Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France

Capital: Madrid

Population: 40,280,780 (July 2004 est.)

Language: The official language is Spanish.

Lifestyle & Aspirations
Spain has an amazingly rich cultural heritage in its artists, writers, film directors and actors. It also presents great opportunities for sport. Much spare time, though, revolves around family, friends and eating out.
? Eating out in restaurants: Many families eat out at weekends, either for lunch or supper, with children staying up very late. Spain is not a drinking culture as such; people normally consume alcohol with food.
? Soccer - watching and playing it. Following football and attending major football matches is considered to be almost a social obligation, with most males belonging to a football club. Many larger companies have access to tickets for major events and corporate entertainment can include attending football matches. Even the most disinterested foreign business associate would be well-advised to go along with the show. As with many social events in Spain, participation is usually more important than one's technical interest in an event.)
? Tennis, basketball, cycling and athletics: all very popular participation sports.
? Golf: Spain has some of the world's finest courses.
? Skiing: Many people in the south ski in the Sierra Nevada at weekends in winter.
? Hunting: Many countryside areas are set aside as hunting reserves.
? Watching bullfighting: Bullfighting is very widespread and widely accepted by the majority of Spanish people for whom it is a very important artistic and cultural expression. The City of Barcelona has, however, voted to ban it. Madrid and the south are the main centres for the sport or art, as some regard it.
? Discussing politics: It's better to listen initially until you know what you're talking about.
? Hiking in the mountains and outdoor life - hang gliding and white water rafting, for example.
? Beach life.
? Cinema, thanks in part to winning directors such as Pedro Almodóvar, José Luís Garcia, Fernando Trueba and top calibre actors such as Antonio Banderas, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, the most renowned internationally, and others such as Carmen Maura, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón and Victoria Abril.


The Essentials (10 Key Tips)
1. Spend sufficient time letting your business colleagues get to know you; trust, personal relationships, and character are critical.
2. Business in Spain is hierarchical. Deal with people who are similar in rank to your own. You might not meet the person who actually makes the decision. Decisions are not reached at meetings. Meetings are for discussion and to exchange ideas.
3. Arrive on time for meetings, while recognising that actual starting and finishing times might be flexible.
4. Sharpen up your skills for understanding body language. The Spanish do not like to lose face, and so will not necessarily say that they do not understand.
5. Not all Spanish business people speak English. Find out if you will need an interpreter.
6. Be aware that face-to-face contact is preferred to written or telephone communication.
7. Avoid confrontation if at all possible. Spaniards do not like to admit publicly that they are wrong.
8. Expect to be interrupted when you are speaking. It is simply an indication the other person is interested in what you are saying. Don't expect agendas to be followed in a strict fashion.
9. Be sensitive to regional issues in Spain and do not put all Spaniards into the same category; a person from Catalunya will have different attitudes and customs from a person from Malaga or the Basque country.
10. Place importance on socialising after work. The Spanish day has no rigid divide between work and play and much business may be done over lunch or dinner.

Working with the Spanish
Business in Spain is often obtained as a result of personal relationships. While the relationship building process takes time, it is imperative to invest this if you are to be effective in Spain.
Business entertaining comes as part of the package when doing business in Spain, and while the deal in question may not actually be discussed over the table, your counterparts will be forming an opinion about you and whether they want to do business with you.
Spain is more formal than some western countries; like in German and French, there's a polite form of address, for example. Yet in meetings, Spaniards will happily all talk at once and interrupt one another.
Be prepared for chaotic business negotiations. Often numerous people will be speaking simultaneously. It is important to understand the difference between excitability - very common - and aggression, which is very rare. Learn to interpret tone of voice and body language.
Also learn to understand the Spanish approach to time. Time is not viewed as linear. Spaniards will juggle many things at once and will expect to react to situations as and when they occur, rather than have a detailed plan. Spontaneity and quick reaction are valued attributes in a leader.

Making a Good Impression
Spain is a large and varied country, and many Spaniards tend to identify themselves with their particular region and its own variations in culture, habits and behaviour. It is wise to be alert to regional sensitivities and differences. For instance, some areas in Spain such as Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque country have their own regional language after years of struggle, as well as regional traditions and cuisine.
Do try to "feel out" mutual acquaintances and connections with Spanish colleagues; do not be afraid to ask. Expect much time during social occasions to be spent discovering who you know in connection to someone else. Good references from trusted connections speak more for an individual than only technical competence and ability. The best reference you can give about another person is "he's a good friend of mine".
Dress smartly and behave politely, using the 'usted' form of address unless invited to use 'tu'. Do not get drunk at social occasions - this is very bad form.
Spaniards are impressed by education and qualifications but it is important to behave modestly and not boast about your achievements.
Enquiring about the welfare someone's family is important to foster a good relationship. Try to remember detail - the names and ages of your colleagues' children, for example.

Business Etiquette
Communication Style
Spanish culture is relationship-based and communication is direct and indirect, depending on the subject. Often, a subject will be kicked around a group of people and appear to go nowhere as all the facts are examined and new subjects introduced. Spaniards are philosophers, and a convoluted, oratorical style characterises their business conversations.
The Spanish also have a strong sense of 'face', like Asians. Giving face and saving face is an important value in building interpersonal relationships. Unlike the Asians, however, the Spaniard may react with visible touchiness and sensitivity when they feel their personal dignity and point of honour (pundonor) have been compromised. If you need to communicate something negative, it will almost always be taken personally and will cause offence, so be very careful. Winning an argument on a technicality will not score any points as the other person's 'face' will be damaged. A negative point should be followed by a positive one wherever possible. Straight talking should be backed up by logic and facts, and a positive spin.
A Spaniard will spend a lot of time trying to get a feel for someone's trustworthiness, so expect a lot of initial communication to be about mutual acquaintances and common points of reference.

Body Language
Spaniards are more tactile and expressive than, say, north Europeans and north Americans. Whilst you can expect to shake hands when introduced, men who are close friends often give each other an abrazo (hug), patting each other on the shoulder at the same time. Many men use a two-handed shake where the left hand is placed on the right forearm of the other person. Women friends greet and part with a slight embrace and a kiss on each cheek, starting with the left.
To beckon another person, turn the palm down and wave the fingers or the whole hand. Snapping the hand downward is used to emphasise a point. Do not make the internationally recognised OK sign; it constitutes a deep insult.
Although it is nowadays considered rude to whistle, women must still be prepared for lengthy gazes from admiring Spanish males.

Gift Giving
In general, business gifts only tend to be given in Spain at the conclusion of a business deal.
If you are the recipient of a gift, it is polite to open it immediately in front of the giver rather than taking it away still in its wrapping paper. If you are offering the gift, it is best not to cut corners. The gift should be of good quality without being extravagant, perhaps some kind of branded item, or maybe a coffee-table book or other item which says something about where you come from. If you need to buy gifts on the spur of the moment, a bottle of good brandy (ideally not Spanish) or whisky will always go down well. But whatever you opt for, it should be presented in quality wrapping.

Business Cards
Spanish business people are keen users of business cards. Some people have new cards printed for Spain with one side in English and the other in Spanish but this is really only necessary if you are selling something or are sure that your counterparts will not speak English.

Business Meeting Culture
Planning a meeting
Spanish meetings are often not for decision-making but about exchanging opinions and collecting information, and for strengthening interpersonal relationships. In fact, important decisions can often be made at the casual dinner table after the meeting. So if you want to set a rigid agenda, do not expect it to be followed.

During a meeting
The first meeting will be an exploratory one with a lot of relationship-building. Do not be surprised if no business at all is done in this session.
Any meeting in Spain usually involves a lot of dialogue. Everybody will talk at once and the conversation will go off at a tangent. Spaniards may appear quite heated during a meeting, but this is normal and is not an indication of conflict. There is a tendency to get a 'feel' for something rather than be direct. But foreign visitors must get a 'feel' for the situation themselves, too. It's quote common for Spaniards not to give their opinion at meetings (as this may give something away), so it is important to watch their non-verbal communication. Don't make the mistake of thinking all the talking is a waste of time: your body language can break any potential deals.

After the meeting
In Spain it's important to go out after the meeting and bond properly with your counterpart, perhaps over lunch or over dinner, and that's when you really start to relate. The conversation may veer all over the place but if you are waiting for a decision to be made, it may well happen outside the meeting room during a social event.

Motivating Others
Spaniards are motivated like anybody else by money and recognition and many companies offer bonus schemes and performance-related extras like profit-sharing. Spaniards are quite egalitarian, though, and do not like to see one team member getting ahead of the others for what is perceived as the 'wrong' reasons, usually connected with privilege, so it is important to set team goals carefully and not openly reward some more than others.
Recognition is very important to Spanish workers and they will be motivated on a day-to-day basis by colleagues and superiors showing an interest in their personal well-being. Socialising around work is important, as it making time for small talk. A good personal relationship with an immediate superior will keep people in a positive frame of mind.
Job security is very important in Spain, which has high unemployment and a relatively large number of people working on temporary contracts. Basic human rights are also a priority as the country continues to recover from the hangover of the Franco years; surveys have shown Spaniards nowadays to put things like health and safety at work, the right to protest and work-life balance at the top of their priority lists.

Effective Presentations
Spaniards tend to have a relatively short attention span for presentations, preferring to judge the suitability of a project on a personal level. If you are presenting, keep it short and factual and inject some of your own personality into it, without appearing boastful. Modesty is an important quality in Spain.
Be very clear in your presentation. Use visual aids and have slides translated into Spanish. Highlight the important points. The Spanish will not like to admit that they didn't understand something. Even if you encourage questions, you may not get honest feedback. The danger is that your counterpart might let the deal drop if he or she doesn't understand it. Make your proposals detailed and practical and hand out notes in Spanish after the presentation.

Audience expectations
A Spanish audience does not want to be lectured; people want interaction. They will certainly want an opportunity to question the speaker afterwards and debate the points raised. There is a danger, though, that the very first question will start a heated discussion and the event will run out of time. Some Spaniards keep the real issues close to their chests and may want a chance to question the speaker in private, for example, over coffee after the presentation.

Managing Relationships
Broadly speaking, Spain has two different types of company. First, the multinational, with a flatter structure, a high percentage of expatriate senior management and a culture that embraces feedback, training, coaching and motivation. Second, the SME, which is more likely to be run by a benign but autocratic boss, have a strict hierarchy, and be relatively unstructured and unsophisticated when it comes to modern business practice. How relationships are managed will depend entirely on the type of company in question.
What is important is to gain the trust of Spanish counterparts by accepting and embracing their way of working rather than trying to impose your own cultural standards, particularly regarding time, which has its own meaning in Spain. Do not get impatient, or patronise people, or meddle in their business affairs; maintaining 'face' is very important in Spain.
Trust is a strong feature in the interpersonal relationships of the Spanish. It's very important to bond individually with Spaniards so a lot can be left on trust and words of honour. They don't necessarily feel the need to have everything tied down, completely buttoned-up, especially when dealing with foreigners. This can be frustrating to cultures where everything is confirmed in writing and a strict procedure is followed.