Social and Cultural Awareness

The way inwhich different cultures greet, farewell and hold conversations can vary not only in dialogue but also in terms of formality and use of body language. For example:

• Many Asian cultures do not shake hands upon greeting but will bow and/or press their hands together in a praying gesture. The deeper the bow the greater the respect being conveyed.

• Many Europeans will embrace and air kiss once or twice (or even more) on the cheek as a form of greeting.

• Muslim cultures often view the left hand as unclean (as it is used to clean oneself in the bathroom) therefore handshaking and also the passing of objects should only be conducted with the right hand.

If your client base is from a predominant culture it is worth conducting some research regarding appropriate greetings and conversational norms so that you can be prepared, show respect and avoid any embarrassing misunderstandings. Taking the time to learn a few words of greeting, farewell and thanks also shows that you appreciate their culture and can help to build rapport.

Helpful hint: Many Asian cultures observe the practice of 'saving face' which means that public criticism or drawing attention to something they are doing wrong/incorrectly is taboo. Use discretion when offering feedback. 

The following video provides a quick overview of different types of greetings from around the world:

Body language makes up the largest part of our non-verbal communication and can include actions like:

• Eye contact.

• Gestures.

• Facial expressions.

• Touch.

There are differences between how certain cultures use body language during communication, some more obvious than others. For example:

• Indigenous cultures view the avoidance of eye contact as a sign of respect whereas the opposite is the case for Western cultures.

• The 'OK' sign (connecting the thumb and index finger in a circle shape and holding the other three fingers straight upwards), is an insult in Greece, Spain, Brazil and Turkey. 

• The thumbs up gesture often means a job well done, however in Greece and many countries in the Middle East it is an insult.

• Many facial expressions are considered to be universal (meaning they are recognised all over the world as the same meaning), including smiling, sadness, surprise, fear, disgust, and anger.

• Northern European and also some Asian countries are non-contact cultures, whereby a simple hand shake is usually the only acceptable use of touch. However, other cultures will embrace, kiss and hold hands as part of socialisation.  

Australian's are famous for our informal language style, we use slang and abbreviations quite regularly and also partake in innocent joking amongst friends and family (taking the piss). However, these habits are not necessarily common in other cultures and can be misinterpreted or cause offense. 

Some helpful hints for ensuring correct language formality:

• Check with a friend, colleague, local national or ex-pat representative of the same culture as to any particular protocols or etiquette surrounding language formality.

• Use the internet to research the particular cultural customs.

• Learn to address people appropriately, some cultures use surnames, formal titles and have different versions of 'you' depending on gender.

Fitness attire is usually tight fitting and often quite revealing. Whilst this is not usually an issue in Australia it can be for other cultures which value a more modest look. 

If your clientele is of a more conservative culture then the following tips may be helpful:

• Bare midriffs and crop-tops should be avoided.

• Consider wearing shorts over the top of leggings as some cultures don't appreciate body hugging attire over the buttock / groin area.

• Invest in high quality gym wear as this shows you take pride in your appearance.