Talk"and"silence may have different meanings in some cultures. I once gave a speech to some people when I was abroad. I was sure it was going to be a success, but for some reason it wasn’t. The people stared at me blankly"and"smiled. My speech failed"and"nobody asked any questions. I excepted my speech to start a lively discussion, but there was only an uncomfortable silence. In fact, they thought I was talking too much, so they felt uncomfortable. In my own culture, we express our thoughts mainly through words. We speak a great deal to express what we feel"and"think,"and"silence makes us uncomfortable.