外国文化差异-英文版.doc

Meeting people for the first time.French people observe formal etiquette. They are very particular with manners and they put this into practice in all situations especially when meeting people for the first time The handshake is the most common act the French do when they meet people for the first time. They shake hands upon meeting and before leaving. Friends greet each other by kissing on the cheeks. To show respect, always address people with the title Monsieur or Madame during first meetingWhat most important is It might appear discourteous and arrogant to immediately begin speaking in English, hoping that your counterpart will in your first meet.When attempting to converse in France, be it with a shopkeeper, waiter, policeman or local, you should as least make a certified and respectable attempt to speak some elementary conversational French.When seeing friends for the first time ,guests are expected to bring with them a gift like flowers, a cheese dish or a bottle of wine. Flowers should be given in odd numbers but never 13 since this is believed to be an unlucky number. There are also particular kinds of flowers that should not be given to French people to avoid offending them. Any kind of white flowers are only used during weddings; white lilies or chrysanthemums are only used during funerals; red carnations symbolizes bad will. When giving wine, choose the best in class. French are very selective with their wines. The other choice facing people is the choice between Tu or vous, formal and informal, when speaking French is quite confusing, usually you use the formal way with friends and family, despite your mother in law or aunts if they are French will usually use the formal way to talk to you, your colleagues at work will use the informal way but first wait for them to start using tu. Last but not least ,kiss hello to greet each individual with the appropriate number of kisses on the cheek.Among the 20- and 30-something generation its pretty much expected to kiss hello, even when meeting friends of friends for the first time. In general, gently touching your cheek to your recipients while pursing your lips and making a kissing sound does the trick. Theres no rule as to which cheek should get the initial kiss, but people often start the kissing to the right. The occasional embarrassing momentwhen youre forced to change your trajectory halfway through to avoid wayward lipsis inevitable. When greeting elderly people for the first time it isnt always appropriate to faire la bise and you can avoid a potentially embarrassing situation by simply shaking hands. French women faire la bise with other women and between the sexes, but if you see two men kissing one another hello or goodbye it usually means that they are very close friends or havent seen each other for some time.As a rule, foreign men should stick to the priciples when meeting for the frist time and let the relationship growsBelow given are some tips for you to follow when you meet someone for the first time:1. Be yourself. When you are perceived as being confident and relaxed, the other person also feels more confident and relaxed chatting with you. This also helps you avoid putting up a fake image of yourself in front of others and then, trying your best to maintain it every time you meet them.2. It can be a scary thing meeting new people, sometimes. But all you need to do is build your confidence and self-esteem and challenge your negative self-talk. Usually, at events, getting into conversations with people you know and then meeting people you dont know proves to be of great help in avoiding getting tongue-tied or saying things that sound funny or seem out of place.3. Stop believing in first impression is the last impression. Although it is quite important to present yourself in decent ways to give a good first lasting impression, do not judge others on the same basis. It is quite possible that they are also nervous chatting with you or that they simply had a bad day. Give them some time in order to strike a good comfort level with them.4. While starting up a conversation with people you are meeting for the first time, it is advisable to ask them things about themselves. However, avoid getting too personal and getting into discussions on politics, sex, religion, or death. Gradually, when you listen to them speaking about the things they do or the things they like or dislike, you will be able to realize whats common between you and them.5. They say that smile because a smiles can do the magic for you and this certainly holds true when it comes to meeting new people. Also try being friendly with them, since this will make them feel more comfortable, as well as try maintaining an eye contact which shows that you are also comfortable and confident chatting with them.