Face
. Due to the need to maintain group harmony the concept of 'face' is important to understand.
. In Indonesia the concept is about avoiding the cause of shame ("malu").
. Consequently, people are very careful how they interact and speak.
. Although a foreigner can not be expected to understand the nuances of the concept it is crucial to keep an eye on ones behaviour.
. One should never ridicule, shout at or offend anyone. Imperfections should always be hidden and addresses privately. Similarly blame should never be aimed at any individual/group publicly.
. One manifestation of the concept of face/shame is that Indonesians communite quite indirectly, i.e. they would never wish to cause anyone shame by giving them a negative answer so would phrase it a way where you would be expected to realise what they truly want to say.
. Bahasa Indonesian actually has 12 ways of saying "No" and several other ways of saying "Yes" when the actual meaning is "No" !!