Community health nurses are in an excellent position to learn about community beliefs, values, and issues through observation, having many opportunities to observe and listen to people during the daily interactions of community health nursing practice. Such opportunities occur both when working directly with individual clients and groups and when living and moving among the community. This process of observation can be cultivated by taking every opportunity to listen and to take notice of occurrences (Twelvetrees, 1987). For those community health nurses who are not members of the communities with which they work, this may require making a conscious effort to participate in some of the everyday activities of the community: for example, attending local shows, walking through the various parts of the community, or shopping as the locals do. This type of informal observation can greatly enhance understanding of issues, behaviors, and values in a community and becomes particularly important when working with people who are unable or unwilling to articulate their views (Bowling, 1992).