UK - LANGUAGE, CULTURE, CUSTOMS AND ETIQUETTE

Welcome to our guide to the UK. This is useful for anyone researching British culture, customs, manners, etiquette, values and wanting to understand the people better. You may be going to Britain on business, for a visit or even hosting British colleagues or clients in your own country. emember this is only a very basic level introduction and is not meant to stereotype all Brits you may meet! Facts and Statistics Location: Western "urope, islands including the northern one#si$th of the island of %reland between the &orth 'tlantic (cean and the &orth )ea, northwest of *rance Capital: +ondon Cli at!: temperate, moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the &orth 'tlantic -urrent, more than one#half of the days are overcast "op#lation: ./,00.,123 45uly 1//0 est.6 Et$nic Ma%!-#p: white 4of which "nglish 32..7, )cottish 3..7, Welsh 8.97, &orthern %rish 1.976 91.:7, blac; 17, %ndian :.37, <a;istani :.27, mi$ed :.17, other :..7 41//: census6 R!li&ions: -hristian 4'nglican, oman -atholic, <resbyterian, =ethodist6 0:..7, =uslim 1.07, >indu :7, other :..7, unspecified or none 12.:7 41//: census6 Go'!(n !nt: constitutional monarchy Lan&#a&! in t$! UK The United Kingdom does not have a constitutionally defined official language. "nglish is the main language 4being spo;en monolingually by more than 0/7 of the UK population6 and is thus the de facto official language. (ther native languages to the %sles include Welsh, %rish, Ulster )cots, -ornish, ?aelic and British )ign +anguage. %mmigrants have naturally brought many foreign languages from across the globe.

British )ociety, <eople and -ulture

T$! Unit!d Kin&do The United Kingdom is comprised of four countries@ "ngland, )cotland, Wales, and &orthern %reland. %t is important not only to be aware of these geographical distinctions, but also the strong sense of identity and nationalism felt by the populations of these four nations. The terms A"nglishA and ABritishA do not mean the same thing. ABritishA denotes someone who is from "ngland, )cotland, Wales or &orthern %reland. A"nglishA refers to people from "ngland. <eople from )cotland are A)cotsA, from Wales BWelshC and from &orthern %reland B%rishC. Be sure not to call someone Welsh, )cots, or &orthern %rish B"nglishC.

T$! Class S)st! 'lthough in the past few decades, people from varied bac;grounds have had greater access to higher education, wealth distribution is changing and more upwardDdownward mobility is occurring, the British class system is still very much intact although in a more subconscious way. The playing field is levelling but the British still seem to pigeon#hole people according to class. -lass is no longer simply about wealth or where one lives, the British are able to suss out someoneCs class through a number of comple$ variables including demeanour, accent, manners and comportment. A M#ltic#lt#(al Soci!t)

*ormerly a very homogenous society, since World War %%, Britain has become increasingly diverse as it has accommodated large immigrant populations, particularly from its former colonies such as %ndia, <a;istan and the West %ndies. The mi$ture of ethnic groups and cultures ma;e it difficult to define EBritishnessF nowadays and a debate rages within the nation as to what now really constitutes being a Briton. T$! Sti** Upp!( Lip The British have been historically ;nown for their stiff upper lip and EblitG spiritF as demonstrated during the ?erman bombings of World War %%. This Bgrin and bearC attitude in the face of adversity or embarrassment lives on today. 's a nation, the Brits tend not to use superlatives and may not appear terribly animated when they spea;. This does not mean that they do not have strong emotions, merely that they do not choose to put them on public display. They are generally not very openly demonstrative, and, unless you ;now someone well, may not appreciate it if you put your arm around their shoulder. Kissing is most often reserved for family members in the privacy of home, rather than in public. YouAll see that the British prefer to maintain a few feet of distance between themselves and the person to whom they are spea;ing. %f you have insulted someone, their facial e$pression may not change.

The British are very reserved and private people. <rivacy is e$tremely important. The British will not necessarily give you a tour of their home and, in fact, may ;eep most doors closed. They e$pect others to respect their privacy. This e$tends to not as;ing personal questions. The question, EWhere are you fromHF may be viewed as an attempt to EplaceF the person on the social or class scale. "ven close friends do not as; pointedly personal questions, particularly pertaining to oneCs financial situation or relationships. There is a proper way to act in most situations and the British are stic;lers for adherence to protocol. The British are a bit more contained in their body language and hand gestures while spea;ing. They are generally more distant and reserved than &orth and )outh 'mericans and )outhern "uropeans, and may not initially appear to be as open or friendly. *riendships ta;e longer to build, however, once established they tend to be deep and may last over time and distance.

British "tiquette and -ustoms

M!!tin& and G(!!tin& The handshake is the common form of greeting. The British might seem a little stiff and formal at first. Avoid prolonged eye contact as it makes people feel uncomfortable.

There is still some protocol to follow when introducing people in a business or more formal social situation. This is often a class distinction, with the 'upper class' holding on to the long-standing traditions: ntroduce a younger person to an older person. ntroduce a person of lower status to a person of higher status. !hen two people are of similar age and rank, introduce the one you know better to the other person. Gi*t Gi'in& Eti+#!tt! The British e"change gifts between family members and close friends for birthdays and #hristmas. The gift need not be e"pensive, but it should usually demonstrate an attempt to find something that related to the recipient$s interests. f invited to someone's home, it is normal to take along a bo" of good chocolates, a good bottle of wine or flowers. %ifts are opened when received. Dinin& Eti+#!tt! &nlike many 'uropean cultures, the British en(oy entertaining in people their homes. Although the British value punctuality, you may arrive )*-)+ minutes later than invited to dinner. ,owever, if going to a restaurant be on time. Table manners are #ontinental, i.e. the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating. The fork is held tines down so food is scooped on to the back of the fork. This is a skill that takes time to master. -emain standing until invited to sit down. .ou may be shown to a particular seat. /o not rest your elbows on the table. f you have not finished eating, cross your knife and fork on your plate with the fork over the knife. ndicate you have finished eating by laying your knife and fork parallel across the right side of your plate. Toasts are given at formal meals. !hen in a pub, it is common practice to pay for a round of drinks for everyone in your group. f invited to a meal at a restaurant, the person e"tending the invitation usually pays. /o not argue about the check0 simply reciprocate at a later time.

Business "tiquette and <rotocol

G(!!tin&s A firm handshake is the norm0 there are no issues over gender in the &1. 2eople shake upon meeting and leaving. 3aintain eye contact during the greeting but avoid anything prolonged. 3ost people use the courtesy titles or 3r, 3rs or 3iss and their surname. !ait until invited before moving to a first-name basis. 2eople under the age of 4+ may make this move more rapidly than older British. Business cards are e"changed at the initial introduction without formal ritual. The business card may be put away with only a cursory glance so don$t be offended if not much attention is paid to it. T$! ,(itis$ Co #nication St)l!

The British have an interesting mi$ of communication styles encompassing both understatement and direct communication. =any older businesspeople or those from the Aupper classA rely heavily upon formal use of established protocol. =ost British are masters of understatement and do not use effusive language. %f anything, they have a mar;ed tendency to use BqualifiersC such as AperhapsA, BpossiblyC or Ait could beA. When communicating with people they see as equal to themselves in ran; or class, the British are direct, but modest. %f communicating with someone they ;now well, their style may be more informal, although they will still be reserved. Written communication follows strict rules of protocol. >ow a letter is closed varies depending upon how well the writer ;nows the recipient. Written communication is always addressed using the personAs title and their surname. *irst names are not generally used in written communication, unless you ;now the person well. "#mail is now much more widespread, however the communication style remains more formal, at least initially, than in many other countries. =ost British will not use slang or abbreviations and will thin; negatively if your communication appears overly familiar.

,#ildin& R!lations$ips The British can be quite formal and sometimes prefer to wor; with people and companies they ;now or who are ;nown to their associates. The younger generation however is very different, they do not need long#standing personal relationships before they do business with people and do not require an intermediary to ma;e business introductions. &onetheless, networ;ing and relationship building are often ;ey to long#term business success. =ost British loo; for long#term relationships with people they do business with and will be cautious if you appear to be going after a quic; deal. ,#sin!ss M!!tin&s %f you plan to use an agenda, be sure to forward it to your British colleagues in sufficient time for them to review it and recommend any changes. <unctuality is important in business situations. %n most cases, the people you are meeting will be on time. )cots are e$tremely punctual. -all if you will be even I minutes later than agreed. >aving said that, punctuality is often a matter of personal style and emergencies do arise. %f you are ;ept waiting a few minutes, do not ma;e an issue of it. +i;ewise, if you ;now that you will be late it is a good idea to telephone and offer your apologies. >ow meetings are conducted is often determined by the composition of people attending@ f everyone is at the same level, there is generally a free flow of ideas and opinions. f there is a senior ranking person in the room, that person will do most of the speaking. %n general, meetings will be rather formal@ 3eetings always have a clearly defined purpose, which may include an agenda. There will be a brief amount of small talk before getting down to the business at hand.

f you make a presentation, avoid making e"aggerated claims. 3ake certain your presentation and any materials provided appear professional and well thought out. Be prepared to back up your claims with facts and figures. The British rely on facts, rather than emotions, to make decisions. 3aintain eye contact and a few feet of personal space. After a meeting, send a letter summari5ing what was decided and the ne"t steps to be taken.