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Germany has a lot to offer when you’re planning a vacation. This can also be one of the countries you be officially visiting for business purposes. Therefore, it is necessary that you know some tiny bits of etiquette that will help you avoid trouble, blend in a strange place and deal with people smoothly.
The first thing you have to remember when dealing with people in Germany, especially in business, is punctuality. Germans are very particular with time and they might consider a few minutes late as impoliteness. If you had some emergency along the way, call those who are waiting for you ahead.
Also remember that you will need to dress up a lot in Germany. Wear formal and conservative attires when dealing with business partners. When you go for casual occasions, dress up a little bit more than you would in ordinary circumstances.
When eating, always put both hands on the table and rest your elbows on the table as well. Don’t eat with your fingers and use forks in cutting soft foods such as potatoes and chunks of vegetables.
In German restaurants, watch out for the brass plaques on the table. You may sit on these “marked” seats and be embarrassed when someone comes to you and make you move to different tables since those brass plaques are reserved for some regular costumers.
Enjoy your stay in Germany and meet a lot of interesting people. Shaking hands is the most common way of greeting people. Consider kissing on cheeks for very close friends and relatives.
Lastly, if you don’t want to go to jail without doing any crime, don’t make a Nazi salute and joke with “Heil Hitler”. That is a major offense and you wouldn’t be excused although you are a foreigner.