Swedes are very modest and restrained in their communication; they will take every pain not to offend you or alienate you. Omtanke, which they have taken in with their mother’s milk, forbids them to do that. That means that criticism is often wrapped up in discreet (counter) suggestions or questions. And people from other countries often […]
Meetings rarely start on time. In particular, decision-makers often do not appear until the meeting is already in full swing. An appropriate strategy for dealing with this is to use the first half an hour or so simply to chat to the other participants. This offers the advantage of allowing you to get to know […]
The office atmosphere in Mexico may be very different than what you would expect in your own country. You’ll often encounter open-plan offices surrounded by supervisors’ offices, which may have doors and large windows that look out on the open space. With so many people on a single large, open space, it’s often a lot […]
Like his counterparts around the world, a Mexican manager has a calendar full of meetings. Of course, the point of these meetings is to discuss and promote projects, to share information or make decisions. However, these are not the sole purposes of a meeting in Mexico. Relationships matter Building relationships and trust, cultivating contacts and […]
The main characteristics of the US-American communication style can be summed up in a catchy motto: Hard on facts, soft on people. US-Americans communicate clearly and directly on the matter, but are always polite and friendly to the person. That’s why they attempt to establish a pleasant rapport before business topics are addressed. They usually […]
The primary purpose of meetings in China is to figure out how things are going or to announce new things. Forming opinions and coming to decisions on the other hand take place in many private get-togethers outside of the conference room. Meetings in China are made up of mostly accompanying communication. Punctuality Appointments in China […]
For Mexicans, politeness and the manners involved are extremely important, as it is also crucial for a first impression in Western European countries. However, to a Western European, Mexican manners may appear to sometimes border on subservience; however, do not make the mistake of thinking that your new business associates are subordinate to you. Mexicans […]
Meetings in US-American companies proceed goal-orientated. An agenda is distributed in advance, whereby it is expected that each person prepares for their topic. Often exact times are given on the agenda, which are scheduled for one point of discussion. The topics are dealt with in a structured manner. Normally it is not possible to return […]
When you meet previously unknown business partners for the first time, wait until your Brazilian host introduces them to you. Only then should you greet them. It is quite normal to very swiftly move to using first names even in a business context. In contrast to most other Latin American countries, family names are rarely […]
“Inshallah” – “If God wills”, “bukra” – “tomorrow” or “at some time or other”, and “malesh” – it doesn’t matter” or “no harm meant” are set expressions that are nourished from Arabic proverbs and will reach your ears several times a day when you are travelling in Arabic-speaking countries. Because of their conspicuously frequent use […]
A lot of Germans tend to plan far ahead into the future, which is why meetings should be booked a few weeks in advance. Germans are quite time oriented, so once a meeting is booked, a change of date or time is quite uncommon. If the plan does however change, and it changes on your […]
You will need time, patience, flexibility and to pay strict attention in negotiations with Chinese business partners. Stay calm and be prepared for surprising changes of direction. Participants in negotiations If the Chinese firm is big assume that you will be sitting opposite a big negotiating team with precisely defined roles. You should go in […]
