Greeting

Greetings in Finnish business practice are rather formal.

The accepted form of greeting in Finland is a short firm handshake accompanied by "Hello" or "Good morning / day / evening". It is important to maintain eye contact with your partner.

Finns avoid any form of physical contact during greetings (as well as in verbal communication in general), except for the handshake. It is not customary in this culture to touch another person (e.g. patting them on the arm or shoulder).

Hugging is also not accepted. In certain special situations, your Finnish colleague may tilt his or her head slightly or even bow briefly as a sign of respect, for example when being introduced to someone.

If there are women present at a business meeting, greet first them and then the men. However, for formal events, greet the host or organiser of the event first, then the women present and then the men.

If there is a married couple in attendance, greet the wife first and then the husband.

Introduction

During the first business meeting with a potential partner, Finns shake hands and introduce themselves at the same time. They first give their first name and then their surname.

Finnish society can generally be characterised as egalitarian, i.e. formal insignia such as titles, degrees and ranks are not important. This does not mean, however, that Finns do not pay attention to these things at all.

Your Finnish partner is unlikely to mention his or her job position, let alone any honourable title, qualification, academic degree or rank, as he or she will consider it an immodest promotion of himself or herself.

Only people who hold high positions in society or a company should be addressed by naming their positions, positions, qualifications or titles.

Finns always call each other by their first name among themselves, even when addressing their own boss or talking to someone in upper management. The same is true outside the company when dealing with customers, clients, suppliers or partners.

Foreign partners should pay attention to this peculiarity of communication in Finnish society and be prepared to switch to being addressed by first name at a fairly early stage in the development of a business relationship.

After marriage, women in Finland usually take their husband's surname, but some also retain their maiden name, i.e. a two-part surname. When introducing herself, a woman will give her full surname, saying first her maiden name and then her husband's surname.

Exchange of Business Cards

In Finnish business practice, it is customary to exchange business cards during introductions at the first meeting, as well as at events, conferences and forums.

In addition to the standard information usually found on a business card, you can also indicate your academic degree on the card. This is in principle a fairly accepted practice. However, during your subsequent contacts, do not draw your partner's attention to this fact and never talk about your educational achievements.

In business practice, as a rule, the English language is used, so the text of the business card can be made in it.

There is no special ritual when handing over a business card in Finnish business practice. However, when you accept your partner's business card, treat it with respect, as this is how you will build your relationship with its owner.

Small Talk: Overview

Small talk with your Finnish partner is likely to be quite short, perhaps even very short, especially at the beginning of a business relationship.

Finns sometimes criticise themselves for their inability to small talk easily, but they actually spend very little time on small talk and go straight to discussing business matters.

However, as business contacts continue and co-operation develops, your Finnish partner will find more topics outside of business that he or she will be happy to discuss with you.

If a Finnish businessman happens to be at your side at an event, start the small talk with neutral topics, e.g. who you are, where you are from, what you do. On the one hand, it is important to try to create a warm atmosphere in the conversation, but on the other hand, it is important to behave with enough restraint and not to be too emotional.

Avoid excessive expression of feelings in all situations. Finns prefer more moderate statements and especially dislike it when someone boasts about their achievements.

Communication style in Finnish business practice can generally be characterised as reserved and somewhat closed. Finns would rather not talk about personal issues. Foreign business people should keep this in mind and assume that building personal relationships will take a long time.

Preferred Topics

Sport is a favourite topic of discussion in Finnish society, especially winter sports, including skiing, speed skating and, of course, ice hockey. Many Finns have been ice-skating since childhood, they go skiing with their families on weekends and, of course, play ice hockey.

Finns are passionate fans, they root for their teams and are proud of those players who are invited by famous ice hockey clubs in other countries, including the USA and Canada.

Finnish baseball (pesapallo) and motor racing are also popular sports.

Before travelling to Finland learn more about the athletes people are proud of. It may help you to make your conversation with a potential partner from this country more friendly.

Finland's nature, its landscape, forests, coastline.

Distinctive features of Finland compared to other Scandinavian countries.

Travelling in a broad sense, and places you have visited that you think are worth seeing.

Taboo Topics

Finnish people separate personal and professional spheres, so they may not be ready to support the conversation if it is about, for example, family, personal preferences and spending time with friends and relatives, etc.

In the course of communication, foreign businessmen should also not touch upon the topics of health, well-being, welfare, salary, or any money issues in general.

Traditionally, political and religious issues are regarded as taboo topics.

Finland has rather high taxes, but it has a well-functioning social security system, of which many Finns are justifiably proud. Any criticism of this system will not be well received by your Finnish partner.

Do not criticise Finland's weather. This country tends to have short and not very warm summers and rather long cold and wet winters. Finns themselves often complain about their climate, but it is better for foreign businessmen not to do so when communicating with Finnish colleagues.

Personal Space

The comfortable speaking distance in Finnish society is about or even more than 1 metre. It does not matter whether the participants in a conversation are men or women, acquaintances or strangers, natives or foreigners. With the latter, however, the distance can be even a little longer.

Make sure that this distance does not decrease throughout the conversation. Do not violate personal space; your Finnish interlocutor will feel uncomfortable if you do.

Any physical contact with other people, such as touching, patting, etc., should be avoided during communication. The only exception is the handshake, which is exchanged during greetings at the beginning of a meeting and at its conclusion. The latter is not always the case, but in situations of formal communication it is usually the case.

Finns make very limited use of traditional non-verbal ways of expressing emotions, such as body language, facial expressions and intonation. They are likely to be somewhat disapproving of overt displays of emotion by others.

Communication Specifics

In Finnish society, direct and frank communication is the norm. As a rule, people say what they think without trying to express their thoughts in any allegorical form.

While Finns generally have a direct communication style, they refrain from making harsh remarks or judgments that are too direct. They value politeness and tact, and in any discussion they will try not to put the other person in an awkward position.

Contrary to their tendency to speak clearly and precisely, Finns would most probably express themselves indirectly (perhaps even allegorically) in difficult situations when a direct answer may, in their opinion, offend or insult the interlocutor. For example, they are less likely to respond with a curt "No" to a request, opting for a more neutral "We should think about it" or "This proposal should be investigated".

This line of behaviour is based on the Finns' desire to build good long-term relationships with their partners. In specific cases, pay attention to other statements of your partners to better understand their intentions.

In the early stages of co-operation, Finns will behave in a rather reserved manner, observing formalities and adhering to protocol rules. Neutral vocabulary will be used, people’s regalia will be named when addressing a person, and a respectful attitude towards people occupying high positions in the company or society will be displayed.

You should not think that Finns are unfriendly, even if they make (sometimes long) silent pauses during a conversation. Silence is an integral part of communication and, unlike other cultures, is well accepted in Finnish society. "Sometimes silence is the answer" says a Finnish proverb.

When communicating, you should not interrupt the speaker, as this is considered rude and tactless behaviour.