Cuba

Greetings

Man greeting Man - Men shake hands when greeting one another and usually maintain direct eye contact. Handshakes may linger. Good friends and family will engage in a firm hug which may be combined with a few slaps on the back.

Woman greeting Woman - At a first meeting, women generally shake hands. Friends and close acquaintances kiss each other once on the cheek.

Man greeting Woman - At a first meeting a regular handshake will do. Friends, family and close acquaintances usually share a light kiss on the cheek.

Communication Style

• Cubans tend to be direct and some what louder than what the norm is in North America.

Personal Space & Touch

• Cubans prefer standing close to one another while talking with someone they know. One to two feet is normal. When meeting strangers this distance is farther.
• There is a fair amount of touching between people while conversing (between men and men, and women and women and men and women).

Eye Contact

• Cubans tend to favor direct eye contact over indirect.
• During conversations direct eye contact is commonplace rather than sporadic as it shows a sign of interest and respect towards the speaker.

Gestures

• Cubans tend to speak very quickly and loudly. They use their hands and bodies for emphasis when speaking and tend to be emotionally expressive.
• Cubans will point by puckering their lips in the direction or person they are referring to.
• Wrinkling or scrunching up of your nose usually means, “huh” or “what?”

Views of Time

• Cubans place more emphasis on people and relationships than to the strict adherence of set schedules in social situations.
• The bus, train, and plane schedules are not adhered to for the most part, and showing up late to a party or function is quite common.

Gender Roles

• Even though women hold jobs in a variety of professions, they are still usually expected to do the housework and take care of the kids when they return home.
• Cubans have a very liberal view of sexuality. This holds true for both sexes.
• It’s acceptable for women to dine alone and walk alone at night.

Taboos

• Avoid spitting and blowing your nose in public.
• Avoid taking pictures of people without asking their permission.
• Avoid littering. It is against the law.

Law & Order

• There is no legal drinking age in Cuba. The purchase age is 16 and not readily enforced.
• There is no legal smoking age.
• Penalties for possession, acquisition, and trafficking of drugs are severe and include mandatory lengthy imprisonment in local jails.

Dress

• Dress is quite informal in for both men and women,
• For men: Depending on the situation, a guayabera shirt with nice slacks may be as formal as it gets. Business casual for a warm climate should suffice.
• For women: A pair of pants and nice shirt should do. Skirts are fine as well.
• Jeans and business casual attire are generally acceptable.

Titles & Business Cards

• Titles are very important and it is best to address people directly by using their professional title (or Mr., Mrs., or Miss) followed by the surname.
• 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.
• There is no specific ritual surrounding the giving of business cards.

Meetings

• Arriving on time for a meeting is important even though you may have to wait 30 minutes or more.
• There is usually 5-15 minutes of small talk before getting down to business. It is best to allow your host to begin the business discussion.
• It is considered acceptable to interrupt someone who is speaking.

Negotiations

• Cubans value relationship building and harmony so it is important to avoid hard selling, pressure tactics and any sort of conflict or confrontation.
• Decisions are made from the top down and can take sometime.

Gift Giving

• Gifts are not brought to a first meeting.
• When giving gifts it is best to bring something very modest as anything else could be misconstrued.

In the Classroom

• Dress at most schools is very casual. Students usually wear shirts, shorts, tank-tops and jeans.
• Most university grades are given on a 0-5 scale with a five being the highest. The minimum passing grade is usually a 3.
• Students must greet their teacher in a standing position until the teacher tells them they may sit.