Casual small talk US-Americans are certainly considered experts when it comes to innocuous small talk. Having an easy-going conversation helps creating a pleasant atmosphere, and this again is important for doing business. It may well be the case that during this kind of conversation your US-American business partner tells you that it would be nice […]
There are several ways of doing so. Keep in mind that for US-Americans time is money and they find it difficult to deal with things that seem “strange” to them. As a first step send an e-mail in which you explain your offer or your request in a nutshell. Make sure you indicate your potential […]
A presentation in front of an US-American audience needs to be short, concise and goal-orientated. Pay attention to the order of your structure! Do not begin by talking about the firm or the product history but emphasis the customer benefit. Then move on to the main aspects, results and conclusions. After that you explain with […]
Canadian companies have a relatively flat hierarchy. The corporate culture is democratic, therefore meetings are interactive in that everyone participates and expresses their opinion. However, individual points are usually not discussed too extensively, because Canadians prefer a targeted, agenda-driven meeting that leads to a concrete action plan. Expansive conversations and marathon sessions are therefore neither […]
US-Americans appreciate a pleasant atmosphere. Creating and keeping it, is of great importance to them. At an early age Americans learn to approach others, to be friendly and helpful. Right from the cradle they are praised for every tiny achievement. That creates confidence and marks their communication style: Always positive! Advantages of positive attitude Do […]
US-Americans often have little knowledge of the guest country and its inhabitants. They have a tendency to be not particularly good in dealing with foreign ways of behavior, and they expect to have everywhere the standards they are used to. That of course varies from one US-American to another, depending on their personality, experience in […]
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 […]
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 […]
This can be seen, for example, in project planning. In the USA, at first a major goal is formulated. Then people sit down and think about how this goal can be achieved. A detailed planning of individual steps is usually not provided. US-Americans don’t look at too many details and also don’t define subgoals to […]
