HBR – One Reason Cross-Cultural Small Talk is So Tricky

Interesting analogy  for different cultures: Coconut or peach? And it is not about how hard it is to crack or soft it is to eat. Read on to understand the rules of what is appropriate and what is not to ask and share in a new culture. By Erin Meyer

It was my first dinner party in France and I was chatting with a Parisian couple. All was well until I asked what I thought was a perfectly innocent question: “How did the two of you meet?” My husband Eric (who is French) shot me a look of horror. When we got home he explained: “We don’t ask that type of question to strangers in France. It’s like asking them the color of their underpants.”

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Source: HBR Blog Network