convinced by the person with the most thorough speech. There is no room for question or doubt since the person seems