Business Trip to Singapore? Here Are the Best Cultural Tips…

Singapore has already become a travel destination for many business owners. This is no surprise! With an extraordinary advancement in infrastructure and technology, the country is more welcoming. But, before planning for a business trip, we at One Visa Pte Ltd will recommend that you learn some cultural tips to avoid mistakes that could cost your image in the new environment. Each country has a culture, and it could be different from that of your hometown. As a business traveler, you must be ready to learn these differences before making business travel decisions. Here are the best cultural tips for business travelers to Singapore. Read on…
Customs and Etiquette for Businesses:

If you want to conduct meetings, you must make the arrangements well in advance. As such, you must also follow the dress code, which is a suit for all important meetings. If you didn’t bring your suit, you can wear a formal shirt with a tie. The greeting gesture for meetings will be a handshake that is done softer and longer than the normal western ones. In any case, being punctual is critical for business meetings. And, while addressing Singaporeans, you must call them using their honorific title along with their surnames. When it comes to exchanging cards, you should give or take the cards using both of your hands. Once you have taken the card from others, you must not set them aside immediately. Rather, you need to show some interest in them.

Conversation Tips:

In Singapore, you will not find it difficult to start a conversation because English is spoken by all. Also, in the country, it’s perfectly okay to ask questions about someone’s bodyweight, relationship status, income, and so on. However, try to keep your tone as low as possible. Remember, here raised voices will be considered to be harsh. When you want to compliment a person in Singapore, you need to do it based on their accomplishments and not on their appearance. When you remember these important things, you are free to speak about various things like these:

•  Travel
• Arts
•  Economic advances
•  Architecture
•  Foods and cuisines
•  Future plans
•  Business goals
• Personal interests

Wait; there are things that you need to avoid while talking to Singaporeans. They are the following:

•  Personal life of others
• Bureaucracy
•  Religion
•  Politics
•  Legal issues
•  Punishments
•  Crimes

Gesture Tips:

Physical touch between two persons of the same gender is taken as perfectly okay and is taken to be a sign of friendship here. As the country has several different cultures and religions, you must take into consideration their norms too. In this line, using the left hand is considered to be unclean in the Hindu and the Muslim traditions. So, whenever you eat in business meetings, you must avoid touching the food with your left hand. Similarly, some Indians, as well as Malays, consider the head to be holy, and hence, they don’t like to be touched on the head or face.

So, here are the best cultural tips to be followed by a business traveler to Singapore. We hope that they were useful!

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