courtesy of Business German
COMMUNICATING WITH THE GERMANS. In doing business with the Deutsche, you can expect them to be direct (which may sometimes be misunderstood as being confrontational). They tend to openly criticise. It is done objectively, though. It never is meant as a personal attack.
It takes getting used to, believe me. However, once you get used to their style of negotiations, you will (at least I did) find yourself thanking your lucky stars to be working with people whose feedback you can immediately expect. Personally, I'd rather have that so I know where improvements should be made.
You can also try and put what you have memorized from your phrase book to use. They'd definitely appreciate it if you try to greet in German but... be careful with how you address the people. Always use "Sie", the formal you rather than the informal "Du" form.
Try to avoid using exaggerated communication styles during your meetings. They might think you are insincere. Or worse, ditzy (for the females).
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