In multicultural Can–ada, it’s not uncommon for advisors to meet and interact with people from all over the world. But each culture has its own traditions. Do you shake hands with everyone? Offer a kiss on the cheek to those from French or Latin cultures? Bow to the Japanese?

Although some cultures meet and greet by kissing or bowing, in a North American business environment, shaking hands is the accepted form of greeting, says Deborah McGrath, director of Millar McGrath and Associates, an Innisfil, Ont.-based company that offers training in social etiquette and international protocol.

“It’s the correct way to greet both men and women, as gender no longer plays a role in the academic, business or social arenas,” she says.

Shaking hands is the most acceptable way to touch a person we don’t know, she says. And there is a proper way to do it:

> Extend your hand with thumb up, and fingers out and straight.

> Hands should meet web to web. (The web is the space between the forefinger and thumb.)

> Gently close your fingers around the other person’s hand, grip the hand firmly, give two or three pumps, and then let go.

> Shake from your elbow, not from your wrist or shoulders.

> Make eye contact if it’s appropriate to the culture; some cultures don’t make eye contact.

> Be the first to extend your hand. The person who extends first has a distinct advantage, McGrath says.

Handshakes vary slightly between cultures. The Latin handshake has a lighter grip and lingers twice as long as the North American model. The Japanese handshake has a very light grip, with three or four gentle pumps. Germans have a firm grip and one pump, but they shake often.

McGrath recalls working with a new colleague from Germany. “In the first 10 minutes, we shook hands three times,” she says. “We shook hands when we were introduced, when we took a break and at the end of the meeting.”

It is inappropriate to kiss someone the first time you are introduced, especially in a business environment — even if it is normally done in the other person’s culture.

“If you are going to be meeting people from different cultures or other countries,” McGrath says, “you’ll want to have a country-specific briefing.” IE