For the most part, Americans do not hesitate to ask direct questions. These are not meant to be offensive. While this differs from person to person, Americans generally don’t need a lot of background or context in order to communicate their ideas or gather information.

Americans are more concerned with what they say and having their facts and figures correct. They rely less on sentiments and feelings, preferring to place their faith on concrete data. Their reliance on speaking concisely and relying on facts can make American speech seem rude, aggressive, blunt or impatient to people from cultures that are more relationship-oriented.

The following tips will assist you in communicating with Americans:

• Americans expect to be taken at their word rather than their non-verbal expressions.
• For the most part, Americans make direct eye contact while conversing.
• Americans prefer to keep personal space between people when conversing, generally about an arm's length (the distance of an outstretched arm).
• Since many Americans speak only English, they are not always sensitive to the challenges someone faces when communicating in a foreign language.
• In this fast-paced culture, people are not comfortable with silence.