Chile

Greetings

Man greeting Man - Men shake hands when greeting one another and maintain direct eye contact. At a first meeting a handshake will suffice and is sometimes combined with slight touches on the arms and/or elbows. Good friends and family will engage in a hearty hug or abrazo which is sometimes combined with a few firm slaps on the back.

Woman greeting Woman- At a first meeting, a light handshake will suffice, sometimes usually accompanied by a slight nod and warm smile. Friends and close acquaintances generally kiss each other once on the cheek while lightly holding both hands.

Man greeting Woman- At a first meeting a regular handshake will do. It is polite for the man to wait for the woman to extend her hand before shaking it. Friends, family and close acquaintances will share a light kiss on the cheek.

Communication Style

• Most Chileans never want to offend anybody, so they’ll say “maybe or possibly” even when they know they will not be able to get the thing you are asking for done.

Personal Space & Touch

• Chileans tend to stand close to one another while talking. One to two feet is normal. It can be considered rude to back up or away from someone while they are speaking.
• There is also a fair amount of touching between men and men, men and women and women and women while conversing. This includes hand on shoulders, hand on arms, and hand on hands.

Eye Contact

• Chileans favor direct eye contact over indirect. Maintaining eye contact is viewed as sense of honesty and interest in the person who is speaking.
• During conversations sustained eye contact is commonplace rather than sporadic.

Gestures

• Correct posture and little use of gestures and hand movements is the norm in
• Beckoning with the hand is considered bad form, just using the index finger even worse.
• Try to avoid yawning and be sure to cover your mouth with a hand if you do yawn..
• The chin flick; flicking your fingers under your chin usually signifies not caring and can be seen as a crass gesture.

• A common gesture is to use your pointer finger and shake it back and forth to indicate “No,” or just that something is unacceptable.

Views of Time

• Chileans tend to place more emphasis on people and relationships than to the strict adherence of set schedules.
• While the bus, train, and plane schedules will be adhered to for the most part, showing up two hours late to a party or function is quite common.

• It is not rude to be late, in fact most people will be late to social situations, although if you are inferior to a person in status and you’re going to a business meeting you better be on time, while the superior is allowed to be as late as he or she wants.

Gender Roles

• Work opportunities for women are varied and available depending on social class.
• Women are still expected to do most if not all of the cooking and cleaning.

• Women should be prepared to be bombarded with catcalls.

Taboos

• Pouring wine with the left hand while grasping the neck of the bottle is a big no-no. Avoid both.
• Holding your fist upright and level to your head is considered a communist sign and one to avoid.
• Making a fist and slapping it against the palm of the other hand means “screw you.”
• Holding the hand as if holding a round object is another way of saying, “screw you.”

Law & Order

• The legal drinking age in is 18, but it is not heavily enforced.
• The legal smoking age is 18 but it is not enforced at all. Cigarettes and cigars are readily available and a great majority of students and adults smoke.
• Being in possession of small quantities of drugs is highly illegal and usually results in serious jail time for foreigners. If you are caught trying to take drugs in or out of the country, it is an automatic lengthy jail sentence.

Dress

• Chileans respect and appreciate those who dress well, yet conservative.
• For men: conservative, gray or blue colored suits with white shirts and conservative ties.
• For women: blue or gray business suits and shoes with low heels.
• Jeans and business casual attire are a no-no as are brightly colored clothes and extravagant accessories.

Titles & Business Cards

• Titles are very important and it is best to address people directly by using their professional title only. If they do not have professional titles like, Doctor, Lawyer, etc, they should be addressed as Mr., Mrs., or Miss, plus their surnames.
• There is no specific ritual surrounding the giving of business cards although a worn or damaged card can reflect poorly on the individual.
• It is advisable, although not required, to have one side of your business card translated into Spanish. Present your business card with the Spanish side facing the recipient.

Meetings

• Arriving on time for meetings is important even though you may be kept waiting.
• Beginning with small talk helps establish a base for the relationship, after which discussion of business matters can begin.
• Appropriate small talk topics include: family, literature, music. Avoid talking and asking about politics and human rights.
• It is considered acceptable to interrupt someone who is speaking. This can viewed as having strong interest in what somebody is speaking about.
• Do not expect a decision to be reached during the first meeting. Expect several.

Negotiations

• Avoid hard selling and any sort of conflict or confrontation. Chileans respond much better to the soft sell.
• Honesty, integrity, kindness, and trust are highly valued. Avoid bribery at all costs.
• Feeling and emotions can play a major role in successful negotiations.

Gift Giving

• Avoid bringing gifts to a first meeting.
• If invited to a Chilean’s house, it is appropriate to bring flowers (avoid black or purple as they mean death), wine, and or chocolates.
• Stick with conservative gifts versus expensive. Make sure that gifts are nicely wrapped and expect them to be opened right away.
• Avoid gifts like a letter opener, knives, and or scissors as they can mean a severing of relations.

In the Classroom

• The school year usually runs from March to November with a long vacation from December thru February.
• Dress at most schools is upscale casual. Students usually wear shirts, sweaters, slacks or nice jeans most of the time.
• Grades are given on a 1 to 7 scale with seven being the highest. The minimum passing grade is usually a 4.