Greeting

The traditional form of greeting in this country's business environment is the handshake, which tends to be exchanged by men. However, those who have worked with foreigners for a long time tend to shake hands with both women and men.

If a Saudi colleague refrains from shaking hands with a foreign woman, it is not rude or impolite behavior. On the contrary, it shows his respect for the woman.

Bodily contact between the sexes is not accepted because of Muslim traditions, which are strong in this state. Foreign women should wait for an initiative from a man before extending a hand to greet him. The same goes for foreign men, who should be sensitive to the woman's behavior in this situation.

When in doubt about what is appropriate behavior to greet a foreign man simply tilts his head slightly toward the woman, smiles, and says hello in English or (better) Arabic.

The traditional greeting procedure in Saudi Arabia is different. Relatives, friends or people who know each other well and for a long time, in addition to shaking hands, put their left arm around each other's right shoulder while exchanging kisses on the cheek (a light touch of cheek to cheek). Sometimes they can even touch each other with the tip of their noses ("rub their noses"). The latter is only possible between very close friends.

In this Arab country, older people are treated with particular respect. They are greeted first.

When greeting someone, it is important to maintain eye contact with them during all business conversations. This only applies to conversations between men. If a woman is involved, the man should not look at her, stare at her closely, or compliment her appearance or clothing.

Foreigners should not imitate the mannerisms of their partners in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to emulate traditional Arab forms of greeting. Close business and even friendly relations should be established beforehand.

Foreigners should not copy the mannerisms of their Saudi partners in an attempt to replicate traditional Arab forms of greeting.

Introduction

In formal, formal and business situations, especially with beginners, the accepted form of address is Mr or Mrs, followed by the first name (not the last name) of the person, e.g. Mr Ali. The same applies to a woman: Mrs Maryam.

All titles, titles and degrees are important in Saudi Arabia. When you meet a high-level government official, use Your Excellency. If you, for some reason, have to meet a sheikh who has any formal title or rank, you should use it when addressing him. This is especially important in written communication.

If you do not know (or do not have) your partner's title, academic degree, use polite forms of address, Mr, Ms, Miss, followed by the person's name.

If your partner has a PhD, you should use this when addressing him. In this case, the person whose name is Abdullah Hussein Khan Al>Saud and who has a PhD or doctoral degree should be addressed as Dr Abdullah.

In Arabic surnames you can often find the words ibn and bint, for example, Ibrahim Khalfan Bin Kharbash or Fatemah bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Bin means "son of someone", followed by the name of the father, bint means "daughter of someone", followed also by the name of the father. With these words another generation in the family can also be indicated, namely the father's father. However, the current trend is to indicate only the father's name (and not the father and grandfather). The person's last name is given at the very end.

After marriage the woman keeps her last name, and the children get their father's last name.

Exchange of Business Cards

In Saudi business practice, it is customary to exchange business cards when introducing yourself at the beginning of the first meeting, after the greeting.

The business card should include a standard set of information, including name, title or position in the company, company name, all contact addresses. Especially important is the cell phone number (women are better off not including it).

If you have a degree, rank, engineering or medical qualifications, make sure you put this on your business card, and put it in an eye-catching way. All such regalia are highly valued in this society.

It is advisable that the text on at least one side of your business card be in Arabic.

If you know in advance that your partners speak English, then there is no need for Arabic text on your business card.

There is no special ritual to follow when you give your business card in Saudi business practices. However, remember that business cards, like any other paper or document, should be handed (and received) with the right hand and not the left.

In Saudi Arabia, business cards are handled with the right hand.

Small Talk: Overview

Business conversations are preceded by small talk, which is a kind of prelude to the actual negotiations. It is important for Arab businessmen to get to know their potential partner, because establishing a relationship is at the core of any business. These conversations create a sense of trust between partners, an important category in the Arab world.

No matter how hasty you get in the small talk, don't rush into business because your project could end before it begins. Show sincere interest in the partner, his interests and preferences, for example, in sports or travel. Act naturally, friendly and interested.

Prepare ahead of your trip to Saudi Arabia by learning a few phrases in Arabic. They come in handy when you are greeting someone, the handshake demands a verbal greeting common in the Arab world: As-salaamu alaikum, which means Peace be with you. The reply is Wa alaykum as-salaam, which means And to you peace.

When speaking with others, particularly in the company of elders, it is important to be as polite and courteous as possible. Arabs generally treat guests with the utmost respect and expect the same treatment when they themselves visit.

When chatting, avoid asking general questions that require a "yes" or (especially) "no" answer, especially if your question could be construed as a request. Your Arab partner will probably agree to do what he is asked, but not what he would like to do. Instead of a direct refusal, he will politely but evasively agree. It is important to catch some nonverbal signs of his true intention. Whether consent is expressed in a warm and emotional way or in a detached and cautious way can be a clue.

If you're sitting at a low table or on the floor at an event, take note of your posture. Your partner shouldn't see the bottom of your shoes, it's considered a very rude, even insulting, gesture because feet are considered a dirty part of the body.

Preferred Topics

Sports, especially soccer and basketball.

Travels, places the speakers have visited, impressions of those places.

Sightseeing in Saudi Arabia that the guest plans to see.

Common traditions and business practices in the guest's native culture.

As the relationship with the partner develops and deepens, many Arabs also start discussing family matters during communication, for example they may talk about their children. They will be pleased if the foreign partner doesn't forget the names of their children and names them on occasion.

They will be pleased if the foreign partner doesn't forget the children's names and names them on occasion.

Taboo Topics

Personal Space

In this Arab culture, the distance between comfortable conversations varies according to the gender of those involved. Men stand fairly close to each other during conversations, but this distance increases considerably when women are involved.

The people of Saudi Arabia make extensive use of body language during conversations. Physical touching, including long handshakes, and putting your arm around the elbow or shoulder, are very common gestures. This also applies only to men, who should not touch women under any circumstances.

The distance of comfortable communication in Saudi Arabia is shorter than, for example, in Central and Northern European countries. It is important not to try to increase this distance by taking a step back, for example, because this will be perceived negatively.

Communication Specifics

The great importance in Saudi Arabian business culture is the development and maintenance of relationships. This is especially important in contacts with foreign partners. It is the development of personal relationships that is important, whether it is talking with a partner outside of business, participating in social events together, attending various forums, etc. This temporary investment will certainly pay off over time.

The speech of the Saudis is not straightforward. On the contrary, there is often a subtext in the language that is influenced by factors such as the relationship between the speakers, their status in society, and the situation of the conversation itself. Of particular importance are reticences, certain gestures and facial expressions, intonation, as well as the meanings of certain words, understood only by the speakers of that culture.

It is important to bear in mind that in communication, Arabs often say what they think they are expected or wanted to say instead of saying what they think directly and openly. This is because Arab families have lived together for decades (and even longer) in the same communities, where the daily maintenance of harmonious relations has been a necessity.

Since, within the Arab community, family or personal relations have often overlapped with business relations, this indirect, often very veiled way of communication has also become characteristic of the business sphere.

But such hidden meanings are well understood in Arab society. However, foreigners will have to take the time to understand them and learn to respond to them appropriately. So when conversing, be careful to gently and discreetly clarify what your partner is saying.

In this Arab culture, as in many Arab countries, emotive and expressive speech, loud enough and with a lot of gesticulation, is appreciated. In contrast, silent and inexpressive speech is perceived as insincere. Often how it is said is more important than what is said.

The exchange of compliments between Arabs is not surprising. They praise each other quite often and verbosely. The foreign businessman, if the praise is directed at him, should respond appropriately, i.e. make a number of complimentary remarks to his partner, because that is what is expected of him. It is important to remember that Arab women should never be mentioned in these remarks.