Greeting

The traditional greeting ritual in Nepal is Namaste, in which it is customary to put the palms of the hands together at chest level, utter the word Namaste (which means I salute the God in you) and bow slightly to the interlocutor. The depth of the bow depends on the status of the person being greeted.

In business practice, the accepted form of greeting is a light handshake, which among Nepalis follows the traditional Namaste. With foreign businessmen, only handshakes are exchanged.

Men tend to shake hands with men and women with women. Handshakes between men and women are possible in principle, but keep in mind that not everyone is ready for any kind of touch (even a handshake) with the opposite sex. Men in such situations should wait for the woman to take the initiative.

If there are several people at your partner's side in Nepal, first say hello to the oldest or highest in status.

Forms of greeting like hugs, kisses, patting the shoulder or hand are only accepted between relatives, friends or people who know each other for a long time.

Introduction

Exchange of Business Cards

Every business card is usually exchanged after greeting partners.

Regulations, academic titles and degrees, and professional qualifications (if any) should be indicated on the business card.

Any material (including a business card) should be handed to or received from the partner with the right hand or two hands.

The text on the business card can be in English, which is the language of communication between local businessmen and officials and representatives of foreign companies and organizations.

Small Talk: Overview

In a conversation, your Nepali partner may ask you direct questions that relate more to a person's private sphere, such as: Are you married/married? How old are you? What family are you from? Although this is common in Nepali culture, don't initiate such questions for your counterpart.

Nepalis often take quite long silent pauses in conversation. Silence is generally well tolerated in this culture. There is no need to interrupt these pauses hastily.

In Nepali society, it is not customary to speak loudly and emotionally, to assert one's positions boldly and forcefully. Quiet, soft speech is preferable.

Preferred Topics

In Nepal, people are eager to talk about the culture and nature of the country. Nepalis will be happy to tell you about the most beautiful places, beautiful temples, cultural monuments etc.

Hear in mind that Nepal's environment is not only mountains, but also plains which are home to a large population.

Family is an important part of Nepali life, so this topic often comes up in conversation.

Nepalis are very open to conversation about work, entertainment (movies, music in particular), hobbies of the speakers, etc.

Local and international cuisine and cooking techniques in the cities and regions the speakers represent usually draw a lot of interest.

Taboo Topics

Don't draw parallels or compare Nepalis to Indians or make comments about the appearance or accent of the two cultures.

avoid discussing sensitive social issues such as poverty, corruption, gender and social inequality. Nepalis know their problems, but they are not willing to discuss them with foreigners, especially if the discussion is critical."

Contain from making hurtful comments about Nepal's royal family.

Politics, religion, and Nepal's caste system are not appropriate topics for small talk.

Do not use the word "poor" or "poor people" in reference to Nepalis (or any one person), it may offend your conversation partner.

Sexual relationships and especially jokes should be kept out of the small talk.

In Nepal, it is not acceptable to swear or curse while talking.

Money and sources of income are not good choices for conversation.

Personal Space

Comfortable communication distance is an arm's length or slightly less. This distance is generally shorter than, for example, in Western and Northern Europe.

Depending on who is on the conversation, the comfort distance varies: for example, men stand fairly close together, but this distance increases when women join the conversation.

Equal conversation partners have direct but low-intensity eye contact during conversation.

Physical touching between women and men is not acceptable in public, even if they are husband and wife, and body contact is limited to holding hands.

Persons of the same gender are free to touch each other, such as light hugs or hand-holding.

Communication Specifics

In communication, especially in formal contacts, polite and courteous behavior is expected from those involved.

Nepali communication style can generally be characterized as indirect. To avoid confrontation or confrontation in conversation, Nepalis often express themselves in florid language, repeating the same idea in different words, adding more details each time, but without naming things by their proper names.

If you are discussing an issue or controversial topic, try to be gentle and sensitive and speak directly to the person involved.

In Nepal, it is not common to express emotions openly, especially negative emotions and especially in the presence of others besides your companions. Nepalis tend to avoid public confrontation, quarrels and excessively heated discussions.

When people shake their heads from side to side (not turning, but tilting them alternately to the right and left), this is often interpreted by other cultures as "no." In fact, the movement is multi-purpose and can range from a silent "yes" or "thank you" to simply showing the other person that they are being listened to and that they agree.