One of the biggest communication lessons I've learned has nothing to do with vocabulary or grammar.
It's about checking understanding, not asking for repetition.
Working in a French-speaking environment, I often take phone messages.
French numbers follow a different logic from English. For example, 87 (quatre-vingt-sept) and 97 (quatre-vingt-dix-sept) are built very differently from the way English speakers naturally process numbers.
I've realised that saying:
"Sorry, could you repeat that?"
often isn't the most effective response.
People usually repeat exactly the same sentence at exactly the same speed.
If the challenge is my understanding, nothing has really changed.
Instead, I try to ask a question that targets the information I need.
For example:
• "Sorry, who did you say?"
• "Sorry, when was the meeting?"
• "Can I just check... was that 87 or 97?"
• "Did you say 16 or 60?"
• "Could you spell the surname for me?"
• "Was that Tuesday or Thursday?"
These questions do three things:
âś… They show I was listening.
âś… They identify exactly which piece of information I missed.
âś… They make it much easier for the other person to help me.
I've found this principle applies far beyond language learning.
Whether you're working across cultures, leading international teams, or simply taking an important phone call, communication isn't about pretending you've understood.
It's about making it easy to confirm that you have.
Sometimes the most professional question isn't:
"Could you repeat that?"
It's:
"Can I just check I've understood correctly?"
What's one communication habit that's made your conversations clearer—especially when working internationally?