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The Irish have turned speaking into an art form. Their tendency to be lyrical and poetic has resulted in a verbal eloquence. They use stories and anecdotes to relay information and value a well-crafted message. How you speak says a lot about you in Ireland.
The Irish appreciate modesty and can be suspicious of people, who are loud and tend to brag. They dislike a superiority complex of any sort. So, for example, when discussing your professional achievements, it is best to casually insert the information in short snippets during several conversations, rather than embarking on a long self-centred outline of your successes.
Business communications vary from direct to indirect, depending upon who is being spoken to. There is an overall cultural tendency for people to view politeness as more important than telling the absolute truth. This means that you may not easily receive a negative response. When you are being spoken to, listen closely. A great deal may be implied, beyond what is actually being said. For example, if someone becomes silent before agreeing, they have probably said “no”. They may also give a non-committal response. This may be due to the fact, that the Gaelic language does not have words for “yes” or “no”. There is a tendency to use understatement or indirect business communication, rather than say something that might be contentious.
Generally speaking, they do not like confrontation and prefer to avoid conflict, which they attempt to avoid by being humorous and showing good manners.
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