Culture Crossing: Germany http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?

id=79

GERMANY
THE FACTS
NAME: LOCATION: GOVERNMENT: Germany Europe Federal Republic

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: German MAJOR RELIGION(S): Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%. MAJOR ETHNICGROUPS: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish).

GREETINGS
Man greeting Man - Men shake hands when greeting one another while maintaining direct eye contact. A firm but fairly brief handshake is the norm. With friends, a simple hello will suffice. Woman greeting Woman- At a first meeting, women generally shake hands while maintaining direct eye contact. Between good friends and family kissing onone or both cheeks is common. Man greeting Woman- At a first meeting a regular handshake will do. Good friends and family may engage in a light hug or a kiss on one or both cheeks. Note: When dealing with groups of people, its best to take the time to shake hands with everyone individually when arriving and departing.

COMMUNICATION STYLE
Germans tend to be quite direct but polite. There is often very little context surrounding communication. Germans tend to tell it like it is. Honesty is appreciated and expected.

PERSONAL SPACE & TOUCHING

Germans in general prefer to guard their personal space. An arms length of space or more is normal when conversing. Unless having an intimate conversation, any closer than an arm's distance apart is usually considered an infringement on personal space. Germans generally do not touch when speaking. When speaking with those outside of the family or close circle of friends, touching can be seen as an invasion of privacy. Between friends and family, hand holding, walking arm in arm and hugging are commonplace.

EYE CONTACT
It is polite to look others in the eye during conversation, however oneshould not stare. Direct eye contact is considered a sign of respect and interest during conversation.

GENDER ISSUES
There is a traditional German phrase that says women belong at church, in the kitchen or with the kids. Fortunately, the role of women has changed and women are accepted in the work force, however, whether a woman works or not often depends on the social class and the region. Men are still generally paid more than women and some men may haveissues if the women earns more than they do.

GESTURES
When gesturing or beckoning for someone to come, you should face your palm downwards and make a scratching motion with the fingers. Waving the hand back and forth with the palm up usually signifies no. The OK sign and thumbs up are understood, but do not tend to be usedthat often. At the end of a presentation or performance, Germans often signal their approval or thanks by gently rapping their knuckles on the tabletop instead of applauding.

TABOOS
Making a circular motion using the index finger while pointing to the side of ones head is a rude gesture indicating that someone is crazy or deranged.