Meeting and greeting rituals are important to create a positive first impression. You may not have time to learn the language of every country where you do business, but you can at least learn to say “Good morning” and “How are you?” Everyone appreciates the time that you take to learn a few polite greetings. The next question is whether to shake hands. Nowadays, in most countries, it is safe to shake hands-not too firmly, not too lightly- and make brief eye contact with everyone you meet. Some business people from the United
States greet a large number of people with a “group wave” in place of individual handshakes, but many business people don’t appreciate this. Even in Japan and Korea, where people traditionally greet each other with a bow, a handshake is acceptable and sometimes even preferred when greeting international visitors. You may greet an Indian businessperson with a namaste. Place both palms together at chest level and then bow: You may use a similar greeting called the wai when in Thailand, or you may shake hands and then place one hand over your heart. In Brazil, once you have broken the ice, you may slap your colleagues on the back and touch their arms after shaking hands.