Venezuela

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. Handshakes are usually warm yet firm.

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.

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

Personal Space & Touch

• Venezuelans are comfortable standing 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 a fair amount of touching between men and men, and women and women while conversing. Touching between men and women is limited.

Eye Contact

• Venezuelans favor direct eye contact over indirect. Maintaining eye contact is important and not doing so is considered impolite and bad form.
• During conversations sustained eye contact is commonplace rather than sporadic.

Gestures

• Venezuelans are somewhat formal and appreciate correct posture and polite mannerisms.
• Putting your thumb in between your middle and index finger while making a fist is a symbol of good luck.
• Pointing is done by using the forefinger, the mouth/lips can be used as well.

Views of Time

• Venezuelans 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 one to two hours late to a party or function is quite common.

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.
• As a woman going to local bars and clubs unaccompanied is not advised.
• Local men can be somewhat aggressive in their pursuit of foreign women. Women who are firm yet somewhat friendly in rejecting these advances tend to gain the respect of men.

Taboos

• Making an O.K. sign is an extremely rude gesture. Avoid it.
• Beckoning or pointing with the index finger is considered bad form. Using your whole hand, palm flat, is the way to go.
• Putting one’s feet on the furniture is considered extremely bad form.

Law & Order

• The legal drinking age in is 18, but it is not heavily enforced..
• The legal smoking age is 18 but it is somewhat enforced.
• Being in possession or caught trafficking of small quantities of drugs results in a minimum 10 year jail sentence.

Dress

• Venezuelans value being well dressed and nicely groomed. Dress to impress.
• For men: high quality dark colored suits with shirt and conservative ties
• For women: feminine stylish business suits or dresses and matching shoes.
• Elegant accessories can go a long way in impressing a potential client.
• Jeans, sneakers, and business casual attire are a no-no.

Titles & Business Cards

• Titles are very important and it is best to address people directly by using their professional title or as Mr., Mrs., or Miss, plus their surnames.
• The giving of business cards is an important in networking. Be sure to have many available and treat people’s cards with care and respect..
• 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 up to a half an hour or so.
• Venezuelans usually like getting right to the point although sometimes small talk will go on for a bit before getting to business issues. It is best to allow your host to begin the business discussion.
• Meetings can go on for longer than scheduled. Be patient and go with the flow.
• Do not expect a decision to be reached during the first meeting. Expect several.

Negotiations

• Venezuelans favor holding the power in a meeting so it is important to avoid hard selling, pressure tactics and any sort of conflict or confrontation.
• It is considered acceptable to interrupt someone who is speaking. This may happen a lot and prolong the negotiations.
• Decisions are usually made by the highest ranking official.

Gift Giving

• Gifts are usually not brought to a first meeting.
• If invited to a Venezuelan household, it is appropriate to send flowers and/or bring fine wine, spirits, or chocolates.
• Make sure that gifts are nicely wrapped and expect them to be opened right away.

In the Classroom

• The school year usually runs from September to July.
• Dress at most schools is casual. Students usually wear shirts, sweaters, slacks or jeans most of the time.
• Most university grades are given on a 0 to 20 scale with twenty being the highest. The minimum passing grade is usually a 10.