Brazilian people are open and friendly.

They often use hand gestures in communication and are not put off by touch.

Brazilians leave little distance when talking.

Always maintain eye contact.

Brazilians tend to be fast talkers; A conversation should be fast-paced.

A conversation may be highly animated, including many interruptions, exclamations of 'no!', and a lot of
physical contact. This is really true, as they do listen and not just pretend to listen.

Do not attempt to direct or monopolize a conversation, since this is considered rude.

Brazilians are usually reticent about their own personal lives, nonetheless they may ask intrusive
questions about your income, religion, and marital status. If you don't want to answer this information,
try to give a vague, indirect, answer since saying you «don't like to answer» may sound rude.

People in Brazil usually adopt first names right from the beginning. Addressing Brazilians by their first
name is not a sign of familiarity. In fact, family names are simply not used as much as in other countries.

Professional titles such as “Doctor” and “Professor” are used to address business acquaintances.

For those with no professional titles, the term “Senhor” [“Mister”] or “Senhora” [“Mrs.”] is used to
precede the surname. Informally, these two terms are replaced by «Seu» [Mister] or «Dona» [Mrs.].
Curiously, women from the middle and more educated classes may get offended when called by
«Dona».

Titles such as “Senhor” and “Doctor” can be used before first names, and you will probably find that
Brazilian counterparts prefers to be addressed by their first name on all occasions. For instance, an
attorney whose name is Juca Minhoneiro may be “Dr. Juca” to his juniors and “Juca” to his equals.

People in Brazil usually have several surnames. Nonetheless, It is appropriate to address people using
the last surname.

Brazilians always wash their hands before eating and rarely touch food with their hands. Use a knife and
fork for everything, even fruit. Always use a napkin while eating or drinking.

Brazilians tend to finish all the food they put on their plate. Taking more food than one can eat and
leaving unfinished food on one’s plate is considered impolite, suggesting that the person did not enjoy
the food.

It is common to have a second serving.

Eat with the knife in the right hand and fork in the left. After eating, place the knife and fork next to one
another and do not cross them.

Do not eat food with your hands – including fruit. Items such as fruit should be cut with a knife and fork.
Visiting

Since Brazilians are generally easy going, the etiquette for visiting their home is quite casual and relaxed.

It is considered to be impolite to arrive on the designated time. If invited to a Brazilian household, come
no earlier than 15-30 minutes after the designated time.

If you are offered a complimentary cup of ‘cafezinho’ (‘black coffee’), accept it unless you have a good
reason to refuse. In Brazil, coffee is a symbol of hospitality and is widely consumed. Likewise, offer
cafezinho to anyone who visits your home if it is possible.

The purpose of dinner invitations or parties is primarily for socialising. In turn, people are not normally
hasty to leave. Such invitations usually include time for conversing before, during and after the meal.
Typically, guests will not leave before dessert and a cafezinho have been served.

In Brazil, guest etiquette demands that you greet everyone. You may think it’s redundant to do this in a
room with lots of people, but a person may become offended if you don’t greet them warmly

Make sure you observe and respect the family code of the house, but don’t be shy to talk, share some of
your ideas, or take part in family activities like watching TV—with a family that was completely strange
to you five minutes ago.

A barbecue is the perfect context to exercise this piece of cultural etiquette in Brazil. Meeting a new
family, getting to know them while eating good food, and enjoying the afternoon together, is a great
experience.

People will be interested in knowing the guest (you) as well. If you observe a lot and act polite, you’ll
probably do fine. When in Brazil, do as the Brazilians do.

Small gifts such as a chocolate bar are often given as a symbolic gesture of appreciation towards
someone who does a favour.

If invited into a Brazilian home, bringing flowers or a small gift for the hostess is a good gesture of
appreciation. A gift for the hostess’ children will also be greatly appreciated.

Doing business with Brazilians requires face to face communication. You will be able to do only limited
business by phone, fax or e-mail.

Business meetings will typically be scheduled around 2 weeks in advance, and it would be a good idea to
call and confirm a day or 2 beforehand. It would be a good idea to avoid planning meetings first thing in
the morning or during the hottest hours of the day, and allow plenty of time.
In Brazil, the emphasis is always on people and personal relationships, and therefore expect lots of small
talk and chatter – this may have more of an impact on the deal you are trying to close than the
presentation you are giving. Be wary of trying to push past the small talk to “get down to business”, as
this can be seen as rude. Good topics to bring up would be football, food, art and family life. Avoid
talking about touchy areas of politics and any criticism of the country or its people, as you may cause
offence.

Meetings in Brazil will likely be noisy, animated affairs, with many people talking over each other. If you
are making a presentation, then it would be good to keep it short and to the point, and bear in mind
that your performance may be considered more important than its content. Expect to be interrupted
and asked questions.

Avoid trying to rush matters to a conclusion, as Brazilian business people may not respond positively to
being pressured into making a decision, preferring a more relaxed approach. If follow-up to a meeting is
necessary, then make this as personal as you can, either over the phone or face-to-face if at all possible.
Be ready for more small talk!

Brazil business dress etiquette is paramount in the working place. The clothes are not much different
from those in other countries, but in Brazil, the presentation is really important.

Generally, look sharp and clean. If you’re a man, shave or take care of your beard. Brush your teeth, take
a bath. And keep it classic:

Man: Shirt, tie, blazer or suit. Leather shoes. Wear a classy watch, if you want.

Woman: Shirt and social pants or skirt, woman’s blazer. High-heel shoes. Some basic jewelry may be
suitable.

Brazilians prefer face-to-face meetings to written communication as it allows them to know the person
with whom they are doing business.

The individual they deal with is more important than the company.

Be courteous and do not openly criticise particularly in a group situation as this will cause offence.

Communication is often informal and does not rely on strict rules of protocol.

Anyone in the meeting can comfortably contribute to discussions.

It is not frowned upon to interrupt someone when they are speaking as long as it is within context of the
discussion and not to overtly disagree or criticise.

Brazilians are very much in favour of properly drawn up legal documents.

Business cards are exchanged during introductions with everyone at a meeting.

Present your business card with the Portuguese side facing the recipient

In Sao Paulo and Brasilia it is important to arrive on time for meetings. In Rio de Janeiro and other cities
it is acceptable to arrive a few minutes late for a meeting.

Do not appear impatient if you are kept waiting. Brazilians see time as something outside their control
and the demands of relationships takes precedence over adhering to a strict schedule

Meetings are generally rather informal.

Expect to be interrupted while you are speaking or making a presentation.

Avoid confrontations. Do not appear frustrated with your Brazilian colleagues .