Intercultural communication at work: getting directness and politeness right

Why intercultural communication at work decides success

Intercultural communication decides success because workforces and business relationships are increasingly diverse: in 2025, around 26.3 per cent of people in private households in Germany had a migration background. Customers and partners often share English but expect different things around criticism, deadlines and decisions. Without knowing these differences, behaviour is easily misread.

Intercultural communication is no longer an issue only for corporations with branches in Asia. According to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, around 21.8 million people in Germany had a migration background in 2025, which is 26.3 per cent of the population in private households (Destatis). This diversity is reflected in workforces, from a nursing team in Augsburg to a software project in Munich where developers from India, Brazil and Ukraine work together.

Then there is external contact: customers, suppliers and partners often use English as a shared language but have very different ideas about how to voice criticism, keep to deadlines or make decisions. If you are not aware of these differences, you can quickly interpret behaviour as rudeness, unreliability or arrogance.

From my experience as a trainer and university lecturer, I can say that intercultural competence can be learned, and most effectively alongside the language. That is why we integrate it into our language courses for companies rather than outsourcing it to a separate one-day seminar that is forgotten after two weeks.

Why does German directness often sound blunt in international teams?

Professionals from German-speaking countries are seen internationally as direct. In their own environment this is a mark of quality: you say what you mean, criticism is about the issue, and nobody has to read between the lines. In many other cultures, including the UK, the same clarity can come across as blunt or even hurtful.

In her widely cited article in the Harvard Business Review, the researcher Erin Meyer describes how managers can fail even when they know the language and the country well, because they misread the unspoken rules of working together (Harvard Business Review). A central point of her model is that cultures differ in how directly they deliver negative feedback, and Germany sits at the direct end of the scale.

What is said and what is heard

If you work with German-speaking colleagues, the table also works in reverse: a blunt sentence from them is usually meant as efficient, not hostile.

The other way round: understanding British understatement

Listening matters at least as much. When a British colleague says “That’s an interesting idea”, they often mean: I don’t think much of it. “With the greatest respect” frequently introduces strong disagreement, and “I’ll bear it in mind” quite often means nothing will happen. If you take such signals literally, you may later wonder why agreements were never put into practice.

How do you phrase things politely in English at work?

Politeness in English works mainly through softening (hedging), modal verbs and indirect questions. Five techniques work immediately: could or would instead of the imperative, softeners such as a bit, your own perspective rather than a verdict, positives first, and questions instead of statements. It feels long-winded at first but soon becomes a habit.

Five techniques that work straight away

1. Use modal verbs: could, would, might instead of the imperative. Could you have a look at this?
2. Add softeners: a bit, slightly, perhaps, just. The timeline seems a bit tight.
3. Speak from your own perspective: I’m a little concerned that … instead of This is a problem.
4. Positives first: Thanks for the draft, the structure works really well. One thing I’d suggest is …
5. Questions instead of statements: Have we considered …? instead of We have to …

Mini exercise

Rephrase these sentences more diplomatically. Suggested answers are below.

1. Your report is too long.
2. You forgot to send the invoice.
3. We need the answer today.

Suggested answers: 1. The report is very thorough. Do you think we could shorten it a little for the board? 2. I don’t think I’ve received the invoice yet. Could you check? 3. Would it be possible to get an answer by the end of today?

More phrases for conversations before and after meetings are in our article on small talk in English.

Hierarchy, decisions and time: other cultural differences at work

Besides directness, four further differences regularly cause friction at work: attitudes to hierarchy, such as whether you openly contradict your boss in a meeting; the way decisions are made; the importance of punctuality and scheduling; and whether trust is built through reliable work or through personal relationships. Naming these differences early prevents many conflicts.

Hierarchy and forms of address

In flat teams from Scandinavia or the Netherlands, it is perfectly normal to disagree openly with your manager in a meeting. In more hierarchical cultures, people wait until the most senior person has spoken. If you lead a team and want genuine input, ask for opinions specifically, and if necessary individually beforehand.

Decision-making

German companies often decide after thorough consultation but then stick firmly to the result. In other cultures, decisions are made faster and adjusted flexibly later. Each side can quickly see the other as too slow or too unreliable. It helps to clarify early on: Is this a final decision or a first proposal?

Time and deadlines

Punctuality and linear project planning do not carry the same weight everywhere. Rather than judging lateness morally, teams should agree on shared rules, for example for when meetings start, how quickly emails are answered and how issues are escalated.

Trust

In German-speaking countries, trust is built mainly through reliable work. In many other cultures it grows through personal relationships, shared meals and conversations beyond the project. If you see small talk as a waste of time, you miss the real way into working together. This is particularly noticeable in negotiations, as our article on negotiating in English shows.

Intercultural communication in virtual and hybrid teams

Clear rules help virtual and hybrid teams: send the agenda in advance so that non-native speakers can prepare, speak more slowly and avoid idioms, ask for opinions in turn, and summarise results in writing and have them confirmed. In chat and email, it is better to use one polite phrase too many than one too few.

Video calls amplify many misunderstandings because body language, pauses and nuances are harder to read. Reserved team members speak up even less online, and written messages without tone of voice easily sound harsher than intended.

Practical rules for international online meetings

• Send the agenda in advance so that non-native speakers can prepare.
• Speak more slowly and avoid idioms and abbreviations.
• Ask for opinions in turn: Priya, what’s your view on this?
• Summarise results in writing at the end and ask for confirmation.
• In chat and email, use one polite phrase too many rather than one too few.

How language training for distributed teams can be organised is described in our article on language training for remote teams. For the written side, see our guide to writing emails in English.

Typical misunderstandings in German-speaking workplaces and how to avoid them

Typical misunderstandings arise when German-speaking professionals give factual criticism in front of the team, take a yes in a meeting as a commitment when it only meant “I understand”, send emails without a greeting or use irony. You can avoid them with criticism in private, follow-up questions to confirm, a short friendly opening and no irony in writing.

Situations like these are especially common during the first months, when new colleagues do not yet know the unwritten rules. Structured onboarding of international employees prevents many of them.

A change of perspective: what surprises international colleagues about German work culture

Intercultural communication is not a one-way street. For professionals who are new to Germany, Austria or Switzerland, many things that locals take for granted at work seem puzzling at first. Explaining them rather than assuming them makes the start much easier, and if you have just moved here, this list may sound familiar.

Five things that often surprise new colleagues

• Sie and du: when people switch from the formal “Sie” to the informal “du” varies from company to company. In many start-ups “du” is standard, while traditional medium-sized firms often still use “Sie”. Clear guidance on day one removes a lot of uncertainty.
• Separating work and private life: colleagues who cannot be reached after hours, or rarely mention private matters at work, are sometimes misread as distant or unfriendly.
• Putting things in writing: minutes, approvals and process descriptions carry a lot of weight. If you come from a more verbal work culture, this can quickly feel like mistrust.
• Criticism without cushioning: a brief “Das müssen wir noch mal machen” (we need to redo this) is often not meant negatively at all, but is experienced as a harsh reprimand.
• Regional language: a “Passt scho” in Franconia or Upper Bavaria usually means agreement or even praise. If you have only learned standard German, it may sound like indifference.

A tip for teams

A short written “how we work here” guide with examples helps both sides. It explains expectations about punctuality, feedback, forms of address and availability without passing judgement. In addition, managers should actively ask in the first few weeks whether anything was unclear or irritating. Many new colleagues do not dare to raise such questions themselves. If regional speech is a puzzle, our article on understanding Bavarian dialects may help.

Building intercultural competence in your company: training and guidelines

Companies build intercultural competence through a combination of measures: language training based on real situations such as feedback, escalation and negotiation, German courses for international colleagues, communication rules agreed in writing, and managers who lead by example. A single workshop rarely changes behaviour. A language audit shows beforehand where communication gaps are actually slowing the business down.

Building blocks of an effective programme

• Language training with real situations: role plays on feedback, escalation and negotiation in the working language. Our business English courses use cases from participants’ own working lives.
• German for international colleagues: learning the local language also helps you understand the communication culture. Our German courses online fit flexibly into the working day.
• Shared communication rules: agreements on meetings, emails and feedback, recorded in writing and reviewed regularly. If English is to become the official working language, read our article on English as a corporate language first.
• Taking stock: a language audit shows where language and communication gaps are actually holding the business back.

Checklist for managers

• Do I know the feedback culture of the countries my team works with?
• Does everyone get space in meetings, including the quieter people?
• Do I summarise decisions clearly and in writing?
• Do I phrase criticism so that the other person can save face?
• Do I invest time in relationships, not just in tasks?

At choices®, our teachers come from ten countries, so intercultural experience flows naturally into every lesson. If you would like to know what such a programme could look like for your team, you will find all the information about our corporate language courses, or you can contact us directly.

Sources

1. destatis.de: PD26 128 125
2. hbr.org: navigating the cultural minefield

Frequently asked questions

Łukasz Pakuła

Head of Studies at choices®. Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus, lecturer at HM Business School Munich and Kempten University of Applied Sciences. Doctoral studies in applied linguistics, publications with Springer and Equinox, among others. More about us