A white student from a small town, upon coming into contact with African-American students, may wonder, “Why do blacks seem to talk loudly when in a conversation with others?”

While such an inquiry may sound offensive or ignorant to some, it may indeed be a legitimate question for many Iowa State students who are not familiar with students of different ethnic and racial backgrounds.

It is also just one of the many concerns of participants in the workshop titled “Enhancing Inter-racial Communication,” held Tuesday from 3-5 p.m. in the Gold Room of the Memorial Union.

About 15 students, all of various races who hail from different regions of the country, discussed their problems with interracial communication in both social and academic settings.

Two peer facilitators led the workshop and demonstrated how different experiences, racial identities and regional backgrounds can play a part in how college students interact with one another.

Another participant, Grif Kolberg, an Asian-American, also observed that misunderstandings across gender lines create conflict as well. Originally from Riceville, Iowa, he said it is habitual to be friendly in the small town where he grew up. “I think that some women have a mentality that men are trying to pick them up, when we’re just trying to be friendly.”

Peer facilitator Jennifer Kubik said research has documented that there are differences in communication styles of blacks and whites. “While regional and ethnic differences can also be taken into consideration, some styles are attributed to power and cultural differences.”

One of the facilitators, Maya Goines, a North Virginia native, said some examples of these differences include: listening styles, eye contact and starting conversations with new people.

“Asian-Americans usually don’t initiate conversations,” Goines said. She added that they are generally shy. This serves as an example of how people can often be misjudged as being withdrawn or stuck-up.

Time rules are another variance among racial groups. A common joke among many African-Americans is that they don’t always believe it is necessary to show up for social events right on time. “It’s considered OK to be a few minutes late,” she said.

The workshop, which is sponsored by Student Counseling Services, has also been held in residence halls and at the Big 8 Black Student Government Conference. Goines said other workshops are being planned for the future. “We want people to go back out into the ISU community and use what they’ve learned in interaction with other people.”