Presentations in English

Leseprobe aus dem Kapitel "Greetings and introductions" (S. 42-43)

What to say when you enter
We all know that greetings are not the same the world over.
If you choose to match style, points to watch for are:

• whether handshakes are made or not (less common after the first meeting)
• strength of handshake: you should mirror, strong with strong and gentle with gentle
• amount of eye contact or looking away: again, mirror - don't force someone to look in your eyes if they don't want to
• distance between persons: could be much further or closer than you are used to
• use of first or last names: this often causes uncertainty. Listen carefully and then match the style. Americans, Australians and British tend to use first names very soon, if not immediately - "You can call me Robert." Other cultures use "Mr" and "Ms" to start with and may or may not switch to first names later. Chinese often have an additional western first name, which you should then use. Japanese often add "san" at the end of the name
• conversation making: be prepared to do it!

Example
When doing business with the Far East, watch out for card
exchanging when greeting. Koreans, for example, will stand
apart, approach each other, bow, exchange business cards using
both hands, step back and then read each other's business card
aloud, with appropriate remarks "I see you are the Business
Director ...". This shows respect for the persons and their posi-
tions. As a foreigner, you are not expected to know how exactly
to bow (different depths show different levels of respect), but
you should not write on the business card and definitely not put
it into the back pocket of your trousers. Watch to see what the
other does.