JAPAN BUSINESS ETIQUETTE: HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF FOR JAPAN OCCASIONS

With every occasion arises a way to carry yourself, and in Japan is important to know how much excitement to show or hold back and for which instance. I think it’s fair to say that “westerners” like me tend to get really excited and show it by a loud voice with fast talking. While it may be hard and not completely necessary to contain certain aspects of your personality when engaging in a conversation over lunch, you should mind how you deliver a business presentation.

LOOKING GOOD WHILE PRESENTING YOUR WORK

In Japan if a presentation is made too quickly it may be perceived as “not so thought provoking” or misunderstood, and the project could be overlook. While preparing statements, project, or lectures allow your audience to absorb the information. Some dos and don’ts are:

Do give outlines of your speech. This will help them follow along with the presentation and when the audience goes back to talk with their colleagues to decide on the project presented, their will have something to show.

Do give time between major points in your speech. Making sure everyone is following by summarizing each section.

Do give time for thinking. Schedule a meeting at a later date to gather the reactions from the presentation.

Do talk positive. Avoid talking someone down or pointing out mistakes or failures.

Don’t be discouraged if you put them to sleep. If you are talking and you see someone close their eye, they are taken in the information with less distraction. It is not uncommon for people to fall asleep so don’t be offended if it goes happen.

Don’t point your finger. If you must point use your hand to point.

Don’t use jargon. Or any words that might need to be looked up in the dictionary. Make the presentation with words that are easy to understand.

LUNCH IS THE IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY

As a time to socialize, I highly recommended thinking of yourself like a presentation for causal business lunches, with small talk as your evidence. Depending on the business and reason for the lunch, small talk is important because in Japan knowing who you are working with may be more important than the work itself.

Before the meal. An acceptable time to give and receive business cards; however, do not just put it away, be respectful by thoroughly examining the card, first.

During the meal. Follow your host by talking about what he or she wants to talk about.

After the meal. Watch or ask your business counterparts if they tip, in some parts of Japan it’s considered rude.