■British Society, People and Culture

◆ The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is important not only to know these geographical distinctions, but also the strong sense of identity and nationalism perceived by the populations of these four nations.

The terms “English” and “British” do not refer to the same thing. “British” indicates someone from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. “English” denotes people from England. People from Scotland are “Scots”, from Wales “Welsh” and from Northern Ireland “Irish”. Make sure that you don’t call someone Welsh, Scots, or Northern Irish “English”.

◆ The Class System

Although in the past few decades, people from different backgrounds have had more opportunities to receive higher education, wealth distribution is changing and more upward/downward mobility is taking place, the British class system is still very much complete although in a more subconscious way. The playing field is leveling but the British still seem to classify people according to class.

Class is no longer simply related with wealth or where one lives; the British are able to sort out someone’s class through a number of complicated variables which include demeanor, accent, manners and comportment.

◆ A Multicultural Society

Once a very homogenous society, since World War II, Britain has become increasingly diverse as it has accommodated a large number of immigrants, particularly from its former colonies such as India, Pakistan and the West Indies. The blending of ethnic groups and cultures make it difficult to explain “Britishness” nowadays and a debate breaks out within the nation as to what now really composes a Briton.

◆ The Stiff Upper Lip

The British have been historically famous for their stiff upper lip and “blitz spirit” as displayed during the German bombings of World War II. This “grin and bear” attitude in the face of hardship or embarrassment continues to be alive today.

As a nation, the Brits don’t like to use superlatives and may not appear terribly vigorous when they speak. This does not mean that they do not have strong emotions; merely that they do not like to display them publicly. They usually do not show affection openly and freely, and, unless you know someone well, may not accept it if you place your arm around their shoulder. Kissing is most often kept especially for family members in the privacy of home, rather than in public. You’ll see that the British prefer to keep a few feet of distance between themselves and the person to whom they are speaking. If you have humiliated someone, they may not change their facial expression.

The British are very conservative and private people. Privacy is extremely important. The British will not necessarily show you around their home and, in fact, may keep most doors closed. They hope others respect their privacy, which includes not asking personal questions. The question, “Where are you from?” may be regarded as an attempt to “place” the person on the social or class scale. Even close friends do not ask obviously personal questions, particularly concerning one’s financial situation or relationships.

There is an appropriate way to behave in most situations and the British are sticklers for following protocol. The British are a bit more reserved in their body language and hand gestures while speaking. They are generally more unfriendly and reserved than North and South Americans and Southern Europeans, and may not appear to be as open or friendly at the beginning. It takes longer to establish friendship; however, once established they tend to be deep and may last over time and distance.

■British Etiquette and Customs

◆ Meeting Etiquette

◇The common form of greeting is the handshake.

◇The British might seem a little rigid and formal at first.

◇Avoid lengthy eye contact as it makes people feel embarrassed.

◇There are still some rituals to adhere to when introducing people in a business or more formal social situation. This is often a class difference, with the “upper class” adhering to the long-standing traditions: introduce a younger person to an older person; introduce a person of lower status to a person of higher status; when two people are of similar age and rank, introduce the one you know better to the other person.

◆ Gift Giving Etiquette

◇Gifts are exchanged between family members and close friends for birthdays and Christmas.

◇The gift need not be valuable, but it should usually show an attempt to find something that caters to the receiver’s interests.

◇If invited to someone’s home, it is common to bring a box of good chocolates, a good bottle of wine or flowers.

◇Gifts are opened when received.

◆ Dining Etiquette

◇Unlike many European cultures, the British enjoy treating people in their homes.

◇Although the British attach great importance to punctuality, you may arrive 10-15 minutes later than invited to dinner. However, be punctual if going to a restaurant.

◇Table manners are Continental, i.e. use left hand to hold the fork and the knife for the right hand while eating.

◇The fork is held tines down so food is removed on to the back of the fork. It takes time to master this skill.

◇Keep standing until shown to sit down. You may be directed to a particular seat.

◇Do not place your elbows on the table.

◇If you have not finished eating, cross your knife and fork on your plate by putting the fork over the knife.

◇Suggest you have finished eating by placing your knife and fork parallel across the right side of your plate.

◇Make toasts at formal meals.

◇When in a pub, it is common practice to treat everyone to a round of drinks in your group.

If you are invited to a meal at a restaurant, the person making the invitation usually pays the bill. Do not argue about the check; simply invite in return at a later time.

■Business Etiquette and Protocol

◆ Greetings

◇A firm handshake is the code of conduct. Men and women can also shake hands with each other in the UK.

◇People shake hands upon meeting and leaving.

◇Maintain eye contact during the greeting but avoid anything protracted.

◇The courtesy titles or Mr., Mrs.or Miss and their surnames are used by most people.

◇Don’t move to a first-name basis until invited. People under the age of 35 may make this change more rapidly than older British.

◇Exchanged business cards at the initial introduction without formal ritual.

◇The business card may be put away with only a brief glance so don’t be upset if it is not given much attention.

◆ The British Communication Style

The British have an interesting combination of communication styles including both understatement and direct communication. Many older business people or those from the “upper class” adhere much to established protocol. Most British are extremely skilled at understatement and do not use hearty language. If anything, they tend to use “qualifiers” such as “perhaps”, “possibly” or “it could be”.

When dealing with people they view as equal to themselves in rank or class, the British are direct, but modest. If communicating with someone they know well, their style may be more informal, although they will still be restrained.

Written communication adheres to strict rules of courtesy. How to close a letter differs depending upon how well the writer knows the receiver. Written communication is always addressed by the person’s title and their surnames. First names are not usually used in written communication, unless you are very familiar with the person.

Email is now much more prevalent; however, the communication style remains more formal, at least at the beginning, than in many other countries. Most British will not use slang or abbreviations and will consider negatively if your communication seems excessively familiar.

◆ Building Relationships

The British can be quite formal and sometimes would like to have dealings with people and companies they know or who are known to their associates. The younger generation however is very different; they do not require long-standing personal relationships before they conduct business with people and do not need a third-party to make business introductions. Nevertheless, networking and relationship establishing are often crucial to long-term business success.

Most British seek long-term relationships with people they conduct business with and will act very carefully if you appear to be going after a quick deal.

◆ Business Meetings

If you intend to use an agenda, make sure it is forwarded to your British colleagues in sufficient time for them to review it and suggest any changes.

Arriving on time is important in business situations. In most cases, the people you are meeting will be punctual. Scots are extremely punctual. Telephone if you will be even 5 minutes later than appointed. Having said that, being punctual is often a matter of personal style and emergencies do occur. If you are kept waiting a few minutes, do not make a fuss over a trifling matter. Similarly, if you know that you will be late it is better to telephone and make apologies.

How meetings are organized and carried out is often determined by the makeup of people attending: if everyone is at the same level, they can express their ideas and opinions freely; if there is a senior ranking person in the room, that person will be the main speaker.

Generally meetings will be rather formal:

◇The purpose of meetings is always clearly defined, which may contain an agenda.

◇Before getting down to the business at hand there will be a brief amount of small talk.

◇If you give a presentation, try not to make any exaggerated claims.

◇Make sure your presentation and any materials supplied appear professional and are the result of much thought.

◇Be prepared to support your claims with facts and figures. The British make decisions on the basis of facts rather than emotions.

◇Maintain eye contact and keep a few feet of personal space.

◇After a meeting, send a letter which summarizes what was decided and the next steps to be taken.