Building trust in France - three easy-to-implement tips

International negotiations often fail due to a lack of trust in the foreign business partner. They are perceived as unreliable or arrogant. Especially in collaboration with our neighboring country France, we often encounter unexpected difficulties. With a few small changes in behavior, German-French cooperation can be much more successful. 1. Smalltalk Germans place great importance on working efficiently and not wasting time. A meeting is tightly scheduled, structured, and the goal is to achieve a good result in the end. And then we go to France, and our business partners start with 15 minutes of small talk? What a waste of time after a long journey. This is about a different way of building trust. Germans build trust through numbers, data, and facts. If these are correct, (usually) everything is fine. French people build trust through relationships. First, the personal relationship must be established, and everything else follows automatically. Tip: If you want to have more success in German-French negotiations, then embrace it! The small talk time is not wasted but well invested. And what should you talk about? Current sports events, French cuisine, wine, French literature, or culture are good topics. Less suitable are very personal topics. Jokes about French politics are not appropriate for foreigners - even though they may be part of small talk among the French. 2. Eating Two hours for lunch break? Why? Even today, French people often take a long lunch break and treat themselves to a two- to three-course meal in a restaurant. Sometimes with a glass of wine. And this is often part of a negotiation day with your French business partners. Sometimes we feel like time is running out. Not only long small talk in the morning, but now also a long meal? Again, this is about building trust and sharing a beautiful, enjoyable moment. Tip: Relax, enjoy the meal, and maybe be surprised by an unexpected concession or contract signing over an espresso afterwards. Now is the right time to discuss business topics. Because even if it doesn't feel like it and the topics are different, eating is not about personal matters, but about business. Just in a different way... 3. Language French people love (their) language. They enjoy using metaphors and allusions, and often it's more about how something is formulated than the actual content. When French people have to communicate in a foreign language, they feel uncomfortable. They cannot express themselves as well, have significantly fewer opportunities to use wordplay, humor, or irony. They often come across as arrogant to Germans because they always want to speak French, but the real reason is usually insecurity. Tip: No one expects you to speak French perfectly. You can have a conversation in English or get support from an interpreter. But - and here it's about building trust again - learn a few simple words or phrases! A short French greeting, "Please," "Thank you," "Goodbye" - that alone is enough to open doors and hearts.