Please, no small talk

请不要再聊天了

Where: Finland, Sweden

国家：芬兰，瑞典

While chitchat about everything from the weather to the latest sport scores can be good way to ease into more serious meeting discussions in North America, this type of warm-up exercise isn't acceptable in places like Finland and Sweden where non-meeting related discussions can be perceived as a way to veer away from a formally-set agenda and as a waste of other people's time.

在北美，聊一聊天气、最新的运动赛事比分等所有事情都是轻松过渡到更严肃的会议讨论的好方法。但这种热身运动在芬兰和瑞典并不为人接受，因为与会议无关的讨论都被视作偏离正式议程的行为，会浪费别人的时间。

In some countries, including Finland, there are long pauses in the conversation, which can make visitors feel like there's an awkward silence. Don't try to fill it, though, with small talk or anything else. In parts of Northern Europe business people are more comfortable with pauses that can be as long as a minute peppered throughout the conversation, explained Friedman.

在芬兰以及其它一些国家，谈话中会有长时间的停顿，来访者会觉得这样的沉默很尴尬。但是，不要试图打破沉默，闲谈什么的都不可以。弗里德曼解释说，部分北欧地区的商人更习惯谈话中时不时地来段长达一分钟的沉默。

These breaks are used as a way to process what the other person is saying without interrupting. But a clashing of customs can make it easier to distrust the other side during a meeting, so it's crucial to keep this difference in mind.

沉默是因为他们要思考一下对方说的是什么，不希望受到打扰。但是在会议中，习惯不同很容易导致对对方失去信任，因此记住这个区别至关重要。

"The Americans' insistence on breaking the silence causes [the Finnish] to not trust [them]," for instance, said Friedman. "If someone Finnish gets quiet we wonder what excuses they are contemplating."

比如，弗里德曼说：“美国人总是要打破沉默，导致（芬兰人）不信任（他们）。如果芬兰人不说话了，我们就会想他们在找什么借口。”

Decode the feedback culture

破解反馈文化

Where: South Korea, Germany

国家：韩国，德国

When Soboll visits Seoul for business meetings, he anticipates the sort of feedback he will get by first making sure he understands the relationships of those across the table from him. The most junior team member speaks first to give some initial input and the decision maker typically speaks last to make the final call. The feedback order creates a formality to the meeting that helps the participants to understand the significance of each person's input, he adds.

索伯尔去韩国进行商业洽谈的时候，他要首先确保自己了解桌子对面的人都是什么关系，据此预计会得到什么样的反馈。首先说开场白的人是最初级的团队成员，而决策者往往做最后一项陈述。他补充说，这样的发言顺序是会议的正规程序，有利于与会者理解每个人发言的重要性。

German meetings, to that end, can feel equally cool, he said. There's often no way to tell how things are going. "German clients don't applaud or jump for joy," he said. "No one is going to spontaneously say how much they love this work."

他表示，德国人开会在这方面也挺酷。你通常无法预测事情进展如何。他说：“德国客户高兴的时候不会鼓掌或跳起来。没有人会自发地说自己有多喜欢这项工作。”