If your business requires you to travel internationally, or meet regularly with people of other countries, are you aware of what your gestures and body language are communicating? We all know that different cultures have different gestures and different levels of comfort with certain body language, but do you know the specifics for the nationalities you deal with? You should, as your trustworthiness and credibility may be at stake. Here are a few tips to remember about your body language in your next international meeting.

Dont use signs with your hands- You may have no idea what your commonly used symbol means in other countries. Here are some examples the ok sign so commonly seen in the US means worthless or zero in France. Worse yet, in Brazil it is considered vulgar, so you might get slapped if you flash it to a woman from that country. The thumbs up symbol that is widely recognized in the western world as a positive sign means get stuffed, or something very close to that in Bangladesh. At best, your audience may have no clue what your gesture means; at worst it may be offensive. Best bet - just keep any signs for your fellow countrymen!

Dont wave your arms - Talking with your hands is common and nearly expected in Italy, but in many Asian cultures it is considered distracting, a sort of meaningless chatter. Your best chance of having your speech or presentation have worldwide appeal is to keep your arm movements to a minimum.

Keep your distance, maybe Knowing what is expected in the culture youre visiting or working with is important. For instance, in the UK, Canada and the US, were most comfortable with somewhere around 18-24 inches distance between us when we talk. In other parts of Europe, they prefer to be a bit closer, about 14-16 inches difference. In Asian countries, they like even more distance as much as 36 inches in Japan. But, in Middle Eastern cultures, standing 24-36 inches away from your associate would make you seem very untrustworthy. They prefer a distance of around 8-12 inches between parties when talking.

Your body language is crucial when conducting business. International negotiations can be difficult enough without having your body unintentionally send insulting or inappropriate messages. So take care and maybe sit on your hands!

Keith MacLean presents his Psychology of Persuasion and Body Language seminars for a reasonable fee to groups of all sizes worldwide. When you are ready for more check out http://www.pop-seminar.com

$4 Articles: Where To Get Them And How They Can Work As Content For Your Site
Many online content writers in the United States and the UK feel rather threatened by content providers who churn out $4 articles. These sort of articles are usually produced by writers who come from countries like India where living costs are a frac...

The Business Letter - Write it Right and Succeed
A business letter is not an ordinary communication.A business letter is one in which some information is passed that should be important enough to put into writing, and more, should evoke some kind of a response.Write your business letter right and y...

Can a Translation Be Perfect?
When you write a document in English and send it for review, you can almost guarantee that the reviewer will make changes. It doesnt matter who the reviewer is, how good your original article is, or what it is for.This is completely normal and health...

The People Behind Translation Services
If you log onto Google and type in translation services you will find that there are around 2 Million entries in the UK pages alonewere you to search worldwide, you would find some 94 Million entries. These figures attest to the huge demand for trans...

Self-Awareness is a Step Toward Wholeness
Awareness is an essential part of survival. We make a point to be aware of our surroundings, current events, and even things of no real benefit. So why not make it a must to be aware of the inner most part of our being, which would make for a more p...

Diet Tea To Lose Weight
Tea is the most popular beverage. It is enjoyed by the rich and the poor, the bourgeoisie and the intellectuals, irrespective of their country of origin, their culture or language. It is the taste, the sweet aroma, and the fragrance that has made tea...

How to Build Self Confidence and Build Up Your Self Esteem
Confidence is sureness about your abilities and the expectation that those abilities will lead you to a positive outcome. Self esteem is a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself, a sense of self-respect.If youre like most people, yo...

How To Choose A Bidder For Outsourcing Your Project?
You have taken the decision to outsource your writing job to a freelancer in a far away land. It seems that this freelancer can write in the language you prefer and the initial impression is favorable. The bidder has given a reasonable cost and time ...

How to Give Great Presentations at Work
What is a great presentation? As you might have already seen on the Internet, or read in books, there are many definitions of great presentations. Nevertheless, they all emphasize one point - a great presentation is one which, ideally speaking, compl...

Translation and Interpreting Services - How Businesses Should Shop for Language Services
With our world rapidly getting smaller and international relations growing exponentially, accessing and sharing information written in foreign languages has become an everyday necessity. Thats why today, more people and businesses seek the services o...