Haiti

Greetings

Men greeting Men - Men usually shake hands when greeting one another and maintain direct eye contact. At a first meeting a warm handshake will suffice.

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

Greetings between Men & Women - At a first meeting a regular handshake will do. Friends, family and close acquaintances usually share a light kiss on the cheek.

Communication Style

• Haitians tend to be very indirect in communicating. Often times points are made with stories and parables as many people take the long way around to get to the point.
• A good conversation starter is to talk or ask about one’s family.
• Humor and laughter play a big role in communicating.
• It’s best to avoid talking about politics until you have established a strong relationship with someone.
• Conversation via telephone is commonplace, but it is no substitute for personal visits and conversation in person.

Personal Space & Touch

• Haitians tend to prefer standing about an arm’s length from one another while conversing. This space may be less between goof friends and family.
• There is usually a fair amount of touching between men and men, and women and women and men and women while conversing. Light touching on the arms, hands, and shoulders is common.
• It is common to see people holding hands in public but kissing or hugging in a romantic sense is not usually appropriate.

Eye Contact

• Haitians 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.
• Staring is not usually considered rude, especially if people are looking at foreigners. Be prepared to be stared at non stop.

Views of Time

• In it is very common for people to have to wait for services, appointments, etc. Most accept it as a norm and give freely of their time regardless of the situation.
• Punctuality is not highly valued and being late is usually not considered rude.
• Transportation services like the “tap-tap” ( taxi/bus combo), do not tend to run on time and will usually depart when they are full.

Gender Roles

• Gender roles tend to follow the traditional route throughout the country. Women usually do all laundry, cooking, cleaning, child rearing, etc. and the men work the fields (rural areas) or other jobs (urban areas).

Taboos

• Whistling at someone is considered rude, as is pointing.

Law & Order

• The legal drinking age is 16, and is not readily enforced.
• Penalties for possession, acquisition, and trafficking of drugs are severe and include mandatory lengthy imprisonment in local jails.

Dress

• For Men- nice pants, dress shirt and tie. Pants are a MUST in government and business offices. Shorts are not allowed. Dress tends to be more casual in rural areas vs. urban.
• For Women- skirts or sometimes a more western pant suit is acceptable. Dress tends to be more casual in rural areas vs. urban.
• Being clean and well groomed is highly valued.

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 French.
• There is no specific ritual surrounding the giving of business cards although it is advisable to treat the card with respect.

Negotiations

• When it comes to negotiating, most Haitians love the drama and show of negotiating. They may pretend to be horribly offended by your offer, but this is usually just a ploy to up the ante. Usually the best actor wins.

In the Classroom

• Lecture and rote memorization are the most common forms of teaching.

Other Observations

• It's best to ask permission before taking pictures of locals.