Leaders as Interrupters: An Examination of Simultaneous Speech in Informal Groups

Abstract

Conversational interruptions can carry negative connotations, yet prior research has consistently found positive associations between interruptions and attributions of leadership and social status. In this study we investigate simultaneous speech---interruptions and related behaviors---as a predictor of leader emergence, relying on a network perspective on communication to account for dependencies among individuals. Using a published data set, and starting from a published two-stage least squares model, we demonstrate that interruptions positively predict leader emergence. We demonstrate that a view of interruptions which includes multiple types of simultaneous speech and behavioral connections between actors provides information about group structure beyond that contained in speaking time. In an exponential random graph model analysis we find that simultaneous speech is not related to gender in a simple way, and that complexities are revealed by network analysis. We conclude that interruptions may provide a connection between relationship-based theories of leadership and leader communication.