A Quick Guide to Canadian Business Culture

7/30/2019 A Quick Guide to Canadian Business Culture

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Table of Contents

Business Greetings 3

Business Meeting Etiquette 4

General Communication Tips 5

General Canadian Management Style 6

Weird Tips and Oddities 7


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Business Greetings

Important: One of the most important things to remember is that in business settings,

Canadians dont hug when they greet each other. Hugging, a common way to greet in Mexico, isonly reserved for close friends and family members in Canada.

Also be aware that the common kiss on the cheek to say hello in Mexico is not used in Canada.Like hugging, a kiss is reserved for close relationships only.

How to Greet a Canadian (Business Etiquette)

Eye Contact is Vital. If you dont look me in the eye, I dont trust you. When greeting

a Canadian, always look them in the eye.

Firm Handshake Please. Give a firm (not bone crushing) handshake when greeting

and saying goodbye. Canadians will judge you, if they trust you or want to do business withyou, based on your eye contact and handshake. So be careful to get it right! (Firm

handshakes are expected for and from MEN and WOMEN.)

Use their first name if you know it.

Canadians tend to be reserved when they first meet you, but after getting to know you they

tend to more relaxed. (Dont take this as being rude.)

Being polite is vital. (Its a Canadian thing.)

Personal matters, like family, are not talked about immediately.


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Business Meeting Etiquette

Time and schedule matter. If your meeting is scheduled to start at 9:30a.m. If it

is scheduled to end at 11:00a.m., try hard not to go one minute longer than that. Schedule

and time matter A LOT to Canadians. They see it as a matter of respect.

Everyone participates. Canadians tend to value the opinion and ideas of all meeting

participants. It doesnt matter your position in the company. If youre at the meeting, you

can and should par ticipate.

Facts and Figures matter. Have facts and figures ready to support your ideas.

Rational and Logical. Prefer facts and figures to persuade Canadian business

associates. Feelings and emotions are important, but Canadian culture tends to rely on

logical or empirical data to decide things.

Dont Interrupt. Interrupting, for many Canadians, is a very rude thing to do. Take

turns to speak.

Emphasis Courtesy and Politeness - avoid open confrontation. If things heat up

in a meeting, take a moment to calm down before moving forward.

Key Values: Canadian culture tends to strongly value being reserved, understated, diplomacy

and tact. Canadian communication style also values polite directness. Yes means Yes and Nomeans No.


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General Communication Tips

Personal Privacy is Very important. Canadians are usually open to talk about

most topics, but will avoid going personal with you until they know you. (Be careful here:Mexican culture tends to be warm and very quickly moves to topics of family etc. A Canadian

may not be comfortable with this for a while.)

Learn to Observe and Follow Suit. If youre not sure how to speak with your

Canadian (or coworker from another culture) a good rule to follow is to simply watch what

they do, and then follow suit.

E-mail Long business e-mails will likely not get read. Keep e-mails short and to the point.

Use bullet points.

Reply quickly.

Follow formality of your sender.


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General Canadian Management Style

Decisive, but not authoritarian. In many cases Canadian business culture values

decisive leadership, but not authoritarian. Your Canadian business associates will likelyappreciate your input and ideas when deciding a matter. However, when the decision needs

to be made you will likely see your associate moving quickly and firmly.

Informal and Friendly. Usually, Canadian business leaders prefer to avoid formality.

You can usually call them by their fi rs t name, for example. (Wait for them to te ll you that,

or simply ask: Do you prefer Jane or Mrs. Baxter? if you want to be sure.)

Democratic. According to studies like the Geert Hofstede Analysis, Canadian culture

tends to avoid strong divisions of power, and generally places great importance to

cooperation and equality.

Complying with Obligations/Agreements. If you agree to do something, do

it. And do it WHEN you said you would. Your Canadian business associates will expect you todeliver exactly when you said you would.

On Your Own. Individualism is a strong Canadian cultural value. In fact, in the Geert

Hofstede Analysis, worldwide Canada has the highest score in this category. Meaning foryou? You can more than likely expect your Canadian business associates to expect you to

work on your own.

Ask Questions. Remember, if you dont know what to do on a project or work

assignment, ask questions until you get it. If you dont leaders may just assume you know

what youre doing.


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Weird Tips and Oddities

Never call a Canadian an American. While Canadians are happy to be neighbors

of the United States, it is a mistake to lump them into an American label. Canadians areCanadians. Americans are Americans, and Mexicans are Mexicans.

Shoes come off at home. Did you know that most Canadians take their shoes off

when they step inside their home? Never wear your shoes inside a Canadians house, its a

sign of disrespect.

There is kissing! Canada, as you may know, has strong French influence. If your

business associates are from Quebec, they may be more used to the custom of kissing on the

cheek when greeting.

Canadians dont all say Eh! Not all Canadians say Eh after a sentence.

Maybe youve seen that on TV or in movies.


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Thank you for taking the time to read this short guide to working with Canadian business culture.If you have more questions, or if youd like to learn more about how we can serve you or your

company, please get in touch with me! Id love to hear from you.

Website: www.epicenterlanguages.com.mx E-mail: [email protected]

@epicenterone www.facebook.com/EpicenterLanguages
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A Quick Guide to Canadian Business Culture

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