Communication styles: how to adapt your English - Learning English with Oxford (2025)

Communication is about more than just words. It’s not only important to have grammatical control, but also how to adapt your language and tone to suit different situations and audiences.Whether you’re speaking in a business meeting, chatting with friends or explaining something to someone, adjusting your communication style is key to being understood and making the right impression.Let’s explore the key things to consider when adapting your communication style for different contexts.

Formal vs. informal language

One of the first things to think about is whether the situation requires you to use formal or informal language. In work situations, for example, the vocabulary and phrases you use will likely be more formal than those you’d use when hanging out with friends.

Let’s look at some examples.

Agreeing and disagreeing

In a business meeting, you might say something like, ‘I see your point, but I would suggest…’ to disagree politely.
With friends, you might simply say, ‘I don’t agree with that.’

Making small talk

In a professional setting, you might start with something informal, like ‘How was your weekend?’ before switching to a more formal tone with, ‘Shall we begin discussing the project?’
With friends, you can simply check in with them then continue on with your usual conversations.

Tip: To practise formal and informal language in different environments, try watching videos of business meetings or professional situations on YouTube and compare them with casual conversations. Pay attention to how the language changes depending on the situation, and note down phrases that are used in formal versus informal contexts. You could also keep a vocabulary diary, where you write down the formal language and research informal equivalents.

Direct vs. indirect communication

Another important thing to think about is whether the communication style should be direct or indirect. This often depends on the level of the person you’re speaking to and the type of interaction.

For example:

If you’re in a leadership position, you might need to be more direct when giving instructions and say something such as, ‘Please complete this report by the end of the day.’
However, if you’re working as part of a team, a more indirect approach might be better, like ‘Would it be possible for you to finish the report by the end of the day?’

Cultural norms also play a role in how direct you should be. In some cultures, being direct is seen as clear and efficient, while in others, it might seem rude.

Tip: If you’re unsure how direct or indirect you should be, consider softening your language with phrases like, ‘I was wondering if…’ or ‘Perhaps we could…’. Using modal verbs is also a good way to make your speech softer.

Jargon vs. plain language

When communicating with others, it’s crucial to consider how much technical language or jargon you should use. (Jargon is a specialised language that is difficult for others outside a specific group to understand).

If you’re speaking with experts in an industry or field you work in, using specific terms can show your knowledge and professionalism. However, if your audience isn’t familiar with the subject, it’s better to simplify your language and use comparisons or explanations to help them understand.

For example:

Imagine you work in website design. Instead of saying, ‘We need to optimise the UI/UX of the platform,’ you could say, ‘We need to make the website easier to use and more visually appealing.’ This approach not only makes your communication clearer but also shows that you’re considerate of your audience’s level of understanding.

Tip: To practise, try explaining a complex concept you know well to someone unfamiliar with the topic. This will help you learn how to adjust your language to suit your audience better.

Remember, it’s not just about what you say, but how you say it that matters. Adapting your communication style to suit different audiences and situations is an essential skill for everyone so that you can communicate and be understood in any context.

To learn more about how to communicate in business settings, read here.

Activity

Choose if the statements about communication styles are True or False.

It’s important to understand how to adapt your communication style for different contexts.
A good way to practise simplifying language is to explain something unfamiliar to someone.
Jargon is another way to say ‘informal language’.
Sometimes, the way you speak may be related to cultural customs.
‘You might want to …’ is an example of direct language.
To disagree in a professional setting, you could say, ‘I absolutely take the opposite view’.
When making small talk in a formal setting, you could start with asking someone about what they’ve been doing, and then move onto the professional discussion.
It’s likely that you would speak more directly in a leadership position.

Answers

Billie Jagois an ELT writer and teacher trainer specialising in digital learning materials and assessment resources. She has written for various well-known assessment titles, and writes items for high stakes exams such as the PTE, IELTS and Cambridge. Alongside materials writing, she delivers international teacher training sessions and is the founder of theELTcpdprofessional development training platform and podcast. She is also the co-founder of the educational consultancy,OtterEducation.