US vs UK: How Do We Communicate Differently?

Our survey found that, across the board, Brits are more likely than Americans to take things
negatively or see a subtext in casual communication. Americans, on the other hand, are most likely
to take things literally and see the positives.

Take the innocuous statement “let’s do lunch soon”. Perhaps be careful throwing this into
conversion with your UK colleagues, as only one-in-five (20%) people in the UK see this as a
positive statement, compared to almost half (48%) of Americans who mean this positively. This
could be due to the British habit of taking things less literally and looking for subtext in
communications – they may feel this statement is blasé or dismissive rather than a genuine offer of
lunch.

Similarly, the majority (59%) of Americans use “I hear what you’re saying” as a positive
communication when discussing ideas at work – but only three-in-ten (30%) Brits agreed this was a
positive statement. A British worker who is looking for subtext in communication could see this
statement as dismissive and a prelude to a disagreement, while an American worker may take it as a
more literal expression of respect.

Over half of Americans (55%) would use the phrase “that’s not bad” as a positive. Brits, however,
were more likely to see a negative subtext in this statement, with only 39% agreeing it was a
positive statement and one-in-five (20%) using this as a negative communication. Again, an
American using this statement may be being very literal – if something is ‘not bad’, it is ‘good’. A
Brit on the other hand may be politely using this phrase as a negative to mean something is not
terrible, but it’s not particularly good either.

US & UK Comms: What We Say and What We Mean

Continuing with the theme of subtext in business communication, we gave our US and UK
respondents some sample phrases along with example perceptions, asking which they thought best
matched up.

Three-in-four (76%) Americans would hear “that’s an interesting idea” at work and assume they
were being told the idea is impressive. However, if a colleague from the UK is saying this, be aware
that 32% are suggesting your idea is ‘ridiculous’.
Similarly, if a British colleague tells you they “have a few amends”, more than two-in-five (43%)
are actually letting you know the work is awful and needs completely redoing. Only 34% of
Americans would read this subtext, with the vast majority (66%) assuming they were being told
there were only a few small typos.

Jamie Gelbtuch, founder of New York based company, Cultural Mixology, explained these cultural
differences between the US and UK:

“US culture values frankness and honesty in communication. There is a catch though.
Americans are very direct when circumstances are positive. However, they tend toward
a slightly indirect style when providing negative feedback. As a result, Americans most
often give negative feedback in a “sandwich form.” For example, first they say
something positive (bread). Then they insert the critique (meat). Finally, they end on a
positive note (bread). Being honest and direct in this way is highly appreciated,
considered constructive, and emphasizes practicality and optimism, two important
cultural values.

The British, on the other hand, have mastered the art of toned down, nuanced, and
understated communication. The word “rather” may be used to lessen the effect of a
negative statement. For example, “The conference was rather disorganized” likely
means it was chaotic. Similarly, “quite” is often used when you don’t want to say
something negative. So, “The food was quite good” may mean it could have been much
better! Don’t necessarily take a statement at face value.”

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