Germany - Business & Travel Etiquette

Business Customs

In business situations, Germans address each other by their job or academic titles and surnames. By tradition, only family members and close friends or colleagues address each other by their first names. A handshake is the most common form of greeting. A man waits for a woman to extend her hand before he shakes it; in mixed company he shakes a women's hand before a man's. In groups, several people do not shake hands at once, because crossing the handshake of someone else is inappropriate and considered bad luck.

Business Meetings

Business tends to be more formal in Germany than in the United States. Punctuality is an extremely important feature of German business relations. Expeditious handling of correspondence is indispensable. Telephone calls and faxes should be promptly returned. Although German is the preferred business language, most upper level managers are quite capable of carrying on a conversation in English.

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Social Events

Guests usually stand when the host enters the room to greet them and remain standing until offered a seat or until after everyone has been greeted by the host. Not everyone adheres to these rules of etiquette but it is polite to do so. Continental style of eating is used, with the fork in the left hand and the knife remaining in the right. Hands are kept above the table with wrists resting on the table edge. Potatoes and fish are not cut with a knife because this indicates they are not fully cooked. It is considered wasteful to leave food on the plate. Chewing gum in public is not appropriate. Talking with one's hands in the pockets is disrespectful. Pointing the index finger to one's own head is an insult to another person.

 

Helpful German Expressions

Hello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hallo, Guten Tag, GrussGot (Southern Germany)
Goodbye . . . . . . . . . . . . .Auf Widersehen
How do you do? . . . . . . . .Angenehm
Thank you . . . . . . . . . . . .Danke schon
You're welcome . . . . . . . .Bitte schon
Do you speak English? . . . Sprechen Sie Englisch?
I speak a little German . . . .Ich spreche nicht gut Deutsch