Watch your table manners!

• Table manners are Continental -- hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.
• Indicate you have finished eating by laying your knife and fork parallel on your plate with the handles facing to the right.
• Keep your elbows off the table and your hands above the table when eating.

Business Etiquette and Customs in Australia

Relationships & Communication

• Australians are very matter of fact when it comes to business so do not need long- standing personal relationships before they do business with people.
• Australians are very direct in the way they communicate.
• There is often an element of humour, often self-deprecating, in their speech.
• Aussies often use colourful language that would be unthinkable in other countries.

Business Meeting Etiquette

• Appointments are necessary and relatively easy to schedule.
• They should be made with as much lead time as possible.
• Punctuality is important in business situations. It is better to arrive a few minutes early than to keep someone waiting.
• Meetings are generally relaxed; however, they are serious events.
• If an Australian takes exception to something that you say, they will tell you so.
• If you make a presentation, avoid hype, making exaggerated claims, or bells and whistles.
• Present your business case with facts and figures. Emotions and feelings are not important in the Australian business climate.

Negotiating and Decision Making

• Australians get down to business quickly with a minimum amount of small talk.
• They are quite direct and expect the same in return. They appreciate brevity and are not impressed by too much detail.
• Negotiations proceed quickly. Bargaining is not customary. They will expect your initial proposal to have only a small margin for negotiation.
• They do not like high-pressure techniques.
• Decision-making is concentrated at the top of the company, although decisions are made after consultation with subordinates, which can make decision making slow and protracted.

What to wear?

• Business dress is conservative in Melbourne and Sydney.
• Men should wear a dark coloured, conservative business suit.
• Women should wear a smart dress or a business suit.
• In Brisbane or other tropical areas, depending on the job function and company culture, men may wear shirts, ties and Bermuda shorts.

Business Cards

• Business cards are exchanged at the initial introduction without formal ritual.
• If you are not given a business card, it is not an insult; the person simply may not have one.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 1563