This is a good question.
A few months ago I was in Vantaa airport on my way to teach a class in the area and I stopped for a coffee at Starbucks. At the time, this Starbucks was situated just outside one of the main arrivals areas at Helsinki Airport, so the first port of call for many a visitor.
So I went order a coffee and during the process the server asked "What is your name?" in a rather typical Finnish English pronunciation. I am quite familiar with the Finnish English accent but it struck me that many visitors to Finland might find the tone a little direct and abrupt, and hence be put off by the tone.
When one speaks English as a foreign language of course there is going to be an influence on one's accent, but we can use one simple strategy to make ourselves sound more polite when it comes to asking questions.
Instead of "What is your name?"
Try: " Could I have your name please?"
Simple, but very effective.
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