Greeting

At the beginning of a negotiation or business meeting, you should shake hands with everyone present, both high-ranking and lower-ranking people in the hierarchical structure. The greeting of a senior person should not differ from a junior person's. Poles are generally in favor of egalitarian working relationships.

The handshake, which is traditionally strong in Poland, is accompanied by a verbal greeting - in Polish Dzien Dobry (Good morning / Good afternoon), Dobry wieczór (Good evening). When greeting your partner, it is important to maintain direct eye contact.

During the first meeting, your Polish partner is likely to be polite and rather reserved. Polish society has a somewhat formal way of dealing with people you do not know. When addressing people you do not know, use your partner's surname rather than their first name.

As your business relationship develops, your communication style with Polish colleagues will become less formal and, even at the greeting stage, more warm and emotional.

If there are women among Polish colleagues, men should greet them first, with a preference for older women. Then you can move on to greeting the men.

Light kisses on the cheek are possible both between women and between men and women, but only if they are relatives or close friends. Such light kisses are exchanged when saying goodbye. Men, even those who have known each other for a long time and know each other well, greet each other with handshakes.

In situations of official business communication, even within the framework of long-term business contacts, it is customary to address each other by surname. Wait until your partner suggests you call him or her by his or her first name.

Introduction

In business contacts, a certain formality in communication is customary, which you see primarily in the use of surnames rather than first names when addressing people. Young people, however, prefer a less formal style and sometimes even insist on being addressed by their first name. If you are not familiar with the situation in general and do not know the people, it is better to stick to the formal side.

Within an organization or company, employees tend to address their bosses by their surname rather than their first name, although much depends on the area of work. Such formality is especially observed in communication between the sexes.

In Polish society, it is customary to use polite forms of address within the framework of oral contact. Personal forms of address followed by a surname are: Pan (for a man) or Pani (for a woman), e.g. Pan / Pani Nowak.

If your partner has suggested that you call him or her by his or her first name, you can still use the polite forms Pan/Pani, e.g. Pan Jakub or Pani Hanna.

It is not uncommon to add professional or job designations to polite forms of address, if available, e.g. Pan Kierownik (Mr Manager), Pan Inzynier (Mr Engineer), Pani Profesor (Ms Professor).

If your Polish acquaintance has professional or official insignia, these should be used when addressing him/her, e.g. Pan Doktor Nowak or Pani Profesor Kowalski.

Exchange of Business Cards

The exchange of business cards is an indispensable part of business etiquette in Poland. As a rule, business cards are exchanged at the beginning of a business meeting.

In addition to the standard information about you - company name, position, contacts - it is not uncommon in Poland to include academic degrees and/or titles, as well as other possible professional and/or official regalia.

Bright business cards with lots of colours should be avoided.

Make sure that the text on one side of the business card is in Polish. The text on the other side of the business card can be in your native language or another language.

There is no special ritual when exchanging business cards in Poland. Just treat your partner's business card with respect.

Small Talk: Overview

An important element of business practice in Poland is personal relationships between partners. Try to invest enough time in their development.

In the early stages of developing contacts, your Polish colleague is likely to behave in a rather reserved and formal manner, sticking to the general rules of protocol and business etiquette.

Typical features of communication at the initial stage are a respectful attitude, especially if the interlocutor is older in age or position, neutral speech, and addressing each other using regalia and/or insignia.

During communication, avoid active gesticulation and physical touching, and maintain direct eye contact. Do not allow familiarity in communication; formal behavior should be a preference in any case.

Over time and as you develop a more friendly and trusting relationship, your Polish colleague's communication style will change. He will become less formal and more open, and he will smile more. After all, in Polish society, it is not customary to smile at strangers or people you don't know very well.

Preferred Topics

Food, Polish cuisine.

Nature and beauty of the country, sights.

Sports topics, especially football and the national football team, which Poles are proud of.

Current events, business news, economic issues.

Poland's economic growth.

Family, but refrain from making any comments on what your Polish interlocutor will share.

Names or angel days. Many Poles bear the names of Catholic saints whose days are widely celebrated in Polish society.

Taboo Topics

Religious topics in general should be avoided. The Catholic Church in Poland (85.8% of the population is Catholic) still has a significant influence on people's lives. However, religion is a very personal area, so you should avoid talking about it.

Regardless of your religious views, it is not a good idea to be critical of any religious traditions, church practices, or rituals.

Questions related to sexuality will not be well received by your Polish interlocutors. The topics of abortion, the LGBT movement, and the use of light drugs fall into the same category.

Political topics can be very painfully perceived by your Polish partner. These include, above all, recent and also relatively recent events, in particular Poland's socialist and post-socialist development, its participation in the Second World War, and some others.

Personal Space

The comfortable speaking distance in Poland is somewhat shorter than in other European countries, especially in central and northern Europe, where the usual comfort zone of people speaking is an arm's length or slightly longer.

Try not to increase the distance between you and your partner during communication, for example by taking a step back. Your interlocutor may feel uncomfortable.

Physical contact during communication is accepted between people who know each other well or are relatives. They may often touch each other while talking or, for example, walk hand in hand while strolling in the park.

With strangers, physical contact is limited to a handshake, which people exchange when greeting or saying goodbye.

Public displays of emotion and expressive body movements are rather the exception. Only in the case of a heated discussion do Poles gesticulate, for example, in support of their thoughts.

When communicating, it is important to maintain eye contact with the interlocutor, which in Polish society indicates the honesty and sincerity of the speaker's intentions. On the contrary, avoiding the interlocutor's eyes may look suspicious and disrespectful.

Communication Specifics

Establishing relationships is important in Polish business culture. Polite, discreet, attentive, serious, sincere behavior will be appreciated by your Polish colleague and will lay the foundations for effective joint work.

Communication in Polish society is what specialists name “high context”. This means that your interlocutor's speech may contain hidden meanings or hints that you may not always fully understand. This is because people who have lived together for a long time usually react in the same way to this or that situation. In this case, a keyword or gesture that is understandable in this (but not in another) society will suffice.

If your Polish partner gives an evasive answer to a request, it is most likely a refusal. Giving a direct negative answer can be seen as impolite and spoil the relationship. Therefore, he or she will try to avoid giving a direct refusal and say something like "Your proposal should be studied" or "We may need more time for this and that".

Keep in mind that the Polish direct "No" sometimes implies "Maybe" or "Probably not, but maybe ...", "Depending on the circumstances", etc.

During the contact, pay attention to the general tone of the statement, the interlocutor's facial expression, his/her manner of communication, etc. If necessary, ask clarifying questions, especially closed questions (i.e. those that cannot be answered with "Yes" or "No").

Establishing trust in the relationship takes time, as well as joint participation in various social activities.