 Background – land, climate, and history  People – population, language, religion, general attitudes, and personal appearance  Customs and Courtesies – greetings, gestures, visiting, and eating

 Lifestyle – family, dating and marriage, diet, recreation, holidays, and commerce  Society – government, economy, transportation, communication, education, and health

 Clairol introduced the “mist stick,” a curling iron but found in Germany, mist is slang for manure.  In Chinese, KFC slogan “finger-lickin’ good” came out as “eat your fingers off.”

 Use international icons, and avoid any symbolisms that mean one thing in one culture and another in a different culture  Owl (means wisdom in US and considered a stupid bird in China)

 “Ok” sign  Hand wave (palm facing outward)  Nodding head to say “Yes”  Rude and insulting in Russia, Germany, and Brazil Means money in Japan Means zero in France  “Go away” or “no” in India and Europe  Bulgaria and Greece means “No” Gestures may cause misinterpretations and bad feelings

Women  Take more time to ask questions to build a rapport with clients  Women tend to process things abstractly  Feeling, empathy, intuitive  Harmony, closeness  Relationships, sharing  Cooperation, group  Women talk out loud to others, processing information externally for decision making. Men  Men want to get directly down to business  Men process information analytically  Reason, logic  Power, rank, status  Compete, winning  Team, think  Men view conversation as a means to exchange information and problem solve

The language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group.

1. All messages must inform 2. Many messages must persuade 3. All messages should build relationships of trust

Content Specialist - Formal  Grammar  It is  He is  Wording  Repair  Thank you  Do not end a sentence with a preposition. Peer to Peer - Informal  Grammar  It’s  He’s  Wording  Fix  Thanks

Adjust your dress to at least the same level as your audience or one step above.

 Honesty: honorable in principles, intentions, and actions; upright and fair  Integrity: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty

 Trust: Reliance on the integrity, strength, and ability of a person; confidence  In business, more trusted people obtain promotions and are chosen for more important projects  In relationships, trusted people make better friends

 Ethical: pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct  Unethical: lacking moral principles; unwilling to adhere to proper rules of conduct

1. Identify the ethical issue or problem. 2. List the facts that have the most bearing on the decision. 3. Identify anyone who might be affected by your decision and how. 4. Explain what each affected person would want you to do about the issue. 5. List three alternative actions and identify the best and worst case scenario for each alternative, anyone who would be harmed by this choice (and how), any values that would be compromised by selecting this alternative, and any automatic reasons why this alternative should not be selected (legal issues, rules, etc.). 6. Determine a course of action.

 How do the goals of personal communication relate to the goals in marketing?