Argentinian Business Communication Style

Before talking about Argentinian business communication style it is important to say that although Spanish is the language of Argentina, many Argentines speak good English, having been educated internationally. In addition, many speak either Italian or German as a high proportion of Argentines have either Italian or German ancestry.

A great deal of respect is given to people who speak freely and express themselves forcefully. It is possible to disagree with people and even criticize their opinions and yet remain on friendly terms. Indeed by remaining uninvolved and aloof, you may be viewed as disengaged and disinterested. Meetings can, therefore, appear to be quite noisy boisterous affairs with people frequently interrupting each other to add points or disagree with what is being said. Again this liveliness is viewed as a positive as it shows engagement and interest.

As throughout most of South America, Argentinians exhibit certain distinctive body language characteristics. Firstly, they stand in very close proximity to each other in comparison to many other cultures. Secondly they have very strong levels of eye contact and thirdly they are highly tactile in many situations. This combination can seem quite threatening for people from cultures who’s normal approach is more subdued (Scandinavians, the Japanese etc.) It is important that you try to accept these body language issues as it is unlikely that the locals will adapt to you.

It is usual for people to be referred to by their surnames rather than their first names in most business situations. Titles are also often used such as Ingeniero (engineer) or Abogado (lawyer).

Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture.  Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in Australia only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.

Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture. 

Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in Argentina only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.