172 Part 1 Basic Communication Processessituation where there are so many people talking or loud music playing that we
literally have to scream to be heard. It feels like it takes all of our energy and con-
centration just to make out a conversational partner’s words. Clearly, this kind of
situational context can make communication more challenging.
The relational context can also create problems. Take your friend Yvonne. As
great a friend as she is, you perceive her chronic lateness as a sign that she doesn’t
value your time or friendship. So when she tries to explain why she’s late for this
particular party, you hardly pay attention. You offer no empathy, and you don’t
think deeply about her message. Perhaps it’s another excuse about car trouble
or running into an old friend on her way to meet you. But maybe it isn’t—and
there’s something far more serious going on with Yvonne. The only way to find
out is to listen actively.The Cultural Listening Context
In various parts of the United States and abroad, you will encounter listening
behaviors different from your own. As you travel or do business across the coun-
try or the world, you’ll likely find it necessary to understand and adapt to listen-
ing differences.
When you think about traits and habits that make someone a “good” lis-
tener or a “bad” listener, you’re often thinking about how your culture judges
listening ability. For example, indirect styles of communication, common in
Eastern cultures like China and Japan, require listener-responsible communi-
cation that saves face for the speaker. So a listener would be expected not to
question the speaker directly, to construct meaning and understanding from the
context of the situation, and to accommodate the speaker’s needs more than the
listener’s (Lustig & Koester, 2006). Speaker-responsible listening, common in
Western cultures like the United States and Canada, is more direct; the speaker
usually tells the listener what he or she wants the listener to know. The listener
can ask direct questions without offending the speaker, and both speaker and
listener may be assertive without threatening the relationship or making the situ-
ation uncomfortable.
In addition to actual listening behaviors themselves, perceptions of appro-
priate listening vary among cultures. One study of
competence and listening found that U.S. Caucasians
are perceived as expressive listeners who exhibit nonver-
bal facilitators (like nodding, saying “mmm-hmmm,”
and the like). Caucasians are also seen as using more
questioning techniques to clarify and comprehend the
speaker’s message. Latinos and Asian Americans are
perceived as somewhat less expressive than whites, and
African Americans are perceived as the least expressive
listeners among these groups (Dillon & McKenzie,
1998). If you are comfortable or aware of only the pre-
ferred listening style of your own culture, miscommuni-
cation can occur. So Jennifer, a Colombian American,
speaking with Jonathan, an African American colleague,
might judge Jonathan as an ineffective listener if heWHEN TWO PEOPLE
from different backgrounds
address each other, they must
be mindful of the culturally
influenced behaviors and
expectations that are at
play. Jetta Productions/Getty Images
CONNECT
As you learned in Chapter 5,
cultures vary in their
comfort with emotional
expression. Some cultures
have a tendency toward
understatement (down-
playing emotion) whereas
others favor hyperbole
(exaggerating emotion).
As a competent commu-
nicator, you must listen
carefully to assess your
partner’s emotional state
and needs based on this
important cultural variation.