British colleagues will rarely tell you directly that something is wrong. Instead, criticism comes through understatement, questions, and suggestions. “Not ideal” may mean seriously problematic. “There might be some room for improvement” may signal significant inadequacy.
“Have you considered…?” is probably pointing to something you missed. This indirection isn’t evasiveness—it’s how the culture delivers negative feedback without damaging relationships. But you need to decode it accurately. Take what sounds like mild concern more seriously than the words suggest.
If a British colleague raises something as a question or suggestion, assume there’s real criticism underneath. If they say something is “interesting,” they may well disagree with it. The actual message is consistently more critical than the surface language.
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