I have a fun new project that could use some input

[BatCity]

Since I've opted to work through the holidays, I've been able to pick up a little project to work on that I think will be a lot of fun!  I'll be putting together an informal presentation on international business etiquette!  This will be for our consultants, who go out on projects all over the world...these are people who more technical than business oriented.

I have a copy of a book called "Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands", by Morrison and Conaway, and a head full of opinions, but rather than focus on individual countries I'd like to spend more time on general rules of conduct which will keep your head above water no matter where they go.  I thought it would be fun to get some input from the rest of you!

Here are some of my thoughts:

-Cover some general etiquette, maybe even have a "handshake" exercise
-Refer the consultants to some books and websites to do a little research on the country you're heading to
-Cover how to deal with (or avoid) "sticky" subjects such as past wars and political disagreement
-Maybe cover basic etiquette for two or three countries in which we have clients, pointing out the things to watch out for: for example, where it's okay to present a bottle of wine as a gift and where it's not.

What do you all think?  Anyone want to add their opinion? 

[Clara Bow]

Tell people to research carefully the customs of any country that they go to. Don't assume that etiquette in China holds true for Vietnam just because they're both Oriental countries. Every country is different.
It's also smart to know a smidge about the country's history in case you are taken to see something important. It makes you look courteous and interested to have done a little Googling so you know what you're seeing and what it means without having to be told.

[Nekolove]

As someone who has traveled overseas, I think you have a great start.

One thing you may want to think about is the difference in opinions about personal space in other cultures.
Americans and the British have the biggest personal space (acceptable distance we like to keep between people, especially those we don't know very well), while other Europeans, some Asians, etc. have much smaller personal spaces. This can cause some discomfort for Americans in these other cultures when you interact with someone who seems right in your face, when they are actually just acting quite normal. You may want to reaserch and comment on that specifically.

Good luck, sounds like a great project

[cheyne]

What a fun project!  One of the things you could include is the different personal customs in the countries where you have clients.  What I mean is the differences in drinking, eating, smoking etc...  We in the US tend to think the entire world has the same opinions on alcohol, tobacco and food that our popular culture crams down our throats.  I can assure you this is not true.  I have lived in Japan, Europe and Central America, and their ideas on meals, social drinking and smoking are very different than those in the US.  It could save one of your people from making a horrible faux pas in a bar, pub, or restaurant, and possibly embarassing/alienating their hosts.

[Slartibartfast]

Ooh, if I were you, I would include a "demonstration" (may just be a slide or two out of your presentation) where you present a scenario and you ask people to think about what they do.  For example, offering a gift in a country that has different gift-giving customs than ours.  Okay, I can't think of any great examples, but something where everyone's instinctive idea of what to do would be offensive or wrong.  Just to illustrate the importance of learning about the etiquette before you go.

Don't overlook basic guidelines, either - be willing to take on some minor discomforts for the sake of your hosts/guests, when in doubt follow someone else's lead, that sort of thing.  Believe it or not, these aren't obvious to everyone.

[artk2002]

Sounds like an excellent idea.

I'm about to go through my annual corporate Business Conduct Guidelines certification -- one of the sections deals with foreign travel and, in particular, bribes, gifts and entertainment.  My employer takes a very conservative view of these things.  It's far too easy to make a bad mistake in that area.  The basic policy is that we can't accept any gifts, except things like "business novelties" (hmmmm...) of nominal value.  In other words, a pen with a corporate logo.  Other small-value items are allowed as well.  If it's something valuable, or not usually offered to others, we're required to decline and/or check with our management.

The same thing applies to giving gifts.  The idea is to avoid giving even the impression of offering a bribe.

Our interactions with government employees are even more restricted.

I think that an important area of your presentation would be how to be polite in foreign countries without appearing to be bribed or bribing someone.

[J.D.]

I think this sounds like a great idea!  Etiquette can vary so much depending on where you are, and a major etiquette error could potentially offend your clients, or even cost a company business.

I've traveled in Europe, although not extensively, and I found that a lot of the travel guide books will have sections about this very topic, as well as information cultural expectations and practices in that country.  I've used the Eyewitness Travel Guides, and, IIRC, there is also a series called 'Let's Go!', and both were great.  I'm sure you could find them at a local library if you needed some information.  Oh, and all of the other ideas suggested - awesome!

[BatCity]

Fantastic suggestions!

I'm definitely trying to be very neutral here since our consultants could travel to literally any country on the globe, but I really like the idea of doing some examples and maybe even some role playing.  My draft is pretty short but I can add on to it.

[VorFemme]

I would say that a general "overview" of common differences and a short list of specifics for each country or culture (China is a multicultural "country" based on having been a empire for centuries!). 

The country specifics could be done in one line bullets after an overview of general differences - such as there being differences in how close together people are used to standing to BUSINESS aquaintances where people from the USA or UK would only expect family or close intimates to stand or sit that close to them.

Learning a few phrases in the local language - such as please, thank you, where is the bathroom, and such BASICS also is a good idea - for business or social travel.

I have relatives who spent a lot of time in Japan (my youngest aunt, her husband, and three kids - their DD is now teaching in Japan) so I will pull out an example of "business etiquette" - you ALWAYS have business cards handy to pass out - English on one side and Japanese on the other is STANDARD.  And take enough to pass them out to EVERYONE that you meet at the company you are visiting.  Running OUT of your business cards is a blunder - you don't look professional or show proper planning.  I have heard (never been to Japan) that there are print shops that can run you up a box of two sided business cards in an hour or two to allow business visitors to re-stock!

I had a BIL who was raised in South America - the biggest thing that I can remember from his experience was that you asked about the health of the person, his family, and "visited" a bit with anyone you were doing business with - rushing to talk ONLY about business was seen as rude.  He grew up in the culture and had tremendous sales - since he understood the culture AND the language.  His phone bills were twice the size of the other sales people - or more - but his sales volume was even more than twice what everyone else did..........

[onikenbai]

As a good general rule that's pretty standard all over the world worth mentioning is Never be the first to do anything... eat, drink, offer your opinion, hug, you name it.  Always err on the side of caution.  Most of the cultures that are really different to North American (Asian, Middle Eastern etc) value this and you can't go wrong showing caution.

[hobish]

Nekolove already covered my suggestion. Personal space (or lack thereof) seems to bug deal amongst those who travel to do business. Stepping away from someone can be offensive, and something one would be likely to do right at the beginning of meeting someone.