ABORIGINAL APPROACHES TO TALKING. Silence

For westerners, silence creates awkward, awkward, awkward moments. Nature abhors a vacuum, and westerners can fall to bits if there is a gap in a conversation. A great way of getting people to say more than they should is to just shut up; they’ll blurt and blather on for hours to avoid the discomfort of silence.

Not so for traditional Aboriginal interaction. If someone is quiet it is not a sign of disinterest or rudeness, but might be one of the following:

·         allowing enough time to make sure the other person has finished what they were saying;

·         gathering one’s thoughts before speaking;

·         allowing time for some quiet, comfortable bonding before speaking – for establishing a good relationship.

Silence is one Aboriginal equivalent of body language. When someone is talking to us we often nod encouragement so they’ll continue with their story, Aboriginals sometimes provide non-verbal feedback by being non-verbal.