Chile

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Appearance

Men customarily wear dark blue or gray suit, a light shirt, and a conservative tie. Bright colors and flashy fashions are not suitable, nor is wearing anything on the lapel. Women should wear a suit and heels.
Men should note that when a woman enters a room, the polite gesture is to rise and be prepared to shake her hand if she offers it. A seated woman, however, need not rise nor is she obliged to offer her hand.
Chileans converse in close proximity to one another.
Maintaining eye contact is necessary to show interest and sincerity.
At a meal, keep your hands above the table at all times.
Yawns should be stifled or covered with the hand.
Holding the palm upward and then spreading the fingers signals that someone is "stupid".
Slapping your right fist into your left open palm is considered obscene.
Do not raise your right fist to head level, as this is a Communist sign.

Behavior

Prior appointments are necessary.
In business, punctuality respected. Meetings should start and end on time.
Have business cards printed with English on one side and Spanish on the other. Present cards to everyone in a meeting except secretaries.
Business entertaining generally is done at major hotels and restaurants.
Light conversation is customary before business discussions.
Don’t serve wine with your left hand. Wines, especially white wines, are a national treasure.
Proper table manners are important.
Women have advanced in professions in Chile, more so than in most other Latin countries. However, they will be at a slight disadvantage because of the machismo ethnic that continues to exist.
Gifts are not expected in business until the relationship is a close one.
Chileans do not bargain in either stores or street markets. It is illegal to sell something and not issue a receipt.

Communications

With first introductions, a handshake is the custom.
Male Chileans may greet each other with hearty hugs, with women customarily kissing each other on the cheek.
Titles are important and should be included on business cards. Address a person directly by using his or her title only. A Ph.D or a physician is called Doctor. Teachers prefer the title Profesor, engineers go by Ingeniero, architects are Arquitecto, and lawyers are Abogado. Persons who do not have professional titles should be addressed as Mr., Mrs., or Miss, plus their surnames. In Spanish these are :
- Mr. = Senor
- Mrs. = Senora
- Miss = Senorita
Most Hispanics have two surnames: one from their father, which is listed first, followed by one from their mother. Only the father’s surname is used when addressing someone.
Good conversation topics: families, children, Easter Island, history.
Bad conversation topics: politics, human rights, 1988 grape export scare.

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