Appearance
- Men wear a conservative dark business suit and tie.
-Women may wear a dress, or skirt and blouse, for business.
-Informal clothing is appropriate when not attending business functions. Casual pants are fine for both men and women.
-Men should not become physically demonstrative with another man, or wink at a woman.
Behavior
-Being punctual is critical.
- Maintain good eye contact during meetings and conversations.
-A single, male passenger using a taxi should sit in the front seat.
- Gift giving is not a common practice in business.
-You may bring a small gift of chocolate, wine or flowers if invited to someone's home.
-When paying for a round of drinks, do not pick up the tab out of turn, and make sure to pay when it is your turn.
-Should you approach a line/queue, go to the end/back and wait your turn.
Australia Communications
-English is the spoken language
-Shake hands when meeting and when leaving.
- Although uncommon, some women may greet each other with a kiss on the cheek.
-Exchanging business cards is common among professional workers.
- Australians are friendly and open, but directness and brevity are valued.
-Opinions are respected, and opinionated discussions are entertaining.
-Be an active listener, and ask if you do not understand something in the conversation.
-Do not hype yourself, your company or your information.
Negotiating and Decision Making
-Australians get down to business quickly with a minimum amount of small talk.
-They are quite direct and expect the same in return. They appreciate brevity and are not impressed by too much detail.
-Negotiations proceed quickly. Bargaining is not customary. They will expect your initial proposal to have only a small margin for negotiation.
-They do not like high-pressure techniques.
-Decision-making is concentrated at the top of the company, although decisions are made after consultation with subordinates, which can make decision making slow and protracted.