This study investigated the relationship between cultural self-construals and the perceptions of "speaking
well." The survey results among Korean college students showed that there is significant relationship
between self-construals and the perceptions of "speaking well" despite that there was some overlapping
between the two. Both self-construal groups (independent & interdependent), for example, perceived
empathy, message construction, verbal ability, and delivery skills as critical elements of speaking well. On
some elements, however, the two groups differed from each other in their perception. The independent
self-construal group, for example, perceived preparation more important element than communication
confidence, while the interdependent self-construal group rated exactly the opposite. Even for the elements
perceived important by both groups, there was a subtle perceptual differences. For example, while the
independent self-construal group perceived the empathy as related to harmony and speaker's competence,
interdependent self-construal group viewed empathy as remotely related to speaker's competence. Also the
concepts map indicated that the distance between empathy and delivery skills was farther among
interdependent self-construal individuals than it was among independent self-construal individuals. The
message construction also showed different perceptual patterns on the concept map. The independent
self-constual group valued logical structure, while the interdependent self-constural group emphasized
reliability and trust. As a whole, the concept map analysis showed one's perception of "speaking well" is
significantly related to one's self-construal.