Virtual meetings with German business partners come with their own set of challenges. Expectations around structure, communication style, and preparation differ from what many international companies are used to.
Virtual Meetings with German Business Partners
I have covered in‑person meetings with Germans in more detail elsewhere; virtual settings require a different kind of preparation. When you meet people (only) virtually, the challenges can be of a different nature, and one could write an entire book on that topic alone. In fact, Munich-based Trainer Gudrun Höhne, an expert in the fields of global communication and virtual teams, has recently published such a guidebook: Volldampf voraus in virtuellen Teams! Wie grenzenlose Zusammenarbeit in virtuellen Teams gelingt (bookboon).
Gudrun had allowed me a sneak preview of her manuscript, and was very helpful with answering my questions on the topic. Here are some basic principles that she advises you should follow:
Technical Readiness and Clear Agendas
Her first (standard) piece of advice concerns the technical part of the communication via Skype, WebEx, and comparable solutions. If you have received a meeting link from your (German) business partner, better check the link beforehand and make sure that your firewall settings do not generate any technical problems. While such technical pitfalls can always happen, I would assume that Germans are generally less tolerant of those not having taken standard precautions.
If, however, you send the meeting link, make sure that an agenda is attached to your invitation, and inform the recipients of how they can check the technical settings. If the scheduled timeslot allows for some buffer, you may mention in the agenda that, according to your planning, the presentation should (as an example) take half an hour, and that another 15 minutes are allocated for Q&A.
First Impressions in Virtual Meetings with Germans
Check the position of your webcam before going online, and make sure that you have a professional, neutral background. I remember the embarrassment I felt during a Skype job interview some years ago, and how I tried to discreetly move my laptop so that the other person wouldn’t see bits of the ironing board stored behind a closet at my back. Höhne advises that you should dress professionally, as for a normal business meeting or presentation.
You should take care that you are in a quiet environment, and that there are no disturbances; close the windows and doors, mute your phone, and redirect incoming calls to voicemail. According to her recommendations, you should also double-check that you have a stable Internet connection. Join the meeting at least five minutes before the official start to ensure everything is set up correctly.
Communication Expectations in Virtual Meetings
When sharing your screen, and before you proceed with your demonstration, you should ask your audience whether they can see whatever you want them to see (only that and not more); allow for a time delay. It is recommended to summarize and visualize important points (you can use the service’s whiteboard feature, for example), and ask for comments and feedback to check your audience’s understanding. With larger groups, it is best to have a co-moderator and also use the chat for communication in the meeting.
Punctuality and Meeting Structure in Germany
“Germans expect you to be in the meeting on time,” Höhne points out. “Start with small talk but keep it a bit shorter than usual because Germans like to focus on the subject at hand.” She also suggests that you talk slowly and clearly, avoid slang, and unless you can converse in German, keep in mind that you are not talking to native speakers.
Let me close by sharing a story one of my German friends related to me when we were discussing international calls: where he works, there is a regular (like weekly or monthly) online meeting with colleagues and representatives working abroad. Obviously, he explained, the meetings are always held in English. “One day, but only after 10–15 minutes, we realized that actually, only native Germans were present in the call. We could easily have held the meeting in German.” However, my friend continued, “the managing director, who was in his flow and couldn’t easily adapt to new circumstances, stuck to his procedure and continued in his (improvable) English, going through the meeting points exactly as they were listed on his paper.” Don’t tell me I haven’t warned you enough …
If you are working with German companies more regularly, understanding communication expectations can make a real difference.