I assume you are talking about GA?
My main observation after spending a week flying around Florida in a C172, was to cut down a lot on what we might say in the UK.
For instance:
Here we might say......
Abacus Tower, G-ABCD, PA28, overhead Tinytown 2,500 feet 1010 squawking 7000, Routing to Needle point via your overhead, request FIS...and transit your zone.
There they might expect:
Abacus Tower, N 1234, PA28 Tinytown 2,500 feet routing Needle Point for traffic and transit
We Brits just seem to be a bit more chatty and the Americans like it more concise - to the point.
They do also tend to speak faster - but it sounds more like your reception was poor.
See what others think and have experienced.