couple otherr things to go with the last question... part of business involves eating lunch or dinner with your colleagues or customers, and it is important to realize that as an american we tend to stick out. We are elephants in a porcelain shoppe, over there. They generally see us loud, rude and obnoxious so do what you can to tone it down. SOme of the things that I remember being complaints was how we eat. Over there you should be using your fork and knife properly (fork in left hand and knife in right) french fries should be eaten with a fork as should pizza (no eating with your hands) and keep your hands on top of the table even if your not doing anything at the time.
One of the things they noted about American women, was the loud and high-pitched tone they take especially when talking to each other, and leaning almost into baby-talk intonations. They find that especially irritating. They see it as mostly fake and even a bit weak.
The holidays are different over there and you should look up the Holiday calendar. They like to use their vacation time in the summer like most europeans so that they can travel to other countries and enjoy some vacation time. NO they do NOT celebrate Thanksgiving. ( I was stunned at how many times I heard AMericans ask that). SO be aware that YOU may end up working on what is otherwise an American holiday and you are used to having off.
One more thing of note was the way in which a product or program release is handled. By comparison, when we have a teambuilding event or are making a "sales pitch" about a new internal program you approach it differently. The company I worked for actually had 3 different versions of a DVD that was promoting a a new internal business process campaign. One for the Euro's, one for Malaysia, and one for the US. Typically the American version was a lot more "Cheerleading" like, you know, "Yay Team! were awesome!! " and simply did nothing to positively influence the Germans or Czechs, they just rolled thier eyes at these silly Americans.
one of the phrases I remember hearing quite a bit from the Czechs (in English) after spending time at work and after work, was generally "hey c'mon man dont bullchit me" (not at me but in how things were going in the office) Again pessimistic, or realistic, depending on your outlook.
