Over the last decade, Thailand has become one of the steadily growing "tiger" economies, which means that increasing numbers of people are being sent there on assignment - both long and short-term. Here is some advice on how to go about doing business in the "the Land of Smiles".

On this page:

• Introduction
• Greeting
• Dress and attitude
• Money
• Culture
• The reality

Introduction

Thai culture is hierarchical to degrees western people are wholly unfamiliar with. The egalitarianism that most of us have grown up with does not apply outside our hemisphere. In Thailand, the language itself reflects the level of respect that must be shown to whomever is being addressed. Without going into the full details, remember that Thai culture belongs to Far Eastern traditions, so westerners will need to adapt to it even as Thais attempt to meet us part way.

Greeting

As far as nonverbal communication is concerned, the ritual greeting (wey), consisting of folding the hands, as in prayer and bowing of the head, also depends on whom you are greeting.

The more senior or important the person you are greeting, the more your head should be lowered. Hence, it is important to know who is who amongst those you meet. Older is more important than younger, richer more important than poorer, male more important than female.

You need not "wey" children, although they should be "weying" you.  A nod of the head to them, or to servants and store clerks will do. The thing to get used to most is the differences in social levels. Bucking the system with our typical "We are all the same" ethic comes across as disingenuous and only confuses the locals who are confused enough by our strange manners.

Dress and attitude

If you are in Thailand representing a company, you are synonymous with it. Your dress, your behaviour, your attitude towards the locals will define you and what you represent. "You are what you seem to be," someone in Thailand once told me: "Dress like a slob and you are a slob. Dress like an executive and that is how you will be treated."

If you have a propensity to vent anger, something that is avoided in Eastern cultures, where getting along is paramount, then you will be feared and avoided. Smiling when misunderstandings occur or when saying "No" eases disappointment.

Money

A common source of miscommunication with Thais involves money. Knowing how much the going rate is, and then not exceeding it by too much, keeps inflation in check and makes you look savvy rather than foolish. Good business people haggle. They negotiate prices, starting at half the asked for fee, then coming up to a mutually agreed upon price.

 Note that taxis standing outside hotels will charge almost double that of the "Meter Taxis" parked just a few steps down the driveway.

No matter what the transaction involved, price differentiations are a fact of life in Thailand. Even when the original quote is "reasonable" by western standards, it is probably grossly inflated.

For domestic help, the average wage for a Thai is somewhere around 200 – 300 Baht per day. That is five or six US Dollars. To offer this, plus room and board to a servant is more than being generous, so learn the going rates.

Culture

Some of the behaviours you would do well to acquire are:

• Smile while interacting with Thais and do not speak loudly as this is considered immodest.
• Avoid talking about Thais as though they were not present, or that they would not comprehend what you say. (This seems an annoying affliction of expats everywhere.)
• When handing things to others, use only the right hand. The left is for toilet matters.
• Remove shoes before entering temples and private homes.
• Small businesses outside of Bangkok are often in homes. You will notice the shoes parked outside. When entering these, avoid stepping on the threshold itself as spirits are believed to reside there.
• Pointing with the finger should also be avoided, as should showing the bottom of your shoes or feet, or using the foot to point at things.
• Touching in public between men and women is not traditional behaviour, although it is becoming more frequent under Western influence.
• Learning some of the language and taking an interest in "Thai ways" will gain you merit.
• Above all, try to go with the flow of life in Thailand rather than becoming upset when things don't go as they do back home. It is after all, a very different place.

The reality

Finally, there are many clichés about foreign places and foreign people. The idea that Thailand is "the land of smiles" is an advertising gimmick that has lost any validity it ever had.

Most Thais are struggling to survive and to get rich as wealth is constantly being touted as the only good. This new materialism places tremendous pressures on people. They are expected to compete economically, often with little training or education (few speak English, for example), and they often miss the mark as far as Western standards are concerned. But they work hard. So don't be disappointed if the smiles have faded.

Understanding the reality that people have to live with and cutting them some slack will go a long way to making your life in Thailand a positive experience. On this note, let me recommend a book I found helpful: Mont Redmond, Wondering into Thai culture (Bangkok, 1998). It will give you a deeper insight into the people you will be dealing with.

People often go abroad without any preparation at all and invariably encounter misunderstandings that could be avoided. To minimise these, getting some intercultural training—learning about the system of values, expectations, and behaviors that make up a culture—goes a long way towards functioning effectively in the world.

This is especially important to those who expect to profit from their dealings abroad. I have met many foreigners who enter cultures that observe strict delineations of hierarchy and respect only to flaunt all conventions. This attitude only contributes to the impression that westerners are "arrogant".

October 2004

Intercultural trainer Hans Straub has worked in Canada, Germany, Hungary, Mexico, Taiwan, China, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. He also teaches English for academic purposes (EAP) and English as a second language (ESL).