Since I’m from the Northeast US and currently interning in Ireland, I’ve definitely noticed some differences in how people communicate and how things are said in the workplace. It’s made me think more about the whole low-context vs high-context communication style.

Back home, people are usually really direct. If something needs to be fixed or changed, they’ll just tell you straight up what it is. In Ireland, people are still clear, but there’s more of a polite or indirect tone, especially when giving feedback or making suggestions. For example, instead of saying “Change this,” someone might say “You might take another look at this” or “This could be tweaked a bit.” At first, I wasn’t totally sure if that meant something was wrong or if it was just a light suggestion.

One time during a team meeting, my manager said something like “It’s good, just one or two small things to tidy up,” and I thought that meant it was basically finished. But later I realized there were a few important edits that still needed to happen. I didn’t feel bad about it, but it showed me that I needed to start asking more follow-up questions or just double-check if I’m unsure. Now when I hear something like that, I’ll say something like “Cool, could you point out what needs tweaking?” just to be sure we’re on the same page.

Working in a hybrid setup adds a few challenges too. When I’m not in the office, I rely more on Slack or email, and those messages are usually short and polite. Sometimes it’s hard to tell how urgent something is or if someone’s being serious or joking. Also, people use different phrases or slang, which can be fun but also confusing at first. Like “no worries” or “it’s grand” comes up a lot, and I’ve learned it usually means everything’s okay or don’t stress about it.

When I’m in the office, things feel more relaxed and personal. People are friendly and there’s more time for small talk, which helps build better communication overall. But when I’m working from home, I’ve had to be more intentional with how I write messages. I try to keep things polite but also clear. I don’t want to be too blunt, but I also don’t want people guessing what I mean.

I’ve definitely had to adjust my style a bit. I’m used to being really to the point, but now I try to soften things like adding “no rush if you’re busy” or “let me know what you think.” It’s a small thing, but I think it helps the tone come across better, especially in written messages.

Overall, I haven’t had any major miscommunications, but there have been a few times where I had to stop and rethink how I was saying something or how I was interpreting what someone else said. It’s been a good learning experience, and honestly, it’s helped me get better at not just listening to what’s being said but also picking up on how it’s being said. I think this is something I’ll carry into other jobs or group projects, especially when working with people from different backgrounds or cultures.

So yeah, communication has definitely been a learning curve here, but in a good way. It’s taught me to be more aware of tone and context and to not be afraid to ask for clarity when I need it.