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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Getting the ‘hello’ right
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Getting the ‘hello’ right

Getting the ‘hello’ right

No handshake: The Japanese greet with a slight bow of the head. Premium

No handshake: The Japanese greet with a slight bow of the head.

My friend and sculling coach Gabi Cipollone won her first Olympic gold medal as a teenager from East Germany in Montreal in 1976. Four years later in Moscow, she won her second, barely having recovered from back surgery. What’s more, her first Olympic race made sports history as the first year women were allowed to compete in sculling events. Awesome, isn’t it?

No handshake: The Japanese greet with a slight bow of the head.

Wrong. Gabi’s quick reply was: “I’d never seen Chinese food before; or people from India, South Africa, or Bermuda." All of a sudden the world seemed overwhelmingly huge, and it was all contained in a few buildings at the Olympic Village.

“Wait until after your race to try your first hamburger," her coach cautioned. The world of culinary adventure would have to wait. But meeting new people from other nations certainly could not. That, too, proved to be quite an adventure.

For many people, whether athletes or businesspeople, the first instinct when greeting someone is to stick out their hand, look directly at the other person, and smile.

Unfortunately, in some situations this could mean making three mistakes all at once. Methods and styles of greeting vary greatly around the world, as do dining customs, and it is important to know what is expected. After all, it’s in the moment of greeting that crucial first impressions are made.

Here are some tips on meeting people from varied cultures, whether you’re at an international business conference, in classes, or on vacation:

When greeting Asians for the first time, it is a good general rule not to initiate the handshake. You may be forcing physical contact that the other person finds uncomfortable. Many Asians, particularly the Japanese, have learned to accept the handshake when dealing with Westerners. Since the bow is the customary greeting in Japan, a slight bow of the head when responding to a proffered handshake greeting is appropriate.

Most Latin cultures are more accustomed to physical contact. Even people who know each other only slightly may embrace as a greeting.

As for West Asia, Muslims and Orthodox Jews avoid body contact with the opposite sex, but people of the same sex commonly hug when greeting each other. When shaking hands, men should be careful not to pull their hands away too quickly.

People from France, Spain, Italy and Portugal greet friends by kissing on both cheeks.

The smile is the near-universal gesture of friendliness, and in the US its meaning is usually clear. In other cultures, the smile may be sending other signals. In some Latin cultures, for example, the smile may be used to say “Excuse me" or “Please."

If a person from another culture does not return your smile, it doesn’t indicate hostility or bad manners. In some Asian cultures, smiling is a gesture reserved for informal occasions, and smiling while being formally introduced would be considered disrespectful.

In many cultures, avoiding eye contact is a sign of respect. This can lead to misunderstandings. For example, there have been many cases of customers in the US deciding they are being treated disrespectfully by Korean shopkeepers who would not look them in the eye.

Gabi moved from the global village of the Olympics to another, larger melting pot when she came to live in the US. She felt that her experience of being immersed in a variety of cultures served her well. She offers the following advice: “Keep in mind how important it is to be kind. Don’t be too embarrassed by your mistakes. Forgive others’ mistakes easily. Be willing to set aside your own ideas about what is ‘right’ and approach new situations with curiosity and an open mind." REUTERS

Mary M. Mitchell has written several books on the subject of etiquette, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Etiquette and Class Acts.

Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com

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Published: 13 Aug 2012, 11:59 AM IST
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