Practice Amelia Walter-Dzikowska proposes in Q&A for reducing the gap between direct and indirect communication styles across cultures. When starting cooperation, the parties explicitly discuss and agree on the rules they will use to communicate — sometimes called a 'contract'. For example, before giving feedback a manager might announce 'I'm going to list things I'm happy about and one or two things I'm not happy about' so an indirect-culture listener knows how to parse the mix. Complements broader cultural trainings that most companies skip during onboarding.