In Brazil, feedback works through relationship. Before you can give someone meaningful feedback, you need to have a real connection with them.

This is not about being nice first to soften what comes later—it is about establishing standing to give feedback at all. A colleague who has not invested in knowing you, who has not built any connection, does not have the standing to evaluate your work. Their feedback will feel presumptuous, out of place, like they are overstepping.

But someone who has taken time to build a relationship, who knows you and your situation, can give you quite direct feedback because the relationship provides context for it. When you need to give feedback to Brazilian colleagues, invest in the relationship first. When you receive feedback from Brazilians, understand that it comes from people who have decided you matter enough to them to tell you the truth.

Critical feedback in Brazil happens in private. If you need to tell a Brazilian colleague that something is not working, you do not do it in a meeting, in an email copied to others, or anywhere their performance issues become visible to the group. You find a private moment—a one-on-one conversation, a quiet word after a meeting, a coffee away from others. Public criticism causes vergonha—a deep shame that damages the person’s standing and damages your relationship with them, potentially permanently.

The content of the feedback can be just as direct and substantive in private; it is the public exposure that must be avoided. Brazilians extend this same courtesy to you: if they have difficult feedback, they will look for private moments to deliver it. Watch for invitations to talk one-on-one; that may be when the real evaluation arrives.

Brazilians are generous with positive feedback. When something is good, they say so warmly, enthusiastically, and often publicly.

This is not empty flattery—it is genuine appreciation expressed in culturally appropriate ways. Achievements are celebrated, effort is recognized, good work is acknowledged openly. For Brazilians, restrained or measured praise feels cold, even negative—if you can not find more to say, maybe there is a problem.

When working with Brazilian colleagues, be more generous with positive feedback than you might be elsewhere. Recognize what is working, acknowledge contributions, celebrate successes.

When you receive abundant positive feedback from Brazilians, receive it as genuine warmth. And if positive feedback is not flowing, understand that something may be wrong—the absence of praise is itself a signal.

Brazilians often deliver critical feedback indirectly. Rather than saying “This is wrong,” a Brazilian colleague might say “Perhaps this could be different” or “Have you considered another approach?” This is not avoidance or sugarcoating—it is a respectful way to communicate evaluation that preserves your dignity. The message is real; the delivery shows respect.

When you receive this kind of softened feedback, take it seriously. The conditional language and questioning tone do not mean the feedback is optional or uncertain. Brazilian directness sounds different—it comes through implication, suggestion, and tone rather than blunt statement. Learn to hear what is actually being communicated underneath the softened words. And when you give feedback to Brazilians, consider whether you can communicate your message through question and suggestion rather than direct assertion.

When Brazilians do give critical feedback, they frame it as coming from care. The message, sometimes stated explicitly, is: “I am telling you this because I care about your success.” This framing transforms criticism from attack to gift—from judgment to investment. The person delivering criticism positions themselves as your ally who wants you to succeed, not as a judge evaluating your worth.

When you receive criticism framed this way from Brazilian colleagues, understand that the care is genuine, not merely cosmetic. And when you need to criticize, make sure your care is real and communicable.

If you deliver criticism as cold assessment from detached authority, it will feel harsh and may damage the relationship. Connect the criticism to your genuine investment in the person’s success.

Receiving feedback in Brazil requires reading between the lines. Because feedback is often indirect and softened, the literal words may not carry the full message. You need to pay attention to tone, context, timing, and what is not being said.

When a Brazilian colleague says “Perhaps this could be considered further,” they may be communicating serious concern. When enthusiasm is notably absent, something may be wrong. When someone creates an opportunity to talk privately, important feedback may be coming.

This interpretive skill is normal in Brazilian communication—Brazilians are reading context constantly. If you take everything at literal face value, you will miss evaluation that your colleagues thought they had communicated clearly. Develop sensitivity to implication, and when uncertain, create opportunities for more direct conversation in private settings.

After delivering critical feedback, Brazilians work to repair the relationship. Criticism creates a small wound that needs healing. The repair might be explicit—”But you know I value you,” “We’re good, right?”—or implicit through warm follow-up behavior that demonstrates continued regard.

The feedback interaction is not complete until the relationship has been reaffirmed. When you receive critical feedback from Brazilian colleagues, watch for these repair gestures and receive them as genuine.

When you give critical feedback, do not simply deliver the message and move on. Follow up. Check in. Demonstrate that the criticism was about behavior, not about the person or the relationship. The repair work is as important as the feedback itself.