Communication styles

verbal

Indirect Communication: The British are relatively indirect communicators; they strongly avoid creating conflict and therefore take all necessary measures to remain polite throughout the discussion. This involves making indirect statements that vaguely communicate their message without ‘rocking the boat’ (upsetting the status quo). As a result, people often have to read between the lines since what is said is most likely an understatement of what is actually meant (e.g. “not bad” means something is in fact quite good).
Self-Deprecation: The British are quite self-deprecating in conversation in an effort to come across as humble, honest, and relaxed about themselves. Feel free to join in with the jokes by criticizing yourself in a similar matter. However, agreeing with self-deprecating comments or jokes too enthusiastically can become insulting to the person making them.
Humour: Humour is used a lot throughout British communication, so expect some light-hearted joking to be involved in most conversations. Jokes about situational circumstances are often used to lighten moods or approach difficult topics in an indirect way. That being said, British sarcasm and understatements can be very subtle and nuanced, sometimes making it difficult for outsiders to detect whether they are kidding or not. In this case, remember these communication habits and know that they’re most likely joking.
Listening: Avoid interrupting a person speaking. The British are polite listeners, rarely interrupting others unless they need clarification about something.
Voicing Displeasure: British people are not likely to complain and will tolerate bad service or food in order to avoid making a scene. Therefore, they might become very nervous if you voice your dissatisfaction in public.
Criticism: Personal criticism should be voiced in an indirect way as well. Otherwise, this will only make your British counterpart hostile and defensive, and your criticism will be ineffective.

From the Cultural Atlas on British Culture

non-verbal

Expression: The British do not always give away their emotions via facial expressions. For example, they may not show it if they have been offended. On the other hand, keeping a straight, serious face can be the punch line to many sarcastic jokes
Personal Space: The British like to be given a fair amount of personal space, and may feel uncomfortable if someone sits or stands too close when other space is available. It is polite to maintain an arm’s length distance between yourself and the person speaking.
Physical Contact: British culture is generally quite reserved. People are generally comfortable touching those they know well (e.g. backslapping is common among close friends). However, women tend to be more physically affectionate with one another than men.
Gestures: Gestures are usually quite reserved, polite, and less demonstrative. For example, tapping the side of one’s nose means that something is confidential or to be kept secret. It is considered offensive to make a V-sign with your index and middle finger, the palm facing inwards and the top of the hand facing the other person. This is another way of saying “up yours” in their culture. However, the V-sign with the palm facing outwards is understood as the sign of victory or peace.
Eye Contact: It is best to make direct eye contact that breaks away now and again. Prolonged eye contact can make people feel uncomfortable, and staring is impolite. If talking to a group, be sure to make equal eye contact with all who are present.

From the Cultural Atlas on British Culture

communication styles

England is noted to have a low-context culture that does not rely on a shared background, the setting, or other unspoken information for understanding instead relying on explicit verbal communication. They are considered to be direct, exacting (using no more or less than is needed), personal (individual-based), and instrumental (goal-oriented), They are also known to have a detached argumentative style, preferring to make their points rationally than emotionally,

Their personal communication style can be seen through the fact that they do not highly consider roles in communication. It’s not uncommon in England for people to refer to both their boss and colleagues by their first name. Informality in business situations can also be expected, and in fact, a study of building projects within the UK found that when disruptions or unanticipated problems occurred, the use of informality in communication by managers correlated to a better outcome in adapting solutions to the situation. In our interview, although Becky worked more with individuals on the same or higher level in the hierarchy than she and John the reverse, they both noted that their British colleagues preferred to build a personal relationship with their coworkers as individuals.

While many sources refer to the English as having a direct communication style, others suggest that they are indirect, particularly when expressing criticisms or negative statements. (We explore some of the patterns in communication related to this in greater depth here.) Holly also stressed in her interview that the English hate and avoid confrontation. It’s interesting to note in the table shown previously that several other countries share the exact same profile as England (direct, exacting, personal, instrumental), such as the United States, Australia, and Canada. However, many of these qualities can be seen more as a spectrum than as a black-and-white category. Because of this, although England may be quite direct when compared with some cultures, others may find them indirect by their own standards. Richard D. Lewis also identified distinct patterns for these countries and suggested the English “tend to avoid confrontation in an understated, mannered, and humorous style that can be powerful or inefficient”. In the charts here, width denotes conversation range and grey denotes obstacles. We’ve also included Finland for comparison.

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