Modern social etiquette and eloquence

Chapter 27 Diplomatic etiquette and eloquence in foreign affairs (4)
Nodding means yes, shaking your head means no, this is the case in most countries in the world, but there are many exceptions.People in Neapolitan Italy do not shake their heads to express negation, but tilt their heads back. If they express strong negation, they also tap their chins with their fingers to cooperate; It is common in Sicily, Malta, Cyprus and some of the Arabian Mediterranean countries.In some places, such as Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Iran and Bangladesh, shaking the head means affirmative.If the frequency of this kind of movement is slow, it means hesitation in Germany, and if you shake your head slowly, it means negative.

According to the habit of the Russians, you can't point to things, especially people.However, in Spain and Latin American countries, people often add hand, head movements and facial expressions when speaking to strengthen the tone of speech.They especially like to point their fingers at objects around them.

Russians put their fingers on their throats to signify "full".When the Japanese do this action, it means that they are "fired" by others.

Japanese and Europeans applaud in the same way, but the meanings are also different.When the Japanese applaud, they clap their fingers to express welcome.When watching a play or listening to a concert in the UK, if you applaud like this, it means that the performance is not popular, and the actors had better leave early.

Using gestures to express numbers, the British express "one" by stretching their index fingers, but the Swiss express "one" by stretching out their thumbs.American and Colombian men usually wink their eyes in agreement.People in Turkey and other Near Eastern countries often shake the lapels of their clothes with their right hands when they express their opposition.We greet people by raising our right arms and shaking our palms, but the Egyptians call people by raising their arms to shoulder height, palms down, and then waving their fingers.When the traffic police in Mexico, South America, stop the violating car driver, they usually bite the three fingers in the middle of the right hand to signal the driver to stop.

When speaking in public places in Britain, the United States and other countries, if the speaker wants to keep the audience quiet, he has to raise his hands up to his head, with his palms facing the audience.However, if this gesture were still performed in Greece, it would be regarded as a gesture of surrender and the ugliest image.

Nigerians use their thumbs to flick their hands a few times before shaking hands, and then shake hands.

When Tanzanians meet each other, they first pat themselves on the stomach, then applaud, and then shake hands.

Some black residents in Central Africa, instead of shaking hands with each other when meeting each other, they hold their right hand with their left hand and wave a few times instead of shaking hands.

People in some East African countries shake hands first, and then hold each other's right thumb to show affection.

Diplomatic activities are serious and important. In order not to cause misunderstandings by the other party and lead to unpleasant or serious consequences, it is necessary to learn the national gestures of the other party before the talks with the other party, so as to ensure that the talks can go on happily and smoothly.

[-]. Etiquette for accompanying foreign guests on a tour
Our country has a vast territory, and there are many world-famous scenic spots and historic sites. Therefore, whether it is an official visit or a tour, whether it is a political exchange or a business negotiation, most of the foreign guests who visit us have arrangements for visits and other activities. atmosphere, it is easier to shorten the distance between the two parties and enhance the friendship between the two parties.

1. Determine the project
To determine the visiting and excursion projects, it is necessary to consider the purpose and nature of foreign guests' visits, their willingness and interests, local seasonal weather and other conditions, security, confidentiality facilities, and business needs, etc.Arranging staff can take the initiative to propose a tour plan and discuss it with the other party, or they can understand the requirements of foreign guests through diplomatic channels in advance, and make reasonable arrangements within their capabilities.

2. Make a plan
After determining the tour items, a detailed plan should be drawn up: including attractions, time arrangement, number of people, rest places, meals, transportation, etc.Make proper contact in advance and make preparations by various departments, and the details cannot be ignored.

3. Arrange escort
According to the etiquette of international communication, foreign guests should generally be accompanied by persons of similar status to visit and travel, and translators, commentators or tour guides should be arranged.

4. Tour guide explanation
During the tour, we should take good care of foreign guests and master the time arrangement. The tour guide should be realistic when explaining, not exaggerating or belittling, and not casually revealing the confidential content.For some places where foreign guests are not allowed to take photos or enter, such as certain cultural relics and patented equipment, etc., they should be explained to them in advance to avoid discomfort.

The tour guide should use the other party's language when explaining, and strive to be concise and lively.When there are many foreign guests, you can introduce them in batches or use a loudspeaker.Tour guides can print and distribute relevant introductions to foreign guests in written form, so that foreign guests have more time to watch in person when they visit.Questions from foreign guests should be answered patiently, enthusiastically and earnestly to help them better understand China, and those who really do not understand or understand inaccurately should be told truthfully, and they must not pretend to understand.

[-]. Precautions when giving and receiving gifts
In foreign-related activities, whether it is a unit, a group or an individual, there will be situations where gifts are given to each other to express various wishes. There are fixed rules for gift giving, but etiquette must also be emphasized.

1. Ways and occasions of gifts

Gifts are generally carried out in person, or sent in advance, or forwarded through protocol staff or diplomatic channels.Some need to attach the business card of the gift giver, while others should write a congratulatory message and attach it to a small envelope.

Gifts should consider different occasions. When you are a guest at a banquet, you should bring some small gifts to the hostess. If you have children, you can give them toys; Gifts such as calendars, tobacco and wine, sugar and tea can also be mailed to friends far away.

The timing of gift giving is important.Visits, banquets, etc. are generally given to the other party when they first enter the door; gifts to the host during meetings and talks are generally arranged when they get up and say goodbye; small gifts for the reception staff should be given as soon as possible when they first arrive; If you give us a gift, you should give it back in time as appropriate.

2. Gift selection
When choosing a gift, you should consider not only the personal hobbies of the foreign guests, but also the aesthetic habits and taboos of the other country. Numbers, colors, flowers, and animals may all become taboos, so you must understand them clearly.Gifts should be value-for-money, souvenirs, works of art, books, bouquets, souvenirs, chocolates, etc. with commemorative significance and ethnic and local characteristics.The gift is based on friendship, not expensive, and special attention should be paid not to cause suspicion of bribery and make the other party feel uneasy.

Regardless of the size of the gift, it should be well packaged to make it beautiful and beautiful, showing that we have carefully selected the gift.Seriously, this can reflect the friendship and respect for foreign guests.

3. Pay attention to the etiquette of various countries
The etiquette you need to pay attention to varies greatly with different recipients. For example, for people from some European and American countries, it is not advisable to give gifts for the first meeting, especially for Arabs, otherwise the other party will firmly believe that you want to bribe him.For the Japanese, it is just the opposite. Not only do they have to give gifts when they meet for the first time, but they are also very frequent and common, and they can even be re-gifted (so it is best not to write anything on the outer packaging of gifts for Japanese people).

For Europeans and Americans, you can send chocolate, wine, porcelain and silver art, flowers are often used, and generally do not send double, and the number "13" must be avoided.Do not send chrysanthemums to foreign guests in French-speaking areas; do not pack flowers to Germans; British people are used to drinking, watching theaters, watching ballet, etc. as gifts.

In business dealings with the Japanese, gifts must be given on July 7 (the middle of the year) and January 15 every year; The etiquette is too heavy, or the difference is too much, otherwise the other party will think that you deliberately let him owe you favors.

If you only want to give a gift to a certain Japanese person, be sure to give it when you are alone.In the same situation, don't do this to Arabs, others will be suspicious.

For ordinary foreign guests, give more gifts to the hostess, but never give things to the Arab wife, but giving things to the children makes the other party happy.Sending perfume to the opposite sex is a sign of an ambiguous relationship.You can give wine to Westerners and Japanese, but you can't give wine to Arabs, and you can't give animal images or cheap gifts.No matter which country the other party is from, you are not allowed to send something with your own company logo as a gift.

4. The etiquette of accepting gifts

Sometimes, foreign guests will give you gifts, and do not refuse them face to face on any occasion. Disciplined personnel can accept them first and then hand them in or deal with them according to work requirements.Refusing a gift can embarrass a foreign guest and see you as disrespectful.When receiving the gift, you should look at the other party with your eyes, receive the gift with both hands (some Arab countries are accustomed to receiving the gift with the right hand, and you must not use the left hand!), and express your gratitude to the other party.When accepting gifts from European and American guests, you should open them face to face to express your happiness, while accepting gifts from most eastern countries cannot be opened at that time, unless the other party asks you to open it to have a look.For gifts sent by mail or forwarded, you should reply with a business card or write a letter to express your gratitude; in formal occasions, the recipient should hold the gift with his left hand (large gifts can be put down first), and shake hands with the other party to express his thanks with his right hand.

[-]. Etiquette for other diplomatic activities

In addition to the diplomatic activities mentioned below, there are many other foreign affairs activities, and etiquette should also be observed when conducting these activities.

(1) Call foreign guests.

The time to make a call is generally after 8:9 or 10:[-], preferably no later than [-]:[-] at night, avoiding the lunch break.If you are talking to a foreign country, be sure to pay attention to whether the time difference between the two places will inconvenience the other party.After the call is connected, you can first ask the other party's unit or number, and then report the person you are looking for. If the other party asks for your name, you should generally tell the truth. "I am his friend", etc., and leave a message to convey or leave your phone number.

Be careful not to chat on the phone casually in the homes of foreign guests, let alone use the office phone to talk about personal affairs in foreign-funded companies or enterprises.

The tone of the phone call should be moderate, the language should be civilized, and "you", "please" and "thank you" should always be on the lips.

(2) Enter the foreigner's office or residence.

Visiting foreigners must make an appointment in advance and arrive on time.Arriving early is just as unwelcome as being late, and no-shows are bad manners.If you are late or unable to attend an appointment for any reason, you must inform the other party as soon as possible and apologize.

After arriving, if there is no one to greet you, you can knock on the door or ring the doorbell and enter after permission.Never enter without permission, even if the door has knocked.

When entering a foreigner's office, one should be seated after being invited by the host. If the conversation is brief, it is enough to stand.If there is no appointment, the conversation is shorter.

It is generally around 10:4 am or [-]:[-] pm to visit a foreigner's home.After entering the door, greet the owner and family members. Don't show disgust or fear to the dogs and other pets in the house, and don't kick them away.Sit down after being instructed by the host, and the man can only sit down after the female guest sits down.

Foreigners generally like to serve guests with small snacks and drinks, whether they want to eat or not, they have to try some.Without the host's invitation, don't visit around or tamper with its furnishings.If you go to a family banquet, you must not leave halfway or leave immediately after the meal. Usually, the host and guest or older women ask to leave before getting up and leaving.When leaving, express your satisfaction and gratitude to the hostess for the hospitality.It is customary for westerners to write to the host immediately after returning from a visit to express his thanks again.

(3) Participate in the Foreign Affairs Ball.

To participate in foreign-related balls, the dress should be decent, dignified and elegant. Men should mainly wear suits, and women should mainly wear evening dresses.Men are not allowed to take off their coats without the owner's permission.

The first song of the ball is usually danced by the host couple and the guest couple (sometimes the adult daughter replaces the wife).During the 1nd song, dance partners are exchanged.Men should strive to ask the hostess to dance together first.When a man invites a lady, if his husband or parents are present, he should pay his respects to her first to show his courtesy. After dancing a song, he should send the lady back to her original place, nod to her family before leaving.Avoid asking only one woman to dance in the audience.

Ladies generally should not refuse a man's invitation. If they decline, they should explain "Please forgive me, I'm tired" and get up to apologize. After that, they must not accept other men's invitations before the song is over.Occasionally, women may also invite men to dance together.

When dancing, the music does not stop and cannot be stopped halfway.If you leave the stage, you have to wait for everyone to dance and walk out along the side, and you cannot cross the dance floor when the music stops.

(End of this chapter)