Module 2

Styles of communication: directness, context, silence, face and saying no

Every language has more than one way to say the same thing, and every community has habits about which way is polite. One lawyer says, ‘I disagree.’ Another says, ‘That is an interesting suggestion, we will consider it carefully.’ The two may be saying the same thing. Another lawyer is silent for ten seconds after a question. To one listener that is thoughtfulness, to another a refusal, to a third an insult. International legal work puts such styles side by side every day. This module describes the main differences in communication style, the ideas of ‘face’ and respect that lie behind many of them, how different styles say no and disagree and how to check what someone means without pressing them. It uses the Style Gap Map, which asks you to say what each rating rests on, so that it does not turn into a stereotype. All the people in the examples are invented.

General education on communicating across cultures, using invented people, companies and places. It is not legal advice and does not describe any nation or group as a whole. Rules on bribery, privilege, confidentiality, data protection and professional conduct differ between countries and change: check the rules that apply to you.