Handshaking or Bowing?
Handshaking or Bowing?
While reading
Chinese
Business Etiquette I started to think about cultural differences
much more than before. Take
Handshaking as an
example. Very natural for Western culture, but might be viewed almost
as an attack by some other cultures. "Why should a person touch
someone else's
dirty hand?" is not only a rhetorical question,
I bet you experienced a sticky feeling after a handshake a couple times
in
your life. So why do we do that? Just to show that you don't have a
weapon in your hands? Come on!
Bowing
Bowing,
on the other hand, is nicely clean, while you still show the respect
and openness (boy, it would be so easy to hurt you, while bowing).
So is that a universal solution for the whole planet? Not really, as
bowing is only supposed to be done to God in
Islam or
Judaism,
not to people.
Kissing
Kissing is the
most controversial of greetings from all I know. Although I've seen it
done in
many French movies, I bet if someone did it in business (outside
France), he would be dragged out of the office very quickly. Well,
perhaps
only Woody Allan could do it without punishment.
So what to do if you're caught in a situation when you need to greet
people in a multicultural environment? You might echo what other people
do, just avoid complicated combinations, like handshaking and deep
bowing at the same time. Who is going to clean all these cracked heads
after
that?
Well, imagine bowing and kissing at the same time, you'd have to be a
Heron
or
Rowan.
Posted at
05:03PM Jan 21, 2008
by Pavel Suk in Global Engineering |
Then there's the whole business of handing things to people. In the Far East, it dawned on me that whenever I was handed my change or a receipt, it was offered with both hands.
I had been handing things over the 'Western' way (one-handed) and probably therefore appearing rather insultingly casual...
Posted by Robin Wilton on January 21, 2008 at 06:46 PM CET #
Conversely, in the Middle East and Morocco, I have had men shake my hand and then stand holding it for quite some time as the conversation continued. That's quite unsettling to the average Englishman, who soon starts getting a strong urge to reclaim the imprisoned mitt.
Posted by Robin Wilton on January 21, 2008 at 06:48 PM CET #
Interesting comment about using both hands! That's what Scott Seligman suggests when you give a gift to someone.
Posted by Pavel on January 21, 2008 at 07:09 PM CET #
hugging without cheeking as well as two hand shake is common in some Muslim countries. But it is for the same gender. In some areas, man greets a women by putting his hand over the right chest, since touching is not allowed for non-family. Or a slight slow head shake down.
Posted by afsina on January 21, 2008 at 08:39 PM CET #
sorry i meant left chest.
Posted by afsina on January 21, 2008 at 08:40 PM CET #
Over a distance, say few paces away, Chinese put both hands together in front of the chest, and do a gentle hammering action for greeting. Then when they come to contact distance, they shake hands.
For martial artists, the greet each other with left open palm and right fist pressed together in front of the chest. No touching whatsoever.
At no time the faces touch.
Posted by Sin-Yaw Wang on January 22, 2008 at 09:14 AM CET #