Greeting

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-national country, so greeting forms may differ depending on whether you are dealing with Chinese, Malay or Indian ethnicity.

Chinese Malays traditionally shake hands with a bow or just a bow. Men shake hands in greeting and goodbye. A woman usually takes the initiative herself by extending her hand for a handshake.

The handshake of the Malay Chinese is light and gentle, and can be quite long. When greeting, many Chinese in Malaysia avoid direct eye contact as a sign of respect for their interlocutor.

With the majority Malaysian Muslims, the accepted form of greeting is salam. This is done by holding out joined hands and lightly touching each other's hands. Then the hands are taken away and placed on the chest near the heart. By using both hands, you show respect to the person who is older and/or of status. Between equals salaam is done with one right hand.

When meeting foreigners, Malay Muslims usually greet them with a handshake.

It should be noted, however, that bodily contact between the sexes is not common among Muslims, so businesswomen should be aware that their male partners are not prepared to initiate a handshake when greeting them, as it is not cultural practice.

The same applies to male foreigners greeting women in a business meeting. A woman is more likely to simply tilt her head (a kind of slight bow) than to extend her hand in greeting. Some men in Malaysia put their hand to their chest around their heart in this case. If businesswomen meet, they usually shake hands with each other.

The traditional greeting of Malay Indians is "Namaste", which is used in communication by both men and women. In this case we should fold our palms in a prayerful gesture at chest level and bow slightly. This greeting is an alternative to shaking hands.

If you are greeting a group of colleagues, start with the most senior person in rank or age. A person's status, which is manifested primarily in their position, rank or age, is a very important category in Malaysian business culture.

Introduction

Malaysians generally address each other using a professional title, position, rank, followed by the person's last name. If you do not know your partner's professional title, rank or position, or do not have one, use the common polite forms of address: Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss, followed by the family name.

Human names and family names differ structurally according to the ethnic group to which they belong. In the Chinese, for example, the surname comes before the first name, such as Wang Chi Beng. It is not uncommon for Chinese Malays to adopt a European name that is only used in international contacts, such as William Chi Beng.

For example, a person with the last name Li Zifu Ping is a general manager. He would be addressed as General Manager Li. If your Malay partner is introduced in this way, you should also give your title and family name (but not your first name) when introducing yourself.

Women of Chinese descent in Malaya retain their maiden name after marriage. Children inherit their father's surname.

Malayan names themselves are of Arabic origin. It is a name, not a surname, since surnames as such are not accepted in Malay society. Instead, a person's father's name is added to his personal name, such as: Suleiman Rashid or the full one, Suleiman bin Rashid (Suleiman son of Rashid). The same way a woman's name is formed, only instead of the word bin, bint/binti is used, for example: Naimah Talib or full Naimah bint/binti Talib (Naimah daughter of Talib).

Like Chinese marriage, Malay women retain their maiden name after marriage, but some (especially business women) may also add the name of their father to their name.

Most Malay men of Indian origin have no surnames as such. A boy born into the family will be given a name at birth, such as Kumar. For official situations, for business purposes and in documents, he will be referred to as B. Kumar, where B is the first letter of his father's name, in this case Shiva. In the English text, you may see the abbreviation s/o (son of), e.g., s/o B. Kumar, i.e., Kumar, son of Baskaran.

The same rule applies to women. In official texts in English one can see the abbreviation d/o (daughter of), e.g., d/o B. Nita, i.e., Nita, daughter of Baskaran. After marriage, a Malay woman of Indian origin may use her husband's name instead of her father's. However, she may be addressed using her own name, e.g., Madam Nita.

In all Malay cultures the following order of presentation of persons is accepted: the one holding the highest position to those of lower rank; the elder to the younger; the woman to the man.

Exchange of Business Cards

In Malaysian business practice, it is customary to exchange business cards at the introduction of the first meeting, at the beginning of the meeting, after the greeting. Business cards have a certain representative function, they are like your face, so they are very important.

The text of the business card can be in English. If you know in advance that your partner will be a Malaysian of Chinese descent, it is a good idea to make business cards with Chinese text on one side.

In addition to your name and contact information, include your title, professional titles and/or academic degrees or titles, and any additional qualifications you have. All of these positions will certainly be appreciated by your Malaysian counterpart.

If you are a guest, be the initiator when handing the business card to the host. When handing your business card to your partner (as in fact, when receiving it), hold it with both hands. When receiving your business card, hold it with both hands for a moment, carefully look at the text, and then place it in your desk or business card holder.

No writing or marking should ever be done on business cards you receive from a colleague in Malaysia.

You will need quite a few business cards for a business trip to Malaysia, as you will likely be exchanging them at various business and social events.

Small Talk: Overview

The importance of developing and maintaining relationships is enormous in Malaysia's business culture. This is especially important in contacts with foreign partners. Therefore, pay special attention to small talk with the Malaysian side.

Try to make your conversation with your Malaysian partner not look dry and formal. Only an informal, friendly conversation will create an effective working relationship with Malaysians. It is important to be polite and ensure that no one is offended, even inadvertently.

The topics of small talk are very general, and you should maintain a neutral and polite conversation in which you prefer fluid and evasive language.

In Malaysian culture, silence is an essential part of conversation, which is a silent pause which shows that people are paying attention and respecting what is being said. It is as if they are contemplating what they have just heard. You should not be impatient if you think the pause is too long.

Silence during a conversation is not negatively perceived in both business and social interactions in Malaysia. On the contrary, a person who speaks a lot and actively may be perceived as "young and immature. It is not necessary to react in any way to every statement made by the interlocutor, which is sometimes difficult in many other cultures.

We should always remember that in such indirect communication it is customary to speak allegorically, sometimes using various figures of speech (metaphors, comparisons, epithets), especially if the situation is for one reason or another heated. In any case, it is important to be very tactful and attentive to your partner's words.

When speaking, it is not appropriate to express emotions, particularly negative ones. Showing anger or anger on your part will make your Malaysian partner feel very uncomfortable which is unlikely to lead to a successful relationship on your part.

Preferred Topics

Family, and I mean extended family, including relatives and even close friends.

Impressions of the country.

Hobbies, hobbies, personal interests, travel.

National cuisine.

Weather, current events and news of the day.

Sports, especially soccer and golf.

Taboo Topics

Avoid discussing political topics, especially those related to the struggle against racial injustice and for human rights.

Different religious issues are sensitive in Malaysian society, especially since a variety of religious groups are represented in this state.

Do not be critical in the presence of Malaysian partners about the policies pursued by the government, especially the New Economic Policy, aimed at encouraging ethnic Malaysians to obtain education, work in the state.

Personal Space

In conversations, interlocutors (equally male and female) stand at arm's length from each other.

In general, physical contact and any touching, except for a handshake, is not welcome.

In conversations, Malaysians avoid excessive gesturing and speaking too loudly.

Communication Specifics

Malaysian society can be characterized as highly contextual. This means that a certain amount of information remains unspoken or unspoken because all necessary information is either derived from the situation itself or is understood without words by all participants in communication because it is contained in the culture itself.

Sometimes nonverbal signals carry much more information than the actual explicit, verbal part of speech. Foreign partners should seek clarification from their Malaysian counterpart if there is any misunderstanding or ambiguous interpretation of a particular utterance.

In Malaysian culture the important concept is "face" and the associated "loss of face" and "saving face". This concept refers to a person's reputation, outward impression, image. Loss of face occurs when a person is criticized, objected to or humiliated in front of other people.

For Malaysians, regardless of origin, saving one's own face and preventing others from losing face is a very important element of communication. Especially if something unpleasant or negative needs to be said, they will behave very carefully, not calling things by their proper names, trying to stick to the formal side and generally talking "around" the topic rather than about it.

In communicating with Malaysian partners, it is important to pay attention to various verbal and non-verbal signals. If, in response to a request, a Malaysian really needs to say no, he will still say yes, because a direct "no" can lead to a loss of face or disrupt the harmony in the relationship.

Building business relationships with partners from this Asian country, it is important to always keep in mind the specifics of their communication (above all, the concept of face). In sensitive situations, it is better to return to the topic under discussion on various pretexts and ask the question you are interested in several times, but as if from a different perspective.