Business and Culture: Working with Americans
Foreword: I recognize that there are many Americans from other countries in the Americas. However, throughout this blog post I will repeatedly use the term “American” to discuss “people who consider themselves from the United States of America.”
Doing business with people from around the world can be very interesting but can lead to many miscommunications and misinterpretations.. There are many little things that we usually don’t have to consider until we encounter someone from a different culture. In this blog, I will discuss 5 common themes you can expect when communicating with Americans in a business setting. Please keep in mind that this is a discussion about generalizations and will not apply to every American from the US that you will ever do business with.
Names are not Sacred.
Americans often use given names at work, even to address bosses. If someone is introduced with their given name, you should use their given name. Nicknames and shortened names are also commonplace in the office. One exception is for doctors. If you are introduced to a doctor, call them Dr. and their family name. For example, if you are introduced to Dr. Jennifer Smith, you would call her Dr. Smith until given permission to use her first name. If you are introducing her to someone in a professional/networking context, you should likewise introduce her using her title.
If you have a name that is difficult for Americans to pronounce, they will probably attempt to say it anyway and then laugh. If they laugh, it’s because they’re uncomfortable for mispronouncing your name, not because they think your name is funny. They expect that you will correct them and laugh with them about their mistake.
Contact information, like business cards, is shared without expectation. If you give someone your business card, they will accept it with one hand and spend very little time looking at it. Americans view this kind of information exchange as purely utilitarian. However, it would be rude for them to refuse, so they will accept your information without hesitation. Do not expect a call/email from someone unless you have confirmed a follow up.
Greetings and goodbyes don’t mean anything.
“How are you?” is not a question. “How’re you doing?” is not a conversation starter. The only acceptable answer to these questions is a generically positive response like “fine,” “great,” or “can’t complain.” If you are obviously not in a good situation, you may jokingly say “I’ve been better” or “I’ve seen better days.”
“See you later” just means “goodbye.” You may never see this person again in your life.
If someone says “we’ll have to get together or sometime” or “it was so nice meeting you, let’s do lunch sometime,” these are not really invitations. Unless you have a specific plan with that person, these are just pleasantries.
Overuse of courtesies is expected.
If Americans don’t hear “please” and “thank you,” your simple request might sound more like an abrasive demand. Use these common courtesies, along with phrases like “could you…” or “would you mind…,” to get a better response. Otherwise, you may appear too aggressive.
“Excuse me” or “pardon me” are used if Americans accidentally touch or bump someone, even just lightly. In fact, they say it even if they just almost touch someone or think there is a possibility they could touch someone. Americans often like to keep a lot of space between themselves and others, so it is polite to be considerate of everyone’s “personal bubble.”
Americans say “sorry” for things they are not really sorry about. It is common to apologize for the mistakes other people make to request a change. For example, “I’m sorry, I think you’re standing on my foot” means “you are standing on my foot, please stop immediately.”
Even formal meetings are informal.
Americans like to create casual atmospheres. Humor and positive attitudes are highly valued in American culture, and this also applies to the office and meetings. Your ability to accept or join a colleague’s joke will often translate to improved trust.
Silence makes a lot of Americans uncomfortable. They will often opt to fill silence, even if it’s to repeat something unnecessarily or to clarify something obvious. This doesn’t mean they forgot or thought you forgot, it’s to make sure the conversation is still moving.
Thinking aloud in meetings is common and should not be taken too seriously. Just because an American says something, that does not mean they plan on pursuing that idea. It is often considered better to contribute any idea, rather than to remain silent. Similarly, in most small group meetings, all participants are usually encouraged to share their ideas, even if their professional position is much lower than other participants.
Openly disagreeing with a colleague is not usually offensive. Expect your coworker, boss, or a customer to tell you if they disagree with an idea directly and immediately. In most situations, this is considered a productive and efficient method for finding better solutions. However, if you disagree with someone, they will usually expect you to provide an alternative, otherwise you might just sound negative.
Gifts are welcome but not expected. In some situations, an American may consider a gift to be a conflict of interest and refuse your gift so as to avoid any ethical dilemmas.
Refusing offers of food or drink is normal. If an American offers, they will not be offended if you say no. If they’re offering something special, they may insist, but it’s usually still okay to say “no, thank you.” Likewise, they might simply reject an offer you make. In American culture, the gesture of offering is the only part that usually matters.
Time is money.
It’s an American stereotype, but it’s true that Americans often equate time with money. So, ideas are best when they are explained succinctly because they save time (and therefore money). If you can support your idea with an easily digestible statistic, it will be even more appreciated.
“Yes,” “no,” and “maybe,” usually just mean “yes,” “no,” and “maybe.” Direct answers save time, so you can usually interpret a straightforward answer without guessing ulterior meanings.
Americans will usually state their objectives/positions at the beginning of a negotiation or a meeting in order to arrive at a conclusion faster. Once an agreement is made, they will try to close the deal very quickly. However, Americans value verbal agreements very little, so even if a meeting ends quickly, nothing is considered settled until a contract is signed.
It’s very rude to arrive at meetings late. “On time” usually means 5 minutes early. If you arrive late, it signals a lack of respect and/or organization. For more formal meeting, an agenda and a stated time limit are appreciated to facilitate more efficiency.
