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Cultural do's and don'ts:

Central America >	Japan >
China >	Southeast Asia >
India >	USA >

WITH CENTRAL AMERICANS:
El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico

DO:

1.	Communicate in an indirect style.
2.	Take time to develop personal relationships.
3.	Be aware time is flexible.
4.	Emphasize and build trust.
5.	Be friendly in business dealings.
6.	Recognize that physical contact is common when conversing.
7.	Know that, generally, Latin Americans stand relatively close during conversation.
8.	Acknowledge official titles.
9.	Give clear instructions and directions.
10.	Make an effort to understand Central American cultural values.

DON'T:

1.	Be too direct or aggressive.
2.	Do business without first establishing a personal rapport.
3.	Embarrass anyone in front of others.
4.	Ask 'yes' or 'no' questions (if it can be avoided).
5.	Pull away in conversation because of someone standing too close.
6.	Ignore the importance of status.
7.	Opine on Central American/US political issues.
8.	Expect your authority to be challenged, even when you're wrong.
9.	Assume that 'yes' always means 'yes'.
10.	Be afraid to learn some Spanish words and phrases.

The key to improved harmony within a multicultural workforce is not to memorize do and don't lists, but to comprehend their rationale. While interesting, the above do/don't lists are not culture - only its symptoms.

What creates this behavior? Why do people react differently to the same thing? How can a gesture be interpreted positively by people from one place and negatively by people from another? The answer lies in human culture.

To truly understand human culture and promote a more harmonious workforce, we encourage you to read more about culture training or sign up for our Working Across Cultures workshop.

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