In this contribution, we research what the term directness means to individual native speakers of Polish and Dutch. Within the framework of a larger pilot study on politeness standards in Poland and in the Netherlands, the participants from both countries have been asked to define directness in their own words. We analyze the underlying values (such as social hierarchy or honesty) the respondents wrote about and we seek differences which may lead to misunderstandings in Polish-Dutch communication. The results of this pilot study show that the participants have quite a different view on directness, which is related to social hierarchy and distance. ; In this contribution, we research what the term directness means to individual native speakers of Polish and Dutch. Within the framework of a larger pilot study on politeness standards in Poland and in the Netherlands, the participants from both countries have been asked to define directness in their own words. We analyze the underlying values (such as social hierarchy or honesty) the respondents wrote about and we seek differences which may lead to misunderstandings in Polish-Dutch communication. The results of this pilot study show that the participants have quite a different view on directness, which is related to social hierarchy and distance.