In order to create good business relations, you should allow conversations to develop organically,
following the lead of the person you are talking you, asking permission if you’d like to talk about
potentially sensitive subjects and not being overly negative or sarcastic.
As a general observation, people tend to be more open and friendly outside of London and in the
North in particular; in fact, there is still a north-south divide in terms of cultural openness in the UK.
Some exceptions exist, for example Scottish Highlanders or Welsh farmers will hardly say a word until
you get to know each other. Discussions tend to be emotionless and may become tense, with the parties
politely excusing themselves and withdrawing.
Another difficulty in verbal communication may come from the British penchant for
understatement. This sometimes shows itself in seeming self-deprecation and presents a challenge in
understanding how things, people and situations are really perceived by the British. For example, what
might be described as ‘a bit expensive’ may well really mean ‘very expensive’ and ‘a little problem’
might actually constitute ‘a huge stumbling block’ for a British counterpart.