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Asian Business Etiquette: "Silence is Golden"
Angi Ma Wong
In a group situation, be attentive to whom is doing the talking and "leading." Very often this person is what I call the "advance scout" - the translator, the go-between,
administrative assistant, or merely the person with the greatest command of English. By observing how the members of a group conduct themselves, you can zero in on whom the leader is amongst them. Is there on person
to whom they bow or lower their voices respectfully to? What the eyes of the people in the group. Do their glances converge on a central person for affirmation? You may be surprised to find, for example, in a family
group, that it is the petite, non-English-speaking mother who the family is seeking to please.
We have the hardest time deadline with silence and always are anxious to fill it up as it seems to make us uncomfortable. Even a fish wouldn't get into trouble if he would keep his
mouth shut, an old saying goes. Silence is golden when dealing with the Asian client. He uses that quiet time in a meeting to think, evaluate, judge and perhaps even to decide. (See The Unspoken Way in the
bibliography of my book). Some sales trainers instruct their audiences to give their pitch and then shut up, for whomever says the next word is automatically the weaker one in the negotiations.
Recently I asked an authority on doing business with the Japanese what was the most important thing necessary for success with that group. "Earplugs and a mouthpiece," he told me.
"Especially the mouthpiece so we can bite our tongues and not talk."
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Other articles by Angi
The Significance of Numbers
The Significance of Colors
Crash Course on Asian Corporate Etiquettes
This is just part of her 215+ page book, order your own autographed copy now through our online bookstore!
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