Ensuring you understand how Americans communicate and listen – with directness, explicit, low context, rarely in foreign languages – will ensure you will succeed in getting your points across. Whether asking questions to trade information, complaining about local traffic jams, a baseball team’s latest win or a newly launched cell phone model, Americans seek to engage on topics that are relatable and current. What you won’t generally find on the conversation menu are religion, sex or politics given the divisive nature of them all.