International etiquette: Minding your manners when practicing abroad

You may be confident of your ability to act with courtesy and professionalism in your home country. But with the array of cultural differences, social mores and business traditions you may encounter while traveling, how can you be sure you’re not offending clients and alienating foreign judges and arbiters?

In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Terri Morrison, etiquette expert and author of Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Courtrooms and Corporate Counsels, which is scheduled to be released this summer.

Some of the tips she offers include whether to start off with small talk—pleasantries are involved before getting down to business in some countries, while in others they are not—and different approaches to interrupting. In France, for example, interrupting is encouraged, Morrison says, but in other places it’s uncommon. She also advises being mindful of how long you speak; don’t think that just because no one has interrupted you that your statements are going over well.

In This Podcast:

Stephanie Francis Ward
Terri Morrison is co-author of nine books, including Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands®: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries. She conducts seminars in intercultural communications, diversity an inclusion and writes for many publications. Her 10th book, Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands: Courtrooms and Corporate Counsels, is scheduled to be published by the American Bar Association this summer. Morrison is also the president of Getting Through Customs, developers of the Kiss Bow or Shake Hands® Database, available through McGraw-Hill Digital.