Business etiquette in Qatar

Qatar is an Arab country, which is located on a peninsula washed by the waters of the Persian Gulf. Its hinterland is an arid desert, while its coastline is covered with beaches and dunes. Doha, the capital of the country, is famous for its futuristic skyscrapers and ultra-modern buildings, made in the style of ancient Islamic architecture.

Greeting

Qatar is a multinational state where you can meet representatives of various cultures.

Due to such ethnic diversity in Qatar, there are parallel cultures that have their own forms of greeting. However, in a business environment, the traditional form of greeting is a handshake, which is usually exchanged by men.

Bodily contact between the sexes is not accepted due to Muslim traditions that are strong in this state. Foreign women should wait for the initiative from the man before reaching out for a greeting. The same applies to foreign men, who should pay attention to the behavior of a woman in this situation.

Sometimes, as a sign of greeting a woman, a man puts his hand to his chest in the area of \u200b\u200bthe heart and slightly tilts his head, while smiling at the woman. This, one might say, is an alternative (non-contact) form of greeting a woman in a business and social environment.

The handshake is necessarily accompanied by an oral greeting, adopted in the Arab world: "As-salamu alaikum", which means "Peace be with you." In response, you need to say: "Wa-alaykum as-salaam", which means "And peace be upon you."

The whole greeting procedure among the locals looks rather formal and rather lengthy. In addition to shaking hands, speakers can clasp each other's arms around the elbow or shoulder, exchange kisses on the cheek (a light touch of cheek to cheek), and even touch each other with the tip of their noses ("rubbing their noses"). The latter is possible only between close friends.

During a greeting, as well as during any business conversation, it is important to maintain eye contact with the interlocutor. This applies only to communication between men. If a woman takes part in the conversation, the man should not meet her eyes, stare at her and compliment her on her appearance or clothes.

Foreigners should not copy the mannerisms of their partners in Qatar, trying to reproduce the traditional forms of greeting for Arabs. Close business and even friendly relations must first be established.

Performance

In formal, formal, and business situations, especially in early contact, the accepted form of address is Mister, followed by the person's first name (rather than last name), such as Mister Omar. The same applies to a woman: Mistress Aisha. Surnames in Qatar are used mainly in written correspondence.

Any titles, titles and degrees are of great importance in Qatar. When meeting with a high-level government official or members of the ruling family, use Your Excellency. If, for some reason, you have to meet with a sheikh who has any formal title or rank, you should use it when contacting. This is especially important in written communication.

If the title, academic degree of the partner is unknown to you (or they simply do not exist), use polite forms of address, namely: Mister, Mistress, Miss, followed by the name of the person. 

If your partner has a PhD, you should use it when referring to him.

It is not uncommon to find the words ibn and bint in Arabic surnames, such as Mohammed Khalfan Bin Kharbash or Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Bin means "son of someone" followed by the father's name, bint means "daughter of someone" followed by the father's name. With the help of these words, another generation in the family can also be indicated, namely the father of the father. However, the current trend is to list only the name of the father (rather than both father and grandfather). The last name of the person is given at the very end.

Exchange business cards

In Qatar, business cards are often exchanged. Almost every person has them. It is advisable to always have a sufficient supply of business cards with you.

The business card should contain a standard set of data, including the first and last name, position or position in the company, its name, all contact addresses. The mobile phone number is especially important (it is better for women not to indicate it).

If you hold an academic degree, title, engineer, or doctor, be sure to put that on your business card in a way that draws attention. All such regalia are highly valued in Qatari society.

The text of the business card must be in Arabic and English. The side of the business card with Arabic text must be face down when handing it to the partner.

As a rule, business cards are exchanged after the introduction and greeting. At the same time, the guest is the proactive party.

There is no special ritual for handing over a business card in business practice in Qatar. However, we must remember that business cards, like any other paper or documents, should be passed (and received) with the right, not the left hand.

Small talk: big picture

Business conversation is preceded by small talk, which is a kind of prelude to the actual negotiations. It is important for Qatari businessmen to get to know their potential partner better, since establishing relationships is at the heart of any business. During such conversations, there is a feeling of trust between partners — a very important category in the Arab world.

Never be hasty in small talk, trying to quickly move on to discussing business matters, your project may end before it starts. Show sincere interest in your partner, his interests, preferences, for example, in sports or travel. Be natural, friendly and interested.

When communicating, especially in the company of older people, it is important to be as polite and courteous as possible. As a rule, Arabs treat guests with special respect and expect the same treatment when they themselves go to visit.

During the conversation, try not to ask general questions that require a yes answer; or (especially) "no", especially if your question can be interpreted as a request. Your Qatari partner may agree to do what he is asked to do, but what he would not like to do. Instead of a direct refusal, he will politely but evasively agree. It is important to catch some non-verbal signs of his true intention. How consent was expressed — warm and emotional or detached and cautious — may serve as a hint.

Preferred topics

Positive impressions or complimentary statements about Qatar, its sights, interesting buildings and structures.

Positive judgments about Qatar's achievements, economic growth, wealth, oil and gas industries will be especially well received. This kind of compliments, sincere praise will certainly be appreciated by your interlocutor.

Sports, especially local football teams.

General topics are safe, namely, weather, sports (especially horseback riding), entertainment, cars, travel (including safaris) and others.

International events that are talked about, especially those that are not controversial.

Taboo topics

Controversial topics, especially political statements, should be avoided in small talk.

Religion and everything related to Islam is a rather sensitive topic, which is better not to touch on in a conversation.

Do not allow yourself during the first meeting questions of a personal nature, for example, about the family of your Arab partner or his children. This can only be discussed after a fairly long time, when the relationship becomes closer and more trusting.

Under no circumstances should you ask a colleague from Qatar questions about his wife, even if she works or what her profession is.

Do not touch on topics related to the status of women in Qatar, the attitude towards them in society.

Alcohol, spirits of various brands and brands are taboo topics.

Comfortable communication distance

In this Arab culture, the distance of comfortable communication varies depending on the gender of its participants. Men stand quite close to each other during a conversation, but this distance increases significantly when a woman is involved in the conversation.

The people of Qatar actively use body language in the course of communication. Physical touch, including long handshakes, clasping hands around the elbow or shoulder, are very common gestures. This also applies only to men, who under no circumstances should touch women.

Remember the "right hand" rule: go around the person next to you on the right, start greeting the one on the right, pass documents with your right hand.

If you are sitting at a low table or on the floor during an event, pay attention to the posture you took while doing so. Your partner should not see the sole of your shoes, this is considered a very rude gesture, even an insult, since the feet are considered a dirty part of the body.

Features of communication

This Arab state is distinguished by its extraordinary cultural diversity. In business situations, it is possible to meet people with different cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs, and educational levels. It is important to carefully monitor your speech and avoid any comments that are evaluative, so as not to accidentally offend someone's feelings.

The speech of the Qataris is not distinguished by directness. On the contrary, their statements often contain subtext, which is formed under the influence of such factors as the relationship between the speakers, their status in society, the very situation of communication. Of particular importance are understatements, certain gestures and facial expressions, intonation, as well as the meanings of individual words that are understandable only to the carriers of this culture.

It's important to keep in mind that Qataris often say what they think they're expected or want to hear in conversations, rather than expressing their opinion directly and openly. This is due to the fact that Arab families for decades (and even longer) lived together in the same communities in which the daily maintenance of harmonious relations was a necessity.

Because within the Arab community, family or personal relationships were often superimposed on business relationships, this indirect, often highly veiled manner of communication has become a characteristic of business as well.

However, such hidden meanings are well understood in Arab society. However, foreigners will have to spend time to understand them and learn how to adequately respond to them. Therefore, in the course of communication, carefully and unobtrusively clarify what your partner said.

In Qatari culture, as in a number of Arab countries, emotional and expressive speech is valued, loud enough and complemented by fairly active gestures. On the contrary, a quiet and inexpressive manner of speaking is perceived as insincere. Often, how it is said is more important than what it is said.

The exchange of compliments between Arabs is not surprising. They often and verbosely praise each other. A foreign businessman, if praise is directed to him, should respond adequately, i.e. make a series of complimentary statements to your partner, since that is what will be expected of him. At the same time, it is important to remember that Arab women should in no case be mentioned in these statements.