Business Etiquette

Language is powerful when negotiating Japanese deals (or any deals). Japenese people have a tendency of avoiding saying “no”. Professor ____ had a slide of the 16 ways they say no to avoid commitment. One of the reasons was writing a letter with the intention to say no when those involved could have said no in person. This reason stuck out most out of all 16 because I’m guilty of doing something similar. To avoid commitment with either a task, a gathering, or some sort of responsibility, I respond with “I’ll let you know” knowing very well I will probably avoid the whole situation in general. 

On another (less personal) note, I like that the Japense use silence to let an anger simmer down. In some cases, silence makes people uncomfortable. To think of silence as a way to end an argument takes skill and practice. I say this because when upset, people are likely to control their reactions. There’s a whole list of basic rules when doing business in Japan, what is the outcome of breaking these rules? Is it a “side-eye” unwelcomed impulse, or something as drastic as asking people to leave the premises?