The Etiquette of Global Greeting

By: Janet Adetu Date: 6 years agoComment: 0 Category: Articles

A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit the continent of Asia specifically New Delhi, India with my family. Though we had visited Singapore earlier India was an entirely new experience. It was interesting to see the different ways both men and women would greet everywhere we went.

At the hotel, the service staff were so courteous, with their two hands together and a polite bow, one to say hello and the other to recognize our presence. I wondered whether this was just because we were guests at the hotel; but surprisingly we saw a lot of this everywhere. The people were indeed very friendly, polite, respectful and considerate.

As it has not been my custom to bow and with my two hands, all I could do was smile, show good eye contact and express a clear appreciation of these greetings. The question on my mind though was ‘’ should I have done likewise?’’

Well, India happens to be a nation of multiple millions with hundreds of differing tribes every 200km with varying languages, food and lifestyles as well as greeting styles. At the Taj Mahal, the people of the town of Agra were also totally different. As we travel the world, we experience so many styles of greeting, be it a hug, a kiss, a bow, or the global handshake, they are all governed by the culture of the environment. Knowing how to greet in such foreign countries is important especially where you need to maintain harmony, establish a business relationship and portray honesty, trustworthiness and professionalism.

In Africa, depending on what part of the continent you would kiss both cheeks once or twice for instance in Ghana or Kenya maybe a kiss on either cheek upto three moves, while in Nigeria depending on the specific social setting you may just hug once, or offer a courtesy bow if an older person.

The advent of global business makes it even more pertinent to know the business culture and greeting styles of the host country. Sometimes you may get away with formality and the universal handshake depending on how important the meeting and how important the person. Even when handshakes are universally acceptable, the strength of your handshake, the use of one or two hands, the length of the shake, your body language and posture are even more important than the handshake itself.

We do live in a global village which has become hybrid by the day. As an executive or an individual the onus is on you to bear in mind the act of making others feel comfortable around you. How you treat others, the way you conduct and project yourself in any situation determines your level of polish. Everybody is allowed an awkward moment or two, but your best judgement of any situation is what matters most. You do not want to be seen hugging when indeed you should be merely shaking. These are part of the well- honed etiquette finesse needed to build your powerful presence in business and in your social life.

Greeting Guidelines:

Don’t be shy to be the first to say hello
In introducing yourself try to acknowledge using your first name first followed by our surname
Be clear on your honorific if it is considered important
Don’t be the weakest link, use positive body language to express your style
Be vigilant of your environment and follow suit.
In a business setting extend your hand to complete the greeting
In a social setting render a contagious smile it will take you far
Do not blow away your greeting to the wind, add direct eye and stay focused
Remember who you are addressing, if you do not know their status just maintain your politeness
Through in the surprise factor by greeting in the common dialect if away from home