Norway

Greetings

Man greeting Man - Men shake hands when greeting one another while maintaining direct eye contact. A firm but fairly brief handshake is the norm. With friends, a simple hello will suffice. If you have not seen someone in a long time, a hug is common.

Woman greeting Woman- At a first meeting, women generally shake hands while maintaining direct eye contact. With friends, a simple hello will suffice. If you have not seen someone in a long time, a hug is common.

Man greeting Woman- At a first meeting a regular handshake will do. Good friends may engage in a light hug or a single cheek kiss.

Communication Style

• Norwegians generally speak in politically correct terms, meaning they do not want to step on any toes when expressing their opinions. However, in the north of Norway, people tend to be more direct and say exactly what they think without worrying about offending.
• Humility tends to be highly valued throughout the country. Talking about one’s accomplishments and achievements tends to be looked down upon.
• Periods of silence are common in conversation, it is best to not try and fill in the gaps.
• It is considered rude to interrupt someone during conversation and it is important to really show interest in what they are saying.

Personal Space & Touch

• Personal space is highly respected in Norway; a little more than an arm’s length is common. Even when amongst family and friends, individual space is maintained.
• Touching is not very common during conversations. If you know someone well, then a slight touch to accent a point would be accepted.

Eye Contact

• Direct eye contact is important in as it seen as a sign of respect and trustworthiness.
• As a socialist country, everyone feels on equal footing, even when speaking with professors or managers, so mutual respect and eye contact is essential.

Views of Time

• Punctuality is highly valued and it is best to always be on time in social and business situations.
• Despite the importance of punctuality, trains are often late and the train system is a common complaint of Norwegian people.

Gender Roles

• As Norway is a socialist country, women are seen as equal in the work force and are expected to work.
• Views on sexuality and sexual orientation tend to be quite liberal.
• There is pressure on women to have a good career and still be a good mother/wife, however, it is more and more acceptable for the man to take paternity leave and allow the woman to keep working.

Taboos

• Interrupting someone during a conversation is very rude.
• Waiving a pointed index finger or pointing at someone is considered rude. It is best to use the whole hand.
• Giving someone the finger (raised middle finger) is an obscene gesture.

• The Hook-em horns sign, extending the pinky and index finger while bending the thumb, the middle and ring finger is a sign of the devil and will most likely be very offensive.

Law & Order

• Drinking starts extremely early, often around the age of 13 or 14. Often times when there is nothing to do, especially during the long winter, drinking is an acceptable activity.
• At the age of 18, one can buy alcohol with less than 22% ABV. One must be 20 to purchase stronger alcohol, however, a minor is almost never held criminally responsible for attempting to buy alcohol.
• Beer, cider and "alcopops" can be bought in any store, while beverages above 4.7% must be bought at Vinmonopolet (the state owned alcohol store).
• Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.
• The image around smoking is changing and it is becoming less and less acceptable to smoke. A big trend in is wet tobacco, which is flavored chewing tobacco that comes in little packets with different flavors.

Dress

• For men: In Oslo and other large cities, conservative, dark or medium colored suits with shirt and tie are common. Business casual and even more informal attire may be acceptable in certain industries.
• For women: stylish yet classic business suits or dresses/pants and blouses. Business casual and other informal attire may be appropriate depending on the industry.
• Make sure shoes and boots are always cleaned and polished. People will most likely look down on you if you have worn looking shoes.
• Avoid wearing ripped or old clothes.

Titles & Business Cards

• Most people greet one another by their first name as is a socialist country and everyone is considered on equal standing. It tends to be feel very unnatural to call someone Mr. or Mrs., even for elders, professors, friend’s parents or professionals.
• It is somewhat old fashioned to call someone by their title.
• There is no specific protocol surrounding the giving and receiving of business cards. It is always best to treat the card with respect.

Meetings

• For meetings, one must be on time. Being late is looked down upon heavily.
• There is usually not much time allotted for small talk.
• Norwegians believe that everyone’s opinion/thoughts should be heard in a meeting. This sometimes results in lengthier meeting and longer discussion around issues that may have already been resolved.

• Periods of silence are common in conversation, it is best to not try and fill in the gaps.

• It is considered rude to interrupt someone while they are speaking.

• If you realize you will be more than 10 minutes late for a meeting or dinner invitation, you should phone with an apology and explanation, saying when you expect to arrive.

Negotiations

• Decisions tend to be made by group consensus and may take awhile to be reached.
• Norwegians do not tend to display anger or other emotions in public situations, so it is best to remain calm during the negotiation process.
• Avoid hard selling and any sort of conflict or confrontation. Norwegians tend to respond much better to the honest straight forward approach.
• Bargaining is usually kept to a minimum.

Gift Giving

• Gifts are generally not brought to an initial meeting.
• If invited to a Norwegian’s house, it is appropriate to bring a nice bottle of wine, imported liquor, or good chocolates/sweets.
• Flowers may be an appropriate gift as well but avoid giving carnations, lilies or white flowers as they are reserved for funerals.
• It’s a good idea to have gifts nicely wrapped and expect them to be opened right away.

In the Classroom

• The school year starts in mid-August and ends in mid-June. Vacations consist of a few days off for fall break, two weeks for Christmas (often called Jul after the Viking winter solstice), a week for Easter and then two months for summer break.
• May 17th is a national holiday dedicated to the Norwegian constitution. Many people wear traditional costumes, called bunad, and participate in or watch the national parade. Another important holiday is St. John’s Day, on June 24th, it marks the beginning of summer vacation and is often celebrated by lighting bonfires.

• Students usually dress as they like although nothing too revealing, mostly because it doesn’t get that hot in Norway. It also depends on the subject of study, for example, law students might dress more formally than a computer science majors.

• Three years ago, grades were based on a scale from 1-6. Now at the university level, grades are given on an A-F scale with F indicating a failing grade.

• Grades are not usually affected by attendance, but most students are not more than 5 minutes late to class.

• At the university level, there are both lecture classes and discussion groups. However, it is not simply copying verbatim what the professor says; you are still encouraged to ask questions.

• Seminars or discussion groups are now required, based on lectures, in which students ask critical questions often directly to the professor.

• Lots of study time outside of class is expected.