When you have the opportunity to interact with people in another culture, the best advice is to study the culture in advance, then observe the way people behave in the following areas:

•Greetings. Do people shake hands, bow, kiss lightly (on one side of the face or both)?

•Personal space. When people are conversing, do they stand closer together or farther away than you are accustomed to?

•Touching. Do people touch each other on the arm to emphasize a point or slap each other on the back to show congratulations? Or do they refrain from touching altogether?

•Facial expressions. Do people shake their heads to indicate “no” and nod to indicate “yes”? This is what people are accustomed to in the United States, but it is not universal.

•Eye contact. Do people make frequent eye contact or avoid it? Frequent eye contact is often taken as a sign of honesty and openness in the United States, but in other cultures it can be a sign of aggressiveness or lack of respect.

•Posture. Do people slouch and relax in the office and in public, or do they sit up straight?

•Formality. In general, does the culture seem more or less formal than yours?

Recognizing Variations in a Diverse World