Group 4.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 408.

Group 3.

Communications is a natural talent of Americans. When negotiating partners meet, the emphasis is on small talk and smiling. There is liberal use of a sense of humor that is more direct than it is in the UK. Informality is the rule. Business partners do not use their academic titles on their business cards. This pleasant attitude continues in the negotiation itself. US negotiators attach little

importance to status, title, formalities and protocol. They communicate in an informal and direct manner on a first-name basis. Their manner is relaxed and casual. The attitude ‘time is money' has more influence on business communications in the US than it does anywhere else. Developing a personal relationship with the business partner is not as important as getting results.

At the start of the negotiations with Spanish partners you should have documentation available in Spanish. Business cards should carry details in Spanish and English. During the negotiation your counterparts may interrupt each other, or even you. It is quite common in Spain for this to happen in the middle of the sentence. For several people to talk at the same time is accepted in Latin cultures, but is considered rather unusual in Northern Europe. The discussion is likely to be lively. In negotiations, Spanish business people rely on quick thinking and spontaneous ideas rather than careful preparation. It may appear that everybody is trying to put his or her point across at once. That can make negotiations in Spain intense and lengthy, but also enjoyably creative.