Cultural Dos and Don’ts: Nonverbal Gestures

By: Carol Kinsey Goman

Synopsis:  The wave of a hand—up or down, left or right, facing in or out—can have many different meanings in different places around the world. Understanding these differences and being conscious of them can help you avoid inadvertently offending an international colleague.

It was an important evening for the civic leaders of a city in the Midwest. The local chamber of commerce was hosting a dinner for executives from Japan who were considering whether to locate a factory in that city, and everything seemed to go wrong.

The cultural mishaps started when the chamber president was formally introduced to the top ranking Japanese executive. The president held out this hand for a shake, the Japanese chairman bowed. The president then hastily bowed, while his Japanese counterpart thrust out his hand. To the embarrassment of all, this “gestural dance” continued for several minutes.

Then things got worse …

When everyone was finally seated for dinner, the welcoming gifts for members of the Japanese contingent were opened. They were lovely pocketknives, handsomely engraved with the name of the Japanese company. Unfortunately, the gift givers didn’t realize that knives are a Japanese symbol suggesting suicide.

And, in fact, it gets worse….

Look for the rest of Carol’s wonderful tips in the next edition of The Prescott Report and here on our website in a Silver member available article.