Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Based on a podcast episode with Aimee Arsenault
Maybe numbers and drafts are not the most essential part of engineering. Maybe it is the ability to communicate. For engineers working in international teams, cross-cultural communication is one of the most overlooked — and most important — skills you can develop.
Many engineers will face difficult decisions that push against their ethics. This is when understanding how to say no while maintaining relationships is essential.
You need to stand your ground — but you also want to stay a team player, part of the solution, and someone who gets the job done. Learning how to communicate effectively not only helps create a safe and productive workplace but also helps you get what you want.
This, according to Aimee Arsenault, is when communication comes into play. As a health and safety consultant, she helps many organisations implement and understand safety standards.
For Aimee, communication is how you navigate those difficult conversations. It is learning to interact with the people you are working with while confidently communicating your stance. Body language, tone, and hand signals can even be more important than specific word choice.
Engineers trying to learn technical English may feel overwhelmed when standing their ground. But if you can learn these communication skills, you will get a lot further than knowing every grammar rule or vocabulary word.
How Work Culture Affects Organisational Behaviours
Have you ever wondered why a colleague just does not "get it"? You feel like you have explained the topic at length, but your coworker still does not understand — and might disagree. Do they not listen?
More often than not, it is not a language difference but a communication challenge that prevents engineers from seeing eye to eye. As Aimee explains on the English for Engineers podcast: "Values, word selection, word choices, and the language people use very much influence and shape the shared values and belief systems of a group of people." Without understanding these cultural nuances, you will find yourself struggling to be understood. If people misinterpret your reasoning, you are unlikely to succeed.
Language, ethics, and definitions are based on morals that can vary individually, culturally, and regionally — so do not assume you understand how an organisation operates. One business might value casual interaction, while another might value bluntness. If you do not pick up on these cultural nuances, you can find yourself in trouble.
This connects directly to the ethics conversation. How you communicate your values is just as important as the values themselves. We explored this in our article on ethics in engineering.
6 Ways To Communicate In International Settings
Communicating with various people is not easy, especially if you are more of a numbers person than a people person. But if you want to communicate efficiently, you need to learn how to communicate well. Here is how to do this.
1. Watch and listen
Observing a group gives you a chance to look for communication differences. This practice is helpful in your native or foreign language because the group's culture goes beyond specific words. Take time to notice how people are interacting. What is the norm with this group of people? How do they greet each other in the morning? Are they usually early, on time, or late for meetings? You will pick up on these microcultural elements if you look for them.
Especially in a technical field like engineering, understanding an organisation's culture can help you explain yourself — even if it is in broken English.
2. Look for the power structure
The person with the most authority in an organisation is not always the one with the title. Watch for the person your coworkers look at during a meeting. Whose actions are they mirroring? When this person nods, do others nod with them? These body cues point to the person with referent power — built by trust and respect, not titles.
Once you find this person, you can evaluate what the organisation deems important and how it is actually structured. Is it autocratic? Laissez-faire? This will help you better understand the unspoken rules of conduct — and give you a much clearer picture of how decisions actually get made.
3. Communicate your reasoning
Understand why you make specific decisions on the construction or drafting site. Then, when presenting your work, explain your logic following the unspoken rules of communication you picked up from observing. If you do not communicate what you are doing and how you are doing it, there is the potential for unintended conflict.
This is especially important when you are working in a second language. You do not need perfect English to explain your reasoning — you need clear reasoning. A simple "I did this because..." goes further than a technically perfect sentence that says nothing about your thinking.
4. Be clear and concise
When in doubt, be too clear. Define all your terms and acronyms and explain the reasoning and steps you took to reach your conclusion. Do not assume a group understands you even if you are speaking in a language you are comfortable in.
If you are not a native English speaker, let everyone know you are still learning the language. People are much more understanding if you own this upfront. It also takes the pressure off you to be perfect — and puts the focus where it belongs: on the work.
5. Stay strong with what needs to get done
Be assertive and do not leave room for negotiating if that is where your ethical line is. At the same time, recognise the difficulties you might have created for someone or for the organisation. But most importantly, do not feel pressured to do something you think is unethical.
In the long run, standing your ground will give you a better reputation as an engineer. People remember the engineer who held the line — not the one who caved under pressure. And in safety-critical situations, your willingness to push back might be the difference between a near-miss and a serious incident.
6. Learn what organisations support your values
If you are constantly being ethically challenged, you might want to consider leaving the organisation. You should not always have to fight to hold your line. It is draining, you are not building relationships, and you might give in to something that does not align with your values.
If you are new to engineering, you will learn that some organisations value ethics and others do not. If your organisation is not putting the health and safety of workers at the forefront, it may be time to move on. Your professional reputation is built over years — do not let one organisation compromise it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cross-cultural communication in engineering is the ability to work effectively with colleagues, managers, and clients from different cultural backgrounds. It involves understanding unspoken rules, adapting your communication style, and knowing how to hold your ground professionally across different cultural norms.
Language skills help you express yourself, but communication skills determine whether you are actually understood. An engineer who communicates their reasoning clearly — even in imperfect English — will be more effective than one who speaks perfectly but does not read the room. Culture, body language, tone, and context all play a role.
Be direct, explain your reasoning, and do not leave room for negotiation on issues tied to safety or ethics. The key is being able to explain the "why" behind your no, in a way the other person can understand and respect. Owning your stance clearly — without being aggressive — builds long-term credibility.
Remember: clear is kind.
Look beyond job titles. In meetings, watch who other people look at when a decision is being made, and whose reactions others mirror. This person has referent power — influence built through trust and respect. Understanding the actual power structure helps you communicate your ideas to the right person.
Be upfront about your language learning — most colleagues will be more patient and supportive if you own it. Focus on communicating your reasoning clearly rather than speaking perfectly. Observe the culture before jumping in, and take time to understand the unspoken rules of the team you are working with.
Ready To Communicate More Confidently?
The six skills above are learnable. But reading about them and actually using them — in a real meeting, in your second language, with a manager from a different culture — are two very different things.
That is exactly what we practise in English for Engineers. Real communication skills for real engineering situations: saying no, pushing back, explaining your reasoning, and navigating international teams.
Book a free 15-minute call, and we will find the right fit for you.
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