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andyspinks · 11-09-2006, 08:50 AM

Maybe this is a bit off topic, but I wonder how cultural issues factor into this.

I am Australian and have recently been reading up about indigenous Australians and was interested to find that they often find interactions with westerners to be disrespective and confronting.

(this is plagiarized from the book "Why warriors lie down and die")
"In their culture they speak indirectly to a person with almost no eye contact,... use indirect communication modes and speak with deep meaning in a polite but indirect way.... They practice active listening - they give full attention to what a person is saying to them. This means they are not preoccupied with their response until they have truly heard what a person is saying... So, in general, they will not start to think about a response until the speaker has finished... Response times in a conversation can be up to 10 seconds."

I think, and try to be, a good listener, but sometimes I find that this can lock me out of a conversation until I lose interest in it (if its a group). I think we also have have an interrogative style of conversation that can make it difficult to communicate with "extrovert" people. It demands fast answers and doesn't seem to have the time for "thoughtful" answers. Maybe its in part a reflection of modern, fast paced society.

Although I'm sure there must be introverted and extroverted people in other cultures, but is it as alienating for them?

I've been forced to listen to school girls' conversations on public transport and they can seem nonsensical. They talk over each other on a general subject where ones contribution may have little to do with the last person talking. I think at times we are taught to be over assertive in our conversations and don't really encourage understanding.

I wonder how cultural factors affect introvert / extrovert people?

11-09-2006, 08:50 AM	#20 (permalink)
andyspinks Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 6	cultural factors Maybe this is a bit off topic, but I wonder how cultural issues factor into this. I am Australian and have recently been reading up about indigenous Australians and was interested to find that they often find interactions with westerners to be disrespective and confronting. (this is plagiarized from the book "Why warriors lie down and die") "In their culture they speak indirectly to a person with almost no eye contact,... use indirect communication modes and speak with deep meaning in a polite but indirect way.... They practice active listening - they give full attention to what a person is saying to them. This means they are not preoccupied with their response until they have truly heard what a person is saying... So, in general, they will not start to think about a response until the speaker has finished... Response times in a conversation can be up to 10 seconds." I think, and try to be, a good listener, but sometimes I find that this can lock me out of a conversation until I lose interest in it (if its a group). I think we also have have an interrogative style of conversation that can make it difficult to communicate with "extrovert" people. It demands fast answers and doesn't seem to have the time for "thoughtful" answers. Maybe its in part a reflection of modern, fast paced society. Although I'm sure there must be introverted and extroverted people in other cultures, but is it as alienating for them? I've been forced to listen to school girls' conversations on public transport and they can seem nonsensical. They talk over each other on a general subject where ones contribution may have little to do with the last person talking. I think at times we are taught to be over assertive in our conversations and don't really encourage understanding. I wonder how cultural factors affect introvert / extrovert people?