Business Manners Around The World
1 Imagine that you work for an international corporation. Your boss has sent you abroad to close an important deal. You arrive for the meeting on time, and the chief executive officers and top corporate officers are waiting. What do you do? Do you shake hands? Make eye contact? Bow? Say “Hi”? That depends on what country are you in.
2 Every day, business is becoming more international. How do you learn to make a good impression on foreign colleagues, greet them, get to know them, and negotiate with them? In your own country, you learn business manners bit by bit over the years, as a child learns a language. However, when you travel overseas, you must often learn business etiquette quickly. Experts suggest you spend at least thirty hours researching the target. Probably the best way is to take “Business Culture 101” courses taught by experienced consultants. In addition, there are books, videos, and Internet sites that introduce you to specific business cultures. You can also talk to colleagues who have worked in the country you plan to visit.
3 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.
4 After handshakes, it is time to exchange business cards. In Singapore and Hong Kong, this is an especially important ritual. Holding your card in both hands, present it to each person at a meeting, starting with the most senior. Place your card in front of the person with the print facing him or her. When a card is presented to you, look it over. Don’t put it in your wallet or back pocket, and don’t write on it. Business cards and the rituals of exchanging them are important all over Asia. A Korean executive said bluntly, “Without a business card, you are nobody”.
5 Finally, learning what to avoid is also important. Before you go anywhere on business card you should find out if there are any cultural taboos. In an Islamic country, sitting in a way that shows the soles of your feet is insulting. Writing a person’s name in red ink in Korea is bad luck. Also in Korea, it is rude to place anything, even papers on the desk of an executive you are visiting. Never touch an Indonesian on the head. In Taiwan, never wrap a gift in white paper and never give a clock as a gift. In the United States and other countries, a circle formed by the thumb and forefinger signals approval, but in certain Latin and Arab countries, this is an impolite gesture.
6 If business does take you to other countries, remember this: there are plenty of opportunities for you to make mistakes, but don’t let that intimidate you. Business people around the world tolerate foreigners mistakes more than those of their fellow citizens. Their reaction to your mistakes will more likely be amusement than anger. If you watch what others do, ask questions, and keep an open mind, you can succeed anywhere.
[Adapted from World Class Readings 2: Intermediate A reading Skill Text, McGraw-Hill