Indonesia – Gabriela Latief - Communicating with Other Cultures

Following up on the first post of my newsletter on LinkedIn, I am sharing this week’s article with a summary of the interview I did with Gabriela Latief, from Indonesia.??

Gabriela has a Latin American name, as she shares with me with a big smile, but she is 100% Indonesian.?? Born and raised in Indonesia, she is currently working at the Embassy of Indonesia in Brasilia, Brazil, supporting the efforts in bridging more ties between both countries.? ?

The article below is only a short summary of the conversation I had with Gabriela, but in the recorded video, she shares surprising facts and information about Indonesia, that perhaps many people would not know about.? The very strong cultural identity in the country, along with suggestions on how best to connect with the local Indonesian people when traveling there.? Don’t miss out Gabriela’s full interview on this direct link.

For more information about Gabriela, and her work, you can reach her through this link:

LinkedIn? https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/gabriela-latief

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As I mentioned in the first post of this newsletter, all the international interviewees will be asked the same 7 questions.? The objective is for us to learn new insights on the most effective way to communicate and understand different cultures when doing business in the specific country where the interviewees work at.?

This will help the foreign businessperson who wants to enter a new market to increase empathy and cultural understanding with their international colleagues, clients, or partners.?

We will be publishing the full recorded interviews on our recently rebranded and relaunched YouTube Channel.?? I will share a summarized version of each of the interviews through a new article on this newsletter.? ?Don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel and receive updates of the future interviews we will be organizing.?

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So, let’s begin!

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The 7 questions, and Gabriela’s answers, are the following:

1.?Tell us more about you and what kind of work you do.

Gabriela moved from Indonesia to study and work in Canada when she was 17 years old.? She lived in Canada for 10 years and is living and working in Brazil for the job at the Embassy currently.?

Gabriela is also a marketing advisor (working remotely) for the organization, Global Startups, based in Toronto, Canada.

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2. What are some things you recommend people to do or say when first meeting and speaking with a person with whom they might initiate a new project or business opportunity together in Indonesia?? What should someone not do or say?

Gabriela begins by describing more about the context of the country.? The population of Indonesia is of 279 million people, with 1340 different ethnic groups.? A very diverse culture that exists, and it is the largest Muslim populated country in the world, with 90% of the population practicing this religion.

Yet, one of its most famous destinations, the city of Bali, has the main religion being Hindu.? So, it would be a big mistake to assume that the rest of the country is similar, based on your experiences and impressions if you only go to Bali (where a lot of international tourists go frequently).

As a predominantly Muslim country, most Indonesians don’t drink alcohol or eat pork.? Thus, when arranging a first meeting, for a drink perhaps, as it is common in North America, Europe, or Latin America, be attentive of where you want to meet to drink or eat something with your local Indonesian partner or client.? ?Gabriela’s suggestion is to ask them where they feel comfortable to meet, and what kinds of food they want to eat.

In addition, do not get straight to the point and start talking about business in the first encounter.? It can also be seen as a bit rude if you do.? Indulge in small talk beforehand, talking about life and other things in general.

When you are received or invited by an Indonesian at a certain location, most likely there will be non-alcoholic drinks and snacks. ??When the invitation is offered, it is a show of respect, and the locals appreciate when you accept it. ?

Another proposal, that is optional, as Gabriela points out, is for you to bring a gift.? This could be something local, from your country.? Not anything expensive.? There is a culture of gift giving in Indonesia, and it would be seen as something special, thoughtful, and also creates a very good impression of you with the locals. ?

3. We recognize that it is important to have a deeper cultural understanding of a local place when doing business there.? What cultural aspects might be considered when doing business in Indonesia?

Gabriela emphasizes that Indonesians “beat around the bush,” a lot, compared to many other cultures.? It takes them a long time to get to the point in discussions.? Sometimes, you will need to read in between the lines to actually understand what they mean.?

This is because Indonesians are generally very polite people.? When they express suggestions, criticism, or negative opinions, they do so in a very subtle way.? You will not receive a direct “no,” but they will present it in a twisted way, to make it sound more polite.?

It would be wise to pay attention to your clothing when in the country, or meeting someone for the first time.? Since the influence of the religion is strong, the society is very conservative, even among the non-Muslim population.? Take note of how you dress, and for women, to wear clothing that shows less skin.?

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4. If someone does not speak Bahasa Indonesia, what do you suggest a foreigner do to be able to communicate more successfully with locals in Indonesia, and to be able to do business there?

Gabriela reminds everyone that Indonesians are very open people, even when meeting with foreigners.? But having said that, Gabriela does suggest you learn a few words in Bahasa Indonesia, and it would go a long way when it comes to creating relationships with the locals.

Words such as: Good morning, Good afternoon, Good night, Thank you, and Please.? It would cause a good impression with your Indonesian counterparts.?

If you are having a business meeting, and you don’t speak Bahasa Indonesia, Gabriela emphasizes that you bring a translator with you.?

She mentions the importance of body language, and if you can show positive nonverbal communication in the meetings, it can help you to build a stronger relationship with the Indonesians. ??

No language, no worries! ?But make a little effort in learning a few words beforehand, to show respect and to try to connect more with the locals, as highlighted by Gabriela.

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5. To get better results in visibility or sales, what are your recommendations on the most effective ways to do marketing for products or services in Indonesia?

Gabriela works with marketing, so she knows this topic well. ?She mentions that Indonesia is one of the countries that has some of the most active social media users in the world.? Most of the population has smartphones, and internet access is very cheap in the country.?

People spend a lot of hours on social media, at an average much higher than most other countries.?

Whether your business is B2B or B2C, it would be recommended that you leverage social media to your advantage.? It could be in the form of Ads, or marketing through influencers, for example.

Get to know how the Indonesians behave online.? The trends of what they like or do not like, and to try to adopt that into your social media strategy is recommended.?

The Indonesians use WhatsApp a lot.?? A lot of customer services of businesses are done usually through WhatsApp.

Instagram is the strongest platform used in Indonesia, and Gabriela suggests you be present there.

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6. If a business partner in Indonesia wants to get to know you better, and invites you to a local coffee / tea place, restaurant, or wants to do a “virtual happy hour” via Zoom, what are the kinds of topics people in Indonesia like to talk about, and that is not related to business, for example??

Gabriela enthusiastically says that Indonesians love to talk. ??So, when you initiate a conversation, be prepared to talk a lot with them.?

Indonesians love to eat.? They love their food.? Ask them about their suggestions on what types of food they should eat in the country.? Which restaurants? What dishes?

You can ask suggestions for where to visit in the country as well. ??Bali is a famous destination, but Gabriela mentions Yogyakarta, and Jakarta, the capital city.? All depends on your taste and interests.

Indonesians enjoy sharing more about their country to foreigners.?

Gabriela says that Indonesians are very family-oriented people.? Therefore, they like to talk about their family. ?If you are comfortable, you can also share a little about your personal life with them.? That is how they try to build a relationship with you.? It is one way they try to connect with you. ?

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7. What one word should everyone learn to say in Bahasa Indonesia, and why??

Gabriela highlights two key words to learn and use when visiting Indonesia.

The first is – Terima Kasih, which means thank you.

The second word is – Tidak Pedas, which means “not spicy.”

A lot of the food in Indonesia is very spicy.? For foreigners, this can be quite delicate, and if you don’t tell them to make the food “not spicy,” you might not be able to handle it.

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Gabriela reminds us that the topic of cultural awareness, when doing business, is a very important aspect of the negotiation and communication process.? She has seen many business opportunities fail because of this lack of understanding between people from different cultures.

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I hope you enjoyed this summary of the conversation with Gabriela, and don’t forget to watch the full interview with her through this direct link, and subscribe to our recently rebranded and relaunched YouTube Channel for more content on cross-cultural communication tips and lessons learned to share with everyone.?

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• Is there anything else, related to cultural or communication aspects with Indonesian counterparts, that you think would be interesting to share with everyone as well??
• Or some experiences you may have had when working with Indonesian colleagues, clients, or partners? Feel free to write them below in the comments.
• What other country (countries) do you want us to highlight in this channel, and to share their cultural and communication insights and suggestions?

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Would you like to recommend someone for us to interview from a specific country?? If so, write to us at, [email protected], for us to learn more about this person.

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*Please note that the answers provided by Gabriela are based on her own experiences and knowledge of the local culture.? There is no intention to generalize all the Indonesians to any specific behavior mentioned in this interview.

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Terima Kasih!?

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Sign up for the Newsletter through this link, and stay updated with the future interviews we will share and the lessons learned, suggested action steps, and examples of successful cross-cultural communication solutions.

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For more information about the work we do at Occasio International Advisory Services - www.occasioias.com

For more information about the work we do with Cross-Cultural Communication – https://occasioias.com/cross-cultural-communication

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