Such differences are not a matter of some people expecting long pauses and others expecting short ones. Long and short are relative; they have meaning only in comparison to something—what’s expected, or someone else’s pause. Someone who expects a shorter pause than the person she’s speaking to will often start talking before the other has a chance to finish or to start. Someone who is waiting for a longer pause than the person she’s speaking to won’t be able to get a word in edgewise.
