Written by A Swiss anchorman was traveling by train from Zurich to Chur.
A passenger sitting in the seat in front of him spoke not a word the whole train ride.
As the train pulled into the terminal station, the passenger stood, turned to the anchorman, and reached out his hand for a shake, saying, “Mr. Müller, it has been a pleasure to travel with you.”
This is characteristic of the Swiss in general.
Respecting others’ privacy is a highly valued norm. The Swiss do not talk with strangers – even famous television anchormen – as they see this as an invasion of others’ privacy.
In this case, the passenger might have mustered up the courage to greet the anchorman, but that’s where the intrusion begins and ends.
Personal Details Are Private
The Swiss are traditionally secretive.
Whereas other cultures might chitchat while waiting in a queue, the Swiss don’t bother engaging in small talk.
In fact, if you initiate small talk with a stranger in Switzerland, you may be met with a dirty look.
Personal details are just that: personal.
Private or personal matters aren’t brought to work, be they emotions or facts.
Such matters needn’t even be deep to be avoided. The Swiss are unlikely to share where they’re from, what car they drive, or any sort of mundane detail about their lives.
An article about Swiss culture by Valentine Sergon on Expatica explains:
“As a whole, Swiss people tend to be polite, reserved, direct, and a little guarded at first. In work environments, social etiquette in Switzerland is to remain formal until explicitly told otherwise.”
Personal details and themes are only shared between friends.
Strangers and acquaintances receive only greetings and reserved niceties. It’s only until you break into the “inner circle” that you might earn a lifelong friendship from the Swiss.
But a lifelong friendship it will be, as once they put their trust in you, the Swiss are known to be loyal.
Struggle to Small Talk
An Australian expat wrote the following about Swedish people, but it could apply just as well to the Swiss:
“I can tell that they really want to learn, but they were never taught how to do small talk. When people find out I’m Australian, they try to make small talk with me, but they really struggle. They speak good English; it’s just that they don’t know what to say.”
Swiss culture is very much the same. Small talk is so foreign to the Swiss that, even if they wanted to try, they have a hard time with it.
Now that you know a bit about Swiss culture, you might wonder how it stacks up to American culture.
With such norms, how might a Swiss person survive in a world of America, a culture that typically embraces small talk?
Or how might an American fair in Switzerland?
We’ll tell you how next week.
Success Across Cultures 