I got a link by email yesterday that I’m supposed to hand over to my students. I teach at a business school, and since we have study programs in international business and in business travel management, our students need to learn about the business culture in other countries. There’s a new website with information about the business culture in different European countries and this is what the website tell us about Finns and how to interact with Finns.

I guess it’s good to know that Finns kiss as well as the next nation, makes it a lot easier for our international students (and other men too) to know what to do with Finnish girls… If you want to date a Finnish girl you will do fine as long as you follow some simple rules.

Here’s a quote from the Passport to Trade site:

When greeting, the parties shake hands, nod their heads and make eye contact. A Finnish handshake is brief and firm, and involves no supporting gestures such as touching the shoulder or upper arm. When greeting a married couple, the wife should be greeted first, except on a formal occasion where the hosts should first be greeted by the spouse to whom the invitation was addressed. Children are greeted by shaking hands, too.

Embracing people when greeting them is rare in Finland. Finns can kiss as well as the next nation, but they rarely do so when greeting. Hand-kissing is rare, although some women find it charming. Friends and acquaintances may hug when meeting, and kisses on the cheek are not entirely unknown, although this habit is not generally found in countryside areas. There is no special etiquette regarding the number of kisses on the cheek – however, most Finns feel that three kisses is going a bit far.

Altogether, Finnish people are quite reserved and thus any expression of feelings should be kept to the minimum not to cause any embarrassment. A smile is always appreciated, though.

When you want to negotiate with a Finnish girl whether you’re allowed to walk her home or not, remember this:

Negotiation

Finns are modest about their achievements, and you should do the same. Do
not expect immediate feedback or a lot of questions. The silence indicates they are thinking about what you have said. Silence in conversations is considered an accepted aspect of social interaction. Two- to three-minute pauses of silence are common. Do not interrupt this silence. You should also not talk when someone else is talking. Interrupting is regarded as rude.

If you’re lucky and she let you walk her home and even invite you in for coffee, remember this:

It is important to keep one’s commitments and to the timescales agreed upon. In cases when this is not possible all parties involved should be informed about the problems.

Finns are mostly modest, low-key and factual – and expect the same from others, too. Meetings tend to be brief and to the point. Everyone is expected to enter the meeting well prepared. Finns are very straightforward in their acts and talk. They mean what they say. And sometimes Finnish frankness may even seem a bit tactless. But after all their way of communicating is quite uncomplicated, which is rather refreshing.

All I can say is… Good Luck!

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This entry was posted on Saturday, November 17th, 2007 at 7:55 am and is filed under Personal, Work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.